The ruling obsession of the contemporary NZ Left is that political action undertaken further to the right than the liberal wing of the National Party should not only be condemned, but suppressed
"In the seven months that have elapsed since its electoral defeat, the Left’s intense fear of the unenlightened masses has grown to match the Right’s deep mistrust, bordering on hatred, of the highly-educated. "
Although it plays more neatly into political narrative, I think it's deeply misleading to say the right hates or mistrusts the highly educated.
The right loves highly educated STEM + Commerce professionals.
I have a MCom in Economics and am a CFA charterholder. The right loves people like me.
The humanities disciplines on the other hand, especially relatively new ones like gender or indigenous studies, are a completely different kettle of fish.
I think the characterisation of both the left and the right in the sentence cited by Matt is overblown. But if CT had been more grounded, he wouldn't have got the date of the doco wrong.
I hate to be a wet blanket on an interesting theory but “Web of Chaos” was first screened in September 2022 by TVNZ. It is not recent nor a manifestation of the Lefts post election trauma. It was a State funded tilt at contrarian viewpoints then and perhaps its screening now may be some weird answer to the discontinuance of the Safer Online Services and Platforms project which was a brainchild (if that is the word) of the DIA.
The "contrarian viewpoints" were anti vaccine, and anti-mandate theories that for the most part originated from conspiracy theories by a coalition of far-right Trump/Bannon types (Bannon indeed helped fund “Radio counter spin”) and a few naive back-to-the-earth conspiracy buffs. That fact that we might have been in an emergency where some minor civil rights (coffee at cafes) might be suspended for the greater good made no sense to the senseless. John Hopkins mortality analysis proved beyond a doubt that mandates worked in saving many lives, by comparing nations with strict mandates to those without. E.g Nz vs the USA https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality (NZ the lowest in the OECD with 52.8 per 100K fatality rate vs the USA 341.11 per 100K) This lack of reason has morphed to the real existential crisis such as catastrophic climate change by the likes of lapsed leftists partially taken in by the new form of neofascism such as Taibbi, Russel Brand and Weiss who all to some degree support Trump and Netanyahu -both populist strong men ethno-nationalists with a contempt for demcoracy and science - and a strong affection for miltary force...the very definition of fascism.
That may be your interpretation of the views of people who were entitled to express them but were demonized for their position which failed to conform to State messaging. And it now turns out that some of the concerns about the safety of vaccines that were so cavalierly dismissed as conspiracy theories are now turing out to be correct. And I speak as one who isolated and complied with mandates and was vaxxed. My concern is that those who had a different opinion were belittled and marginalized in much the same way as you have expressed in your post. They are entitled to their opinion as you are to yours.
"concerns about the safety of vaccines that were so cavalierly dismissed as conspiracy theories are now turing out to be correct." .. sure. Which ones? I've heard of none. We had a pandemic that needed emergency action, so if one was "belittled" for not helping out in an emergency by speading bullshit that would cost lives, is that so bad?
Richard, did you actually read the article Mr Halfling linked to? The Coroner and Health and Disability Commissioner both acknowledged the risks of myocarditis were not publicised.
The HDC, Morag McDowell, pointed out: "None of the official information sources explicitly required vaccinators to inform consumers about the risk of myocarditis before vaccination and the importance of new information was not communicated to vaccination providers".
As the world stumbles towards a dark form of neofascism utilizing the medieval fear of fact and reason Chris is correct in disavowing conspiracy theory on the left as well as the right. The Koch Bother(s) corporation’s power along with the immensely powerful Atlas Network – a network of right-wing ‘think tanks’ are not conspiracies. They are entirely legal intuitions. They are by no means suppressed by anyone on the left. And they do indeed represent unfettered corporate power with neo-fascist overtones (no democracy in corporations). They certainly under their unprecedented wealth and connection to media flac have influenced way beyond any institution on the left can muster (especially lowly liberal journalists). And in some cases, they weild far more power by far than "the liberal state".
Without getting into the right-wing politics of Musk, Taibbi, and ethno-nationalist Netanyahu supporter Weiss, the fact that some in the US government exposed in the Twitter files tried to suppress right-wing disinformation does not mean that they are “liberal” but that the ugly fascism of Trump and his NZ, South American and European equivalents is even more dangerous than the traditional enemy of the left. Indeed, the left in protesting the Netanyahu genocide has been targeted with a witch hunt worthy of the McCarthy era in the USA. The left here and in the USA are most definitely fearing and condemning the state’s disinformation as well as the state's soemtimes overloards of corporate power embodied in the likes of the Atlas Network and Koch Bother.
