Posts by Marc C
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This “social investment” and also social impact bond business is supposed to all be based on “facts” and “scientific findings” and so forth, justifying new approaches by MSD and others. But few bother examining the government’s “evidence” and bold claims, and how it works out. We do for instance get stuff all in “evaluation”, I am sure at MSD and other Ministries they know the meaning of the word, but they seem to simply ignore much. Now at least one leading researcher at the University of Otago in Wellington has revealed how hollow and unproven it all is.
Rob Salmond, I wish your friends within Labour, the party I sometimes wonder about, do spend some time researching this stuff to read from the New Zealand Medical Association website:
https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2015/vol-128-no-1425-20-november-2015/6729“Is the statement that if a person is off work for 70 days the chance of ever getting back to work is 35% justified?”
Extract: “The incorrect statements about the chance of ever getting back to work are being presented to general practitioners (GPs) continuing medical education conferences in the context certifying people as unfit for work, together with statements like the ‘benefit’ is “an addictive debilitating drug with significant adverse effects to both the patient and their family (whānau)”.13 They are being presented to GPs in the context of assisting patients to safely stay at work or return to work early.4 These appear to be encouraging GPs to assess injured and unwell patients as having capacity for work and not issuing medical certificates for work incapacity. This could result in the cessation of welfare benefits or injury compensation. When these patients lack the capacity to work, they could experience increased financial hardship. For example, people might move from injury compensation to an unemployment benefit, and those without benefit entitlements to no income.”
Read the whole lot, it proves that we are served endless nonsense and lies with the “science” they use to justify assessing many seriously sick and disabled as “fit for work”, even when they have no realistic chance of getting a job.
Dr Bratt, Principal Health Advisor at MSD and for WINZ and his “expert” source of advice, Mansel Aylward, have been exposed for sure now. This is NOT science and evidence based, it is simply mostly made up stuff!
You can bet the same applies to other “findings” they present us.
More on the supposed “evidence base” for welfare reforms is found here:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/msd-and-dr-david-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-claiming-worklessness-causes-poor-health/Here is an easy to read PDF version of the post, but without some addendum at the end of it, that is only found on the online version:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/msd-dr-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-on-worklessness-and-health-post-09-08-15.pdfAlso check how MSD’s Principal Health Advisor has used incorrect, misleading information in his presentations such as this, trying to influence doctors to not sign people off as sick and unable to work (see slides 22 and 23):
http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/GP%20CME/Friday/C1%201515%20Bratt-Hawker.pdfIn my view, Dr Bratt, who got his senior, powerful job under Labour in 2007, deserves the SACK!
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Hard News: Crowded houses, in reply to Russell Brown,
Russell, I do also sense this is a "game changer" of sorts in the wider media now, something that "dirty politics" could never achieve. The times they are a changing. The shit has started hitting the fan, and nobody in government can hide anymore, but they are nowhere to be heard and seen. It is a public relations disaster they never expected.
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Today John Campbell and RNZ seem to have got more info exposing the facts that most of the debt beneficiaries owe is to Work and Income and not others!
It seems WINZ do under this government drive people into poverty. Also did the New Zealand Herald reveal this a while back:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11565259And newly obtained papers reveal, Bennett knew for a year the emergency housing sector was not functioning, and severely underfunded, and did nothing:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/304288/emergency-housing-sector-‘unaccountable’The sale of Housing NZ homes continues:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/304291/queenstown-state-house-auctioned-for-$665kAccording to MSD there is no need for emergency housing in Queenstown.
Silence on all this from Paula, what's her name again?!
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Hard News: Crowded houses, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,
I tried playing that a few times, but it does not work. Either my browser has a sudden issue with this audio, or it has been “neutralised” (blocked) now.
We live in “strange times”.
Who is that Minister for Broad-(Bored) Casting again?
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Labour's new FRIEND, it seems:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/05/a_great_policy_from_labour.html
Good grief, what is left of our "opposition"?
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Hard News: Crowded houses, in reply to Angela Hart,
Oh, careful, Angela, you could have gotten away with such a comment in the past, where only the French Revolution involved such scenarios, and that was accepted in a historic context. Nowadays we have our government, the GCSB and SIS scan comments on social media, as they fear you may be supporting some groups that are active in the Middle East, doing just that kind of stuff, I will not link, as it may upset.
Be mindful, we are being watched, and read, 24/7.
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While the discussion goes on, it is my impression that nobody seems to have a sensible set of answers to address the housing situation. Labour’s Phil Twyford is basically joining Bill English now in putting pressure not just on Auckland Council, but also at least indirectly on the so-called Independent Hearings Panel that is now considering all submissions on the notified Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan.
That was supposed to be an INDEPENDENT hearing process, where independent panel members (I note they were appointed by the Minister!?) are tasked with making recommendations to Auckland Council, upon which the Council’s Governing Body will then decide and vote, what to accept or not.
I fear all these new signals from Phil Twyford and Labour, and an emboldened government with English and Nick Smith at the forefront, is an inadmissible interference in a Plan hearing process, which is also a LEGAL process!
These politicians should for two months keep their mouths shut and use their brain instead to work out more sensible solutions, and to also address what they, that is first and foremost central government, can do to solve the issues.
Looking at Nick Smith and his under-performing SHAs, where we also have ample examples of land banking, and Bill English and his apprentice Paula Bennett, there is more talk and window dressing than real action and progress on the housing front. Simply selling Housing NZ homes to developers, and forcing NGOs to collaborate with developers to create more “affordable” housing is a pipe dream, as the Tamaki Redevelopment also shows.
