The Weight of the World
Musk is the new Seymour, RIP Timothy West, the Hīkoi marches on, and the end of Shihad.
As the weight of the world
Hangs on your shoulders
The weight of the world
Starts to take over again
And over again
All that you once loved,
now you hate
So slowly relearn
how to meditate
To have and to hold
And never let go
Can you feel it now?
Song: Shihad.Elon Musk is America’s David Seymour
Christopher Luxon anointed David Seymour as Aotearoa’s Tsar of Deregulation with his strangely named Ministry of Regulation. Now, President-elect Donald Trump has given Elon Musk a similar position, naming him co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump has indicated will operate outside of the confines of government.
I imagine Mr Musk will be taking a similar approach to making the US public service “efficient” as he did when he took over Twitter and turned it into X. Namely, sacking a whole bunch of people, even if they were doing things that customers benefitted from and generally making the place a lot more Nazi friendly.
Trump said in a statement that Musk and co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”
Does any of that sound familiar? I quite liked the way Emma Brockes put it in The Guardian:
“Quite apart from the fact that Musk may now be nominally in charge of government agencies with oversight of his companies – the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, has had run-ins with Musk over threats to wildlife near the SpaceX launch pad – it opens up a future in which the richest man in the world gets his lolz not from incontinent tweeting, but from the side-splitting task of slashing 75% of the federal workforce.”
And if you think that all sounds like a David Seymour wet dream, albeit one in which nothing bad happens to Māori, then wait for the next bit:
“If large numbers of Americans voted for Trump in the electoral equivalent of looting – roughly: everything’s shit, so let’s burn the place down – they are in with a good chance of seeing that nihilism come home to roost. In his official statement, Trump likened Musk’s new department to the Manhattan Project, the US nuclear programme that produced the world’s first atomic bomb and an analogy that makes no sense beyond the broad outline of blowing things up.”
Sadly for Donald, there are reports that his wife, Melania, will not be joining him at the White House, and she declined to attend the traditional meeting with the Bidens this week in that residence. Ah, well, the course of true love never ran smoothly. In better news, some are now referring to Musk as First Lady Elonia.
This was attributed to author Stephen King, who has denied it, tweeting: “I see there's a rumour going around that I called the Musk-man Trump's new first lady. I didn't, but only because I didn't think of it. There's also a rumour going around that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am.”
RIP Timothy West
I was sad to read this morning about the passing of British actor Timothy West. Some of you might have seen the series he did on narrowboats with his wife Prunella Scales, who played Sybil in Fawlty Towers, Flowery Twats, or whatever the sign outside the hotel said that week.
It was lovely. I’m a big fan of canals; I’m sure I’ve written about our time doing the Stourport ring in the UK. More so, it showed Timothy's great tenderness and love for his wife as they dealt with her dementia. It’s a very sad thought that she is alone now. Here’s a clip from a year ago when they were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary:
Some more thoughts on the Hīkoi
I find myself thinking about yesterday's protest. I think it was the most positive, peaceful protest I’ve ever encountered. Which might sound strange when you consider how some in the media or the government are portraying it.
Often, anger is in the air at a protest. I’ve seen it over the years, from French Nuclear testing to Student loans, government spy agencies, threats to the environment, and poverty. While there was obviously unhappiness at the government, the response was more one of sad determination that a battle already fought had to be won again. This was coupled with positivity and pride that this, too, would be withstood.
But it shouldn’t have to be. Apologies if I sound like a stuck record, but we really have to talk about David Seymour because what he is doing here is not normal, it’s not okay, and it’s not bloody on.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick summed it up well in this clip, and it was also fabulous to see the good people of Ōtautahi (Christchurch) out in force.
We pakeha came to this land, our representative signed an agreement, and we should honour it - end of.
The Act party, with its focus on property rights and the rule of law, should be the first ones to jump up and down about any thought of reneging on an agreement. The fact that they do not makes it very, very clear that all this talk about everyone being equal is a bunch of hooey.
This is a populist dog whistle attack on Māori, pure and simple, and any claims from Seymour that it is not are simply lies—and he is good at telling those.
As a pakeha New Zealander, I feel shamed by Seymour’s actions; where is the honour, David? Where is the mana in what you’re doing? There is none, it’s a bloody disgrace.
I don’t know what has happened in David’s life to leave him so unaffected by concepts like honour, partnership, respect, or love—to tell the truth, I feel a bit sorry for him. But we have a fantastic country here if we can be honest about the past and move forward in partnership without being afraid. We’ve heard too much poison from this man, and it’s not good for us, but it has been wonderful to hear the voices of opposition.
Today, the Hīkoi moves through the Waikato, from Huntly to Hamilton, where there will be gatherings, and then on to my hometown of Rotorua, where I’m sure they will receive great support.
Of course, you don’t have to march to support the cause; some of the strongest support comes from those who are unable to:
Marama Davidson wrote:
“Probably the biggest FOMO of MY LIFE!
My energy and immunity may not have been up to standing with my Green MP whānau today and the tens-of-thousands of you, ā-tinana. But I felt your mana as the hikoi arrived through Tāmaki Makaurau. I am with you ā-wairua. Thank you to every one of you who march. Tangata whenua, tangata moana, tangata tiriti, tauiwi, Pākeha – everyone who has joined the hikoi in person or in spirit. People who know our collective power has already seen us survive generations of political violence. We are not going away, we are strong, we are here to stay. Toitū te whenua! Toitū te whakapapa! Toitū Te Tiriti!!!!”
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Shihad’s final tour
Yesterday, the band Shihad announced that they would play their final tour in 2025. To me, this announcement felt like the end of an era.
In my first band, back in 1990, our vocalist went to school with those guys. I’m the same age as them; I was born less than a fortnight after vocalist Jon Toogood. I’ve been an avid listener since their first album, Churn, came out in 1993, and I’ve seen the band many times, more than any other band I’ve seen.
Here’s the Helen Young version of Weight of the World. Happy Thursday, all you lovely people - especially those getting out and supporting the Hīkoi today. 🙂
Agree totally with your Seymour comments Nick he truly is a Maori bashing egotist. For those who believe National don't agree with Seymour the Weasel Brown on Breakfast this morning put paid to that. They will support the Maori bashing alright while pretending they don't. Would like to hear some opinion from their back benchers who we never see or hear any comment from.
Great turnout in Ōtautahi and some of the most fantastic speakers I've seen at a protest. A simple, genuinely inclusive, message was the key. Te Tiriti is for all of us.