Ah, the Atlas Network! The "overlords of corporate power"? The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year.
Is the Climate Action Network — a global network of over 1,300 environmental non-governmental organisations in over 130 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels" also an "overlord"?
Can you explain to me the difference between being a member of the Atlas Network and of CAN?
First, NZCABN is made up of citizen member groups supported by small donations whose interest is a safe life for our children in the future. They are no match to the immense fortunes of Exxon, the Koch family foundations, or tobacco giant Philip Morris. The Atlas Network assists mostly US right-wing libertarians (as opposed to left-libertarians) and think tanks with grants. It is only a "network", but those institutions that it helps individually have only a single interest - profit for shareholders.
The Atlas Network is a nonprofit group, funder by ultra-conservative wealthy individuals, right-wing “foundations” and some corporations. It advises and supports more than 450 independent think tanks (mostly edging to the far right) according to the right-wing National Review that try to that try to strengthen .. economic freedom”. Wikipedia claims that "Research by the activist website DeSmog said Atlas Network had received millions of dollars from Koch-affiliated groups, the ExxonMobil Foundation, and the Sarah Scaife Foundation.[11] As of 2005, Atlas Network had received $440,000 from ExxonMobil, and has received at least $825,000 USD from the tobacco company Philip Morris."
Second, your claim "The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year" is without any evdience on Google. Perhaps ture, or perhaps not. You have provided no link. National, Act and now NZ First don’t necessarily need the Atlas corporation's funding. There are many homegrown bad actors (“overlords”, if you wish, in our 21st century version of feudalism).
You say my claim that "The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year" is without any evidence on Google.
You didn't even look at the Atlas Network's annual report? On page 9, it records spending of $62,000 in total across Australia and NZ (and $7.36m across 85 countries). Claims that it is lavishly funding right-wing organisations globally are risible.
The chair of the network, Debbi Gibbs, also gave me that $62,000 figure by email.
She also commented on the BBH website under a column I wrote: "[The Atlas Network] have not received any funding from big oil or tobacco in the 20 years that I have been involved."
Thanks you provided a link. Google is not alway that cooperative. Still as mentioned, National, Act and now NZ First don’t necessarily need the Atlas corporation's funding. There are many homegrown bad actors.
Simple analysis into the ledger books of funding across all political persuasions (notwithstanding those that McLeod, and other like him in the past, have sought to hide)would reveal, even to the most mathematically challenged individual, the colossal difference between war chests spreading a right-wing narrative over your stated bogeymen of the liberal left. It is utterly preposterous for any intelligent person from across the political spectrum both nationally and internationally to argue differently. Denying that either the Australian referendum on allowing indigenous Aboriginal First Nations people a seat at the table or the ‘Three Waters’ debate in New Zealand was not altered by the massive funding afforded to those on the right who wanted both issues aborted, never mind throttled at birth is a disingenuous proposition. There is an imminent and active danger that access to wealth and privately owned channels of mass communication is denying the public’s ability to make reasoned, informed, and intelligent decisions over things that have far reaching consequences not just for themselves but for future generations. To imply, as you seem to, that there is a threat to this current order from those on the left is utterly ridiculous.
The Altlas network is not a "conspiracy". It is a legal organization. Did anyone say otherwise? Perhaps the extent of their reach is exaggerated. Perhaps not. Most left media that I read or listen to are from the UK and USA (none exist here in NZ that I know of) - Znet, the Nation, the Intercept, Democracy Now - spend little time looking at the Atlas network - they are a part of the big picture. But Democracy Now did have a good segment on the organization worth listening to https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/11/lee_fang_on_how_a_little .
Again, if someone called it a “conspiracy” then they are flat-out wrong. These powerful right-wing organizations put an inordinate amount of money and media pressure on the politics of all nations. It is institutional and perfectly legal, not conspiratorial.
"In the seven months that have elapsed since its electoral defeat, the Left’s intense fear of the unenlightened masses has grown to match the Right’s deep mistrust, bordering on hatred, of the highly-educated. "
Although it plays more neatly into political narrative, I think it's deeply misleading to say the right hates or mistrusts the highly educated.
The right loves highly educated STEM + Commerce professionals.
I have a MCom in Economics and am a CFA charterholder. The right loves people like me.
The humanities disciplines on the other hand, especially relatively new ones like gender or indigenous studies, are a completely different kettle of fish.
I think the characterisation of both the left and the right in the sentence cited by Matt is overblown. But if CT had been more grounded, he wouldn't have got the date of the doco wrong.
