“I used some pretty bad words” is the sort of language I might have heard in my primary teaching days from a guilty child caught out for swearing. This is Labour’s Deborah Russell’s juvenile explanation during an interview on Newstalk ZB, discussing her thoughtless question on the ERC committee.
Sorry, Deborah, you can’t wriggle out of this by blaming the “bad words.” They were carefully chosen by you at the time to ask your question. What they revealed is your tone-deaf opinion of business. Your refusal to see how things are for small businesses at this dire time.
Russell was deriding small business owners and insinuating they are ignorant for beginning a business without sufficient capital, to insulate them against an impending catastrophe such as say, a coronavirus crisis which could cripple the world. From her high moral ground, we assume she had prior knowledge of this but kept it close to her chest. I jest.
Before opening her mouth and removing all doubt about her intellectual prowess perhaps she could have considered that big corporates, like small business, are also asking for help. Air New Zealand, who went with their begging bowl to the government, got nearly one billion dollars and are refusing to reimburse customers their cancelled flights. (Unlike some other airlines).
Are they also at fault for not “capitalising” in the first place, “so” (they) “have the ongoing strength to survive a setback?”
And now she is sorry for saying what she really meant and getting caught.
The government’s tone-deaf ‘let them eat cake’ approach is very evident right now when the US, Canada and Australia (weeks ago) are giving cash handouts to cover overheads and tide SME’s over during a cash flow drought. Our government refuses to do this.
Initially, the government were quick to increase the minimum wage and give beneficiaries $25 more a week, a move costing billions of dollars. This is fine in good times when we are not borrowing tens of billions of dollars to cope with a coronavirus crisis. But during these extraordinarily tough times?
This was a political move, with the election close, to lock in planned budget handouts for their supporters, at a time when Robertson knew money would be scarce. Cunning!
The increase of the minimum wage, an extra cost for business, may prove to work against employees, as it will cause many businesses to go under, depriving workers of their jobs. But this government is not agile enough in their thinking to figure this out.
Wasting money is what they excel at. The reclusive, part-time Health Minister has popped up this weekend with promises of $40 million going to mental health. His intention to train a whole new workforce has been met with criticism by health officials saying, what’s wrong with the one we have? A minister out of touch and out of control with taxpayer money.
It is interesting to note that the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage has allowed Shortland Street to resume production in level 3, but not retail. How can a soap opera production be guaranteed to maintain the health and safety COVID-19 protocols, but a greengrocer, or butcher shop (like a supermarket) not? Are we playing favourites Prime Minister?
Many retail operations will go under as they will not last the two, maybe more, extra weeks in level 3 with no help to keep them afloat.
The 12 weeks COVID wage subsidy for workers, so they can keep their jobs, is great. But the government’s ‘kindness’ has dried up when it comes to giving money to businesses to keep them afloat so workers have jobs to go back to.
And they have been forensic in their approach, requesting dobbing in by employees, to ensure all the money went to employees and none to owners who desperately need the help. In some cases this is warranted, but most just want to keep operating and retain their employees.
The other measures introduced, which Robertson keeps reminding us of ad infinitum, are not going to solve the immediate cash flow problem, and many businesses are not eligible for them.
The government’s bias is well and truly showing as they ignore the daily cries for help from the ‘dirty capitalist’ business community.
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