(05-06-2024, 11:11 AM)Jan Wrote: I am well over what happened but find it very difficult reading all the vitriol over National not keeping their promise when the promise was previously made but as Ayesha Verall alluded to the problem is with Pharmac not the government - what a pity we are so tribal - Pharmac waste millions of dollars that could be spent on needed drugs - instead repeating testing that has been done elsewhere and in some cases there are years of data available on the safety of its use .We had 18 really good months back home thanks to the drug - that was 7 years ago and nothing has changed - let’s hope Paula Bennett gets stuck in at Pharmac and sort out both purchasing and supply - we hear of drug companies giving huge bribes overseas foolish to think it hasn’t happened here .Even if National had given Pharmac the money they haven’t yet tested the majority of the drugs and as many specialists have said some of them have already been replaced with better drugs .Unfortunately instead of the spotlight going on why we are years behind making drugs available the spotlight is on a broken promise - what happened to us over 7 years ago is still happening - as I previously said we were lucky we could afford to buy the drugs even if I had to smuggle them in initially while Pharmac procrastinated and then we paid a huge amount of money which I don’t regret - it’s interesting my post was taken as bitterness or regret - it was just cold hard facts whereas a lot of political comment is often just tribal politics - actually thinking about it same really for school lunches

(05-06-2024, 03:29 PM)Jan Wrote:

(05-06-2024, 12:30 PM)Lilith7 Wrote: Last night I watched Someone else's country; a documentary about the imposing of Neo liberalism here. I hadn't seen it for years & it was a stark reminder of those days when Labour, with neither consultation nor warnning, imposed Neoliberalism on this country.
And when voters finally removed them from office in came a National govt which proceeded to carry on with more of the same, again without a hint they intended to do that, & at an equally fast pace, so as to allow no time for any means of preventing it.

And we now have far weaker unions, far fewer workers rights, health virtually privatised & so out of reach for anyone on low incomes to some extent,& education starved of funding. Our THIRD charity hospital is due to open soon...
Unless we come to our senses, I shudder to think of the world our great grandkiods will be living in.

And they wonder why people find it hard to trust politicians.


Cold out but have ventured out with eldest granddaughter over to Kmart & lots shops nearby; its a very good thing I took her with me (apart from her being my chaffeur) since I'd have had no clue what to get her two boys. Minecraft apparently, & Pokemon, Pikachu, & spiderman. So eventually I got them a hoodie each, one Spiderman & one Pikachu. So that's something for their Xmas gifts.

The last one I trusted Lilith was Norman Kirk ! But we get what we deserve - on many occasions they are not held to account based on fact but on political tribalism .I am hoping my great grandkids will be well educated well grounded like my grandkids are proving to be - one of my grandaughter played netball for the school Saturday morning - went to work at her part time weekend job for four hours then played club hockey - I am not worried about her making her way in the world - another one the law student spent hours and hours helping my motel Mum sort out her mess with Winz and found the pathway to buy her house - not worried about her either - unfortunately the other two went to Oz  to finish their degrees and they won’t come home - my one and only grandson not so sure he is at Uni I think to play rugby and go surfing !

(06-06-2024, 09:00 AM)Oh_hunnihunni Wrote: Fred Hollows was an incredible man...