I hate to be a wet blanket on an interesting theory but “Web of Chaos” was first screened in September 2022 by TVNZ. It is not recent nor a manifestation of the Lefts post election trauma. It was a State funded tilt at contrarian viewpoints then and perhaps its screening now may be some weird answer to the discontinuance of the Safer Online Services and Platforms project which was a brainchild (if that is the word) of the DIA.
The "contrarian viewpoints" were anti vaccine, and anti-mandate theories that for the most part originated from conspiracy theories by a coalition of far-right Trump/Bannon types (Bannon indeed helped fund “Radio counter spin”) and a few naive back-to-the-earth conspiracy buffs. That fact that we might have been in an emergency where some minor civil rights (coffee at cafes) might be suspended for the greater good made no sense to the senseless. John Hopkins mortality analysis proved beyond a doubt that mandates worked in saving many lives, by comparing nations with strict mandates to those without. E.g Nz vs the USA https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality (NZ the lowest in the OECD with 52.8 per 100K fatality rate vs the USA 341.11 per 100K) This lack of reason has morphed to the real existential crisis such as catastrophic climate change by the likes of lapsed leftists partially taken in by the new form of neofascism such as Taibbi, Russel Brand and Weiss who all to some degree support Trump and Netanyahu -both populist strong men ethno-nationalists with a contempt for demcoracy and science - and a strong affection for miltary force...the very definition of fascism.
That may be your interpretation of the views of people who were entitled to express them but were demonized for their position which failed to conform to State messaging. And it now turns out that some of the concerns about the safety of vaccines that were so cavalierly dismissed as conspiracy theories are now turing out to be correct. And I speak as one who isolated and complied with mandates and was vaxxed. My concern is that those who had a different opinion were belittled and marginalized in much the same way as you have expressed in your post. They are entitled to their opinion as you are to yours.
"concerns about the safety of vaccines that were so cavalierly dismissed as conspiracy theories are now turing out to be correct." .. sure. Which ones? I've heard of none. We had a pandemic that needed emergency action, so if one was "belittled" for not helping out in an emergency by speading bullshit that would cost lives, is that so bad?
The one that caused myocarditis that is currently being investigated by the Coroner - https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/report-highlights-failures-in-informing-consumers-of-risk-following-covid-vaccine-death/F32GOFNBVJAA5MAXCJ2B62VZAM/
The risk of myocarditis has always been a known and well publicized risk of the vaccine from the onset. No conspiracy there.
Richard, did you actually read the article Mr Halfling linked to? The Coroner and Health and Disability Commissioner both acknowledged the risks of myocarditis were not publicised.
The HDC, Morag McDowell, pointed out: "None of the official information sources explicitly required vaccinators to inform consumers about the risk of myocarditis before vaccination and the importance of new information was not communicated to vaccination providers".
That is the whole point of the article.
Glad you agree
As the world stumbles towards a dark form of neofascism utilizing the medieval fear of fact and reason Chris is correct in disavowing conspiracy theory on the left as well as the right. The Koch Bother(s) corporation’s power along with the immensely powerful Atlas Network – a network of right-wing ‘think tanks’ are not conspiracies. They are entirely legal intuitions. They are by no means suppressed by anyone on the left. And they do indeed represent unfettered corporate power with neo-fascist overtones (no democracy in corporations). They certainly under their unprecedented wealth and connection to media flac have influenced way beyond any institution on the left can muster (especially lowly liberal journalists). And in some cases, they weild far more power by far than "the liberal state".
Without getting into the right-wing politics of Musk, Taibbi, and ethno-nationalist Netanyahu supporter Weiss, the fact that some in the US government exposed in the Twitter files tried to suppress right-wing disinformation does not mean that they are “liberal” but that the ugly fascism of Trump and his NZ, South American and European equivalents is even more dangerous than the traditional enemy of the left. Indeed, the left in protesting the Netanyahu genocide has been targeted with a witch hunt worthy of the McCarthy era in the USA. The left here and in the USA are most definitely fearing and condemning the state’s disinformation as well as the state's soemtimes overloards of corporate power embodied in the likes of the Atlas Network and Koch Bother.
Ah, the Atlas Network! The "overlords of corporate power"? The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year.
Is the Climate Action Network — a global network of over 1,300 environmental non-governmental organisations in over 130 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels" also an "overlord"?
Can you explain to me the difference between being a member of the Atlas Network and of CAN?