We need a firm commitment to state construction programs, under also the Housing NZ umbrella, to build truly affordable homes, without making it all dependent on the market now dominated by land bankers, speculators and investors raking in high returns from sellers and also tenants.
And again, most do simply take it for a given, that Auckland should grow to 2.5 million population, never mind the limited natural resources like water, and become a “global metropolitan city”, being placed on a narrow land bridge, along a long harbour and fronted in the west by a natural environmentally protected park on the Waitakere Ranges.
Some satellite cities may make sense, along a rail track, but that in itself will only lead to more sprawl, unless firm rules are set, and unless population growth in this region is contained. Look at Los Angeles and the whole of California where unlimited population growth can lead, and let us not forget the water rationing that happened there, due to increased, prolonged drought, partly as a consequence of climate change, which will bring similar consequences to central and northern parts of the North Island here, if anybody may bother checking the data on the IPCC reports.
Besides of all this, where are the billions of dollars for improved, extended train networks, for new schools, hospitals, water pipes, broadband fibre cables, footpaths, cycleways, and so forth going to come from? How are people going to be moved out of their cars to switch to and fund public transport?
At present we have headless politicians, a looming planning disaster and panic, it seems.
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Cracker: Breaking the Silence, in reply to Katita,
Oh yeah, AMP, all geared and fine-tuned to meet the demands of the highly competitive market, and with that commercial interests, thank you.
If that is the future, I dread the future, it will lead to only commercially supported and funded stuff being researched and taken up.
“Phenomenal” students may seem, but this reminds me of TV talent shows, favouring only certain qualities, and denying and dismissing other talents.
I prefer the hobby scientist working away in his or her garage to those choosing to, or having to compete for carrots like prices and awards, all promoted by corporate interests.
But with an increasingly disowned part of the population, who will be able to afford a garage or use a garage in the future, apart from those “privileged” that the market already favours?
I quote the following from that website found via your link:
"MentorsFrom the world of business, entertainment, and science and technology, our eclectic team of mentors will be there to inspire and guide you as you transform from student to star. They’ll make sure that your theory is not lost on your audience as you dazzle the judges with your routine."
As it is with Silicon Valley these days, there is much innovation happening, sponsored and funded here and there, but the ones working there do often work for free, with no job or other security, all desperate to "prove" themselves, while tech giants take up the innovations, may pay the odd one something for it, but themselves make the millions and billions from it.
Precariat for scientists is the future for many, I fear.
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Cracker: Breaking the Silence, in reply to Sacha,
Further to this revealing post on another humble blog:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/msd-dr-bratt-present-misleading-evidence-on-worklessness-and-health-post-09-08-15.pdf
(read it!)And this particular information made available:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/msd-o-i-a-rqst-re-dr-bratt-presentations-contacts-anon-ltr-w-questions-16-01-14.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/msd-o-i-a-rqst-re-dr-bratt-presentations-contacts-anon-16-01-reply-by-ce-27-02-14.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/msd-o-i-a-rqst-re-dr-bratt-presentations-contacts-anon-16-01-further-reply-12-11-14.pdfAnd perhaps also this:
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-o-i-a-to-msd-public-interest-re-dr-bratt-anon-xx-03-2014.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-msd-o-i-a-rqst-16-01-14-dr-bratt-presentation-info-ltr-xx-12-14.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-o-i-a-to-msd-dr-bratt-publ-int-prov-dec-compl-hilit-22-05-15.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-3xxxxx-msd-o-i-a-fr-16-01-14-bratt-presentations-anon-ltr-13-06-15.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-msd-o-i-a-rqst-16-01-14-dr-bratt-presentation-info-hilit-dec-23-06-15.pdfAnd you can see how HUGE the problem is to challenge the responsible government department, the Ministry and even our so-called watchdog (with no teeth) in charge, on the validity and credibility of supposed “findings”.
AND here is some interesting stuff to read from the New Zealand Medical Association website, which totally proves right, what the above author has been arguing from the start. They are using dodgy statistics, misinterpreted and even non existing data, to justify “reforms” that puts people at risk:
https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2015/vol-128-no-1425-20-november-2015/6729"Is the statement that if a person is off work for 70 days the chance of ever getting back to work is 35% justified?"
"The incorrect statements about the chance of ever getting back to work are being presented to general practitioners (GPs) continuing medical education conferences in the context certifying people as unfit for work, together with statements like the ‘benefit’ is “an addictive debilitating drug with significant adverse effects to both the patient and their family (whānau)”. They are being presented to GPs in the context of assisting patients to safely stay at work or return to work early. These appear to be encouraging GPs to assess injured and unwell patients as having capacity for work and not issuing medical certificates for work incapacity. This could result in the cessation of welfare benefits or injury compensation. When these patients lack the capacity to work, they could experience increased financial hardship. For example, people might move from injury compensation to an unemployment benefit, and those without benefit entitlements to no income.”
I may stress, this was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on 20 Nov. 2015, Vol. 128 Nr. 1425
See how Dr Bratt uses these false figures in presentations (slide 23 in this one):
http://www.gpcme.co.nz/pdf/GP%20CME/Friday/C1%201515%20Bratt-Hawker.pdf -
Hard News: Crowded houses, in reply to Kumara Republic,
It seems a bit like another one leaving a potentially sinking ship, I fear.