This Charming Man
An outlier in the Vox Pop.
I would go out tonight
But I haven’t got a stitch to wear
This man said, “It’s gruesome
That someone so handsome should care”
Songwriters: Johnny Marr and Morrissey.
Why does there always seem to be heavy rain or a storm whenever there’s a protest? Last night I was watching the forecast and my youngest, who’s still in school, joked that it was a sign that teachers don’t deserve more pay. The boys like a good wind-up, especially of Dad.
1 News also played a vox pop showing the views of various members of the public towards today’s mega-strike. The responses were pretty positive.
The first gentleman who appeared to be dressed for the weather said he was on the side of teachers and healthcare workers.
That’s important, if you’re protesting in the rain or a gale, it lifts your spirits tremendously when a passing car toots its support.
The CTU suggests that if you want to show your support in addition to marching, posting to social media with the #Oct23Strike hashtag, or joining a union, you can help by talking to friends, family, and colleagues:
Say you support striking workers. You can talk about why you appreciate the work they do and believe they should get fair pay rises (not real-term pay cuts).
Be patient with disruption and explain to others that that’s an inevitability of a strike and how you know it’s working.
Remind them, these workers aren’t just pushing for fair pay for themselves, they’re pushing for safe staffing and adequate investment in services that we all rely on.
They are such simple messages, but they’re essential to overcome disinformation from the government.
The truth is, most of us support this strike action.
In polling between October 16 and 21, Talbot Mills Research, which also does Labour’s internal polling, found 65% of the 464 asked were in support of the mega strike, a quarter (25%) were opposed, and 10% were unsure.
Even among coalition supporters, 49% supported the strike and 44% opposed it.
It occurred to me watching the news that the way Luxon repeatedly states the strikes are politically motivated, or that doctors and teachers are letting people down, it’s not dissimilar from the messaging Trump uses.
You might’ve seen El Presidente making preposterous claims about Portland or Chicago being war zones, and thought, “How could people possibly believe such rubbish?” However, if the leader repeats it enough times with little challenge, people start to believe it.
So remember when Luxon or Brown start talking about people not coming to the table or being motivated by things other than bettering our services, it’s just the equivalent of Trump saying so-called Blue States, ones that vote Democrat, are out of control and require military intervention.
Note that I’m not suggesting Crusher is going to ride from Waiouru to Queen St in a strike-busting tank; simply that there is an equivalent level of BS being fed to us that needs to be seen for what it is.
The following person interviewed about the strikes said, “Well, I don’t blame them, to be honest.” Fair enough, too, I mean, what sort of person would blame the strike situation on those standing up for better healthcare and education?
In parliament yesterday, Chlöe Swarbrick asked, “Does the Prime Minister understand that, in order for the bargaining to actually work, the Government needs to empower its negotiators to actually turn up capable of offering the resources necessary to meet the need in our education and healthcare systems?”
Luxon’s response suggested he wasn’t listening or serious about making a reasonable offer, as he repeated yet again, “It’s politically motivated, they’re not serious, they don’t care about the parents, the kids, or the patients. We do. Get to the bargaining table. Simple as.”
The next lady 1 News interviewed said, “It’s a shame they have to do it, but they have to do it, don’t they?” That’s the thing nobody who is striking wants to be, and regardless of what Luxon might say, that certainly includes union leaders.
Another lady said her sister had qualified as a nurse, and it scared her how little they start on. She looked genuinely concerned, and well she might.
This Charming Man.
I imagine at this point, the TV producer was tearing their hair out. How were they going to show balance if everyone supported the strike? Perhaps even thinking something they never thought they, or anyone else, would - namely, “where’s Peter Dunne when you need him?”
Fortunately, they managed to spy a suitably sharply dressed man who was willing to offer just the sort of thing they were looking for. However, he did look a bit out of place alongside the other members of the public. I posted:
I love the fact that the only member of the public on 1 News who opposed the strike was wearing a bow tie.
What, no monocle?
The gentleman in question, who looked like he might be on the way to the opera, said, “I think it’s a politically driven thing, to unseat the present government.” Goodness, someone was on message; fortunately, they didn’t ask him how the war was going in Portland.
That’s quite a paranoid outlook, to imagine that a hundred thousand people are going on strike to unseat the government. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea, but that isn’t the case here.
What it was, though, was proof that the anti-union, anti-teachers, and anti-health workers messaging from the government was getting in, like fluoride and chalk.
You can watch the vox pop here, it’s not long:
Many people commented about the fellow who had drunk the blue Kool-Aid.
Karin: “Maybe he was a rent-an-interviewee.” However, despite the bow tie, it wasn’t actually Peter Dunne, who, in my view, fits that description.
Craig: “As soon as I saw him, I instantly thought - Tory.” Lathee agreed, “Yes, he is obviously a National supporter!”
Dave: “I thought straight away, good, they got the absolute plonkerist of the plonkers.” Maria said, “I saw him and thought he was out of an Agatha Christie novel.”
Leah: “I tried to get AI to make an image of a ventriloquist’s dummy with a bow-tie, and it said, 'Sorry, I can’t make an image of David Seymour.'”
David: “100% in favour and proud to support all working people protesting this crap government and its treatment of working people, particularly hard-working women who deserve much better than these assholes are giving anyone but their supporters and donors”
I’m with David and Melissa. These hard-working people deserve better than this.
I thought about Christopher Luxon, and I wondered how he’d be doing a shift in a hospital. Pretty badly, I reckon, and it would take him no time at all to start complaining about the lack of resourcing.
These workers have been through enough; they do so much, and they deserve to be properly paid and for the government to provide adequate resources so they can do their jobs. They certainly don’t deserve a government that blames them or their representatives.
So when the opportunity arises, let them know that you support them and thank them for standing up for all of us.
Have a great Thursday, everyone. Take care with the weather out there, and best wishes to those on strike. We really appreciate what you’re doing, but wish you didn’t have to.
To end today, it’s the Killers and Johnny Marr with This Charming Man by the Smiths.
What people never get is that nurses and doctors have to provide life saving services during a strike under the Code of Good Faith enacted by Labour. Today is personal for me. Someone very close to me is having an op as we speak and am waiting to hear how it went. There will be doctors and nurses caring for her and all the others that support critical care. Will say more later.
Don't know why they bother to interview Luxon. His replies are always out of touch and mindless. It seems that inadequate health and education systems are a problem in many countries - whether it's insurance based (US) or universal health care. No country seems to factor in increasing population growth impacts on health and education services (as well as other infrastructure). The Natz government rattles on about growth, growth, growth; but cut, cut, cut on services. There's no joined up thinking there.