Here's a long list of NZCAN members:
https://www.nzcan.org/members
First, NZCABN is made up of citizen member groups supported by small donations whose interest is a safe life for our children in the future. They are no match to the immense fortunes of Exxon, the Koch family foundations, or tobacco giant Philip Morris. The Atlas Network assists mostly US right-wing libertarians (as opposed to left-libertarians) and think tanks with grants. It is only a "network", but those institutions that it helps individually have only a single interest - profit for shareholders.
The Atlas Network is a nonprofit group, funder by ultra-conservative wealthy individuals, right-wing “foundations” and some corporations. It advises and supports more than 450 independent think tanks (mostly edging to the far right) according to the right-wing National Review that try to that try to strengthen .. economic freedom”. Wikipedia claims that "Research by the activist website DeSmog said Atlas Network had received millions of dollars from Koch-affiliated groups, the ExxonMobil Foundation, and the Sarah Scaife Foundation.[11] As of 2005, Atlas Network had received $440,000 from ExxonMobil, and has received at least $825,000 USD from the tobacco company Philip Morris."
Second, your claim "The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year" is without any evdience on Google. Perhaps ture, or perhaps not. You have provided no link. National, Act and now NZ First don’t necessarily need the Atlas corporation's funding. There are many homegrown bad actors (“overlords”, if you wish, in our 21st century version of feudalism).
You say my claim that "The network spent less than $70k across Australasia in the 2023 year" is without any evidence on Google.
You didn't even look at the Atlas Network's annual report? On page 9, it records spending of $62,000 in total across Australia and NZ (and $7.36m across 85 countries). Claims that it is lavishly funding right-wing organisations globally are risible.
The chair of the network, Debbi Gibbs, also gave me that $62,000 figure by email.
She also commented on the BBH website under a column I wrote: "[The Atlas Network] have not received any funding from big oil or tobacco in the 20 years that I have been involved."
Thanks you provided a link. Google is not alway that cooperative. Still as mentioned, National, Act and now NZ First don’t necessarily need the Atlas corporation's funding. There are many homegrown bad actors.
Simple analysis into the ledger books of funding across all political persuasions (notwithstanding those that McLeod, and other like him in the past, have sought to hide)would reveal, even to the most mathematically challenged individual, the colossal difference between war chests spreading a right-wing narrative over your stated bogeymen of the liberal left. It is utterly preposterous for any intelligent person from across the political spectrum both nationally and internationally to argue differently. Denying that either the Australian referendum on allowing indigenous Aboriginal First Nations people a seat at the table or the ‘Three Waters’ debate in New Zealand was not altered by the massive funding afforded to those on the right who wanted both issues aborted, never mind throttled at birth is a disingenuous proposition. There is an imminent and active danger that access to wealth and privately owned channels of mass communication is denying the public’s ability to make reasoned, informed, and intelligent decisions over things that have far reaching consequences not just for themselves but for future generations. To imply, as you seem to, that there is a threat to this current order from those on the left is utterly ridiculous.
What disinformation that the "left believe in" are you taking about?
The Atlas network 'conspiracy' for a start lol.
The Altlas network is not a "conspiracy". It is a legal organization. Did anyone say otherwise? Perhaps the extent of their reach is exaggerated. Perhaps not. Most left media that I read or listen to are from the UK and USA (none exist here in NZ that I know of) - Znet, the Nation, the Intercept, Democracy Now - spend little time looking at the Atlas network - they are a part of the big picture. But Democracy Now did have a good segment on the organization worth listening to https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/11/lee_fang_on_how_a_little .
They may not be the largest player, but they are a mediium player in right-wing libertarian flac. “In 2020, Atlas Network provided more than $5 million in the form of grants to support its network of more than 500 partners worldwide.” https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/942763845/05_2021_prefixes_92-94/942763845_202012_990_2021052118161289
Again, if someone called it a “conspiracy” then they are flat-out wrong. These powerful right-wing organizations put an inordinate amount of money and media pressure on the politics of all nations. It is institutional and perfectly legal, not conspiratorial.
And they are extremely effective, here and abroad. National, Act and NZ1 in a sense “bought” the last election in a sense by spending 13: 1 over Labour or 1:6 when including the Greens between 2020 and 2023. You can be sure it wasn’t all mom-and-pop doners! https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/election-2023-national-party-banks-75-times-more-in-donations-than-labour-party/CAKRIIEYXBGMRGUNIVQ6J3NXVM/
“lol” ...are you 15 years old?
Yeah, the exaggerating of their influence is the bit I'm referring to.
as for use of 'lol'.. this is common vernacular on the internet for all ages...