As I suspected, the mainstream media have studiously ignored the rank hypocrisy of Siouxsie Wiles and her fellow traveller.
Yesterday we published a video of Siouxsie Wiles ignoring her own advice regarding masking and congregating or socialising with friends.
She has been strident about these topics. Her own actions, though, contrary to her own public statements regarding the delta variant, show she neither fears the virus nor thinks it presents quite the danger she has claimed. How else would you interpret her refusal to wear a mask when outdoors in level four, enabling her friend to breach lockdown rules regarding swimming, and by travelling more than five kilometres to sun herself on a beach and enjoy a paddle and a swim?
What we can now reveal is that her friend is Dr. Nicola Gaston, Associate Professor at Auckland University and also a contributor to The Spinoff. She is also a hypocrite.
Just three days after taking a swim at Judges Bay in Parnell she was tweeting this out:
Presumably she thinks she is exempt from level four lockdown rules. Otherwise it is hard to reconcile how swimming is doing it “properly dammit”.
Dr Gaston is also the former President of the NZ Association of Scientists. We have been repeatedly told to “follow the science” yet, through their actions, these two have told us that if it is OK for them, as scientists, to ignore the science then it should be OK for us all to do the same.
When I first contacted Duncan Grieve, the Managing Editor at The Spinoff, about his contributor breaching both lockdown rules and her own advice regarding socialising and mask-wearing, I also specifically asked if the other person contributed to The Spinoff. He denied it.
Now we have discovered that Dr Gaston is indeed a contributor to The Spinoff, with her own author page. We again asked Duncan Grieve for comment. No reply has been received at all. It is clear that The Spinoff and indeed other media think they can just sweep under the rug such an egregious failure by one of the most vociferous spokespeople in New Zealand on matters relating to Covid-19.
The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has similarly studiously avoided answering questions about the behaviour of one of her star science advisors.
What we can also reveal is that Dr Gaston resides in Parnell and that Siouxsie Wiles lives, by bicycle, 5.6km away. Whilst Ms Wiles claims that Dr Gaston is in her bubble, the rules regarding sharing bubbles are quite clear:
You are allowed to leave your home or place of residence to visit or stay at another residence under a shared bubble arrangement if:
– a person lives alone in one of those residences, or
– all people in one of the residences are vulnerable, including supporting people with physical health or significant mental health conditions.
Covid-19 website
This is problematic for Ms Wiles, as neither was she at the residence of Dr Gaston, which was 1.5 km away by bicycle, nor would it appear that the other two provisions apply, especially as they weren’t at Dr Gaston’s residence.
In any case, the shared bubble is simply a distraction from the lack of mask-wearing, the socialising and the illegal swimming under level four.
The real problem also lies in rules around recreation. Siouxsie Wiles claims that it was local. These are the rules around recreational activities:
You are allowed to leave your home or place of residence for recreation or exercise at an outdoor location in your local area that is easy to access (including by vehicle).
You’re strongly encouraged to wear a face covering and should keep a 2 metre distance from people outside your household bubble, where this is practical. You legally must not attend or organise a gathering of people.
You are not allowed to do any dangerous activities, including:
Covid-19 website
– swimming
– surfing
– scuba-diving
– water-based activities with boats (sail or motor)
– using motorised equipment
– hunting in motorised vehicles
– tramping
– flying aircrafts.
Ms Wiles owns and uses an e-bike, which could be classed as motorised equipment. She claims she cycled there, so that again is in contravention of the rules. Other rules about going shopping for essential goods or using essential services clearly stipulate that these must be in your local area. For Ms Wiles this means Freemans Bay, not Parnell and surrounding bays and beaches.
This has been let slide by the bought and paid for, government-funded media. They’ve swept it under a rather lumpy carpet that is still protecting this government and their mouthpieces.
Can you imagine the outcry if Judith Collins were filmed sunning herself having a chat with a friend at Judges Bay? The left-wing, including Speaker Trevor Mallard, made a song and a dance about Judith Collins flying to Wellington, despite the fact that she has a legal exemption as a Member of Parliament from lockdown rules: an exemption given to ALL MPs, ministers and their staff by Jacinda Ardern with her Health Notices.
Siouxsie Wiles, a government employee and a key advisor, breaches lockdown rules and all we hear from the media are crickets.
Meanwhile, the long arm of the law is harassing shoppers in carparks, assaulting men for not wearing a mask and shutting down butchers in nearby suburbs.
Siouxsie Wiles would be the perfect person for the police to prosecute. She’s a vocal commentator about following the rules, and yet here she is breaking them. Hopefully, someone has used the convenient snitch line set up by the government to dob her in.
If they won’t do something about this very public thumbing of the nose at level four rules and regulations then perhaps we should fund a private prosecution. After all, she is on record as saying it is vitally important for us ALL to follow the rules.
If you are waiting for the mainstream media to hold her or anyone else in a position of power to account then don’t hold your breath. Only The BFD will put their feet to the fire.
This story clearly shows why we need The BFD to be as strong as possible, so we can challenge the narrative of those in power. We do not seek government grants or subsidies, we are powered exclusively by our members.
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