Good summary from Kate

Kate Hawkesbury writes:

Another MP facing conflict of interest questions (looking at you Peeni Henare), another MP in meltdown and on leave, another Dairy owner attacked, the (entirely predictable) revelation that government debt was way higher than forecast, the disturbing news of half a billion dollars on almost expired RAT tests being stored in a warehouse exemplifying the very worst of this government’s wastage of our money, more youths on roofs being handed KFC for their troubles, and some more gaslighting by Ministers regards how we’re all feeling.

And that’s pretty much just the last fortnight!

But when asked if the Government’s soft on crime, Police Minster Ginny Andersen said she ‘refuted it’ (straight from the Jacinda playbook). But she can refute it all she wants, she can deny they’re soft on crime, she can claim it’s not a failure of her government, but the facts and the numbers speak for themselves. The evidence daily in our communities speaks for itself. We know how we feel (not safer), we know what’s going on at our local dairies, (increased and more violent crime) we know what’s happening at Police level (fewer arrests, fewer charges) and we know how it all ends up in our justice system (a cultural background report, a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket and at best an ankle bracelet).

We just saw a 12 month home detention sentence for assisting in a murder.

I really hope that when this government is finally relieved of its shambolic approach to running our country in October, that they take some time to reflect on what they’ve done here. Leaving behind eye watering levels of debt, a warehouse full of millions of dollars worth of expiring RAT tests, a country divided, record levels of crime and truancy, a health system in tatters… it’s not pretty. For a government that promised to be transformational, honest, open and transparent, they’ve been nothing but a bumbling circus act of failures and waste. I for one, won’t miss them.

I’ve been following politics since 1975, when I was eight. I can’t recall any other Government that would even come close in terms of sheer incompetence. Even if you go back further than 1975, it is hard to find a comparable Government – maybe the Waterhouse Ministry comes close.