Perhaps they should just rename the New South Wales Premier’s morning COVID press conference the 11 O’Clock Follies.
It would be an historic nod to the daily US military war briefings in Saigon during the Vietnam War, which so frustrated the assembled media they dubbed them the Five O’Clock Follies. They were even rekindled during the Iraq War as the Four O’Clock Follies.
The term is now synonymous with discredited government officials trying to control the narrative or spin a more favourable story with half-truths and carefully selected facts.
Now, no one is suggesting that Premier Gladys Berejiklian or her ministers or the poor government officials are deliberately misleading the media — not when they are working so hard to deal with a major health crisis causing unprecedented challenges.
But the embattled Berejiklian is certainly beginning to strain credibility after five weeks of warnings, pleas, statistics, spin and political rhetoric which have failed to have much impact on the growing crisis.
Remember it was only this time last week the desperate Premier opened the Friday press conference by declaring we were facing a “national emergency” — whatever that might mean.
Unlike her Victorian counterpart, the decisive, divisive Dan Andrews, beleaguered Berejiklian just lacks cut-through. Until yesterday, that is, when, finally, some of her words sparked a strong reaction around the country.
“We have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had,” said Berejiklian, once again defending her painful progress in slowly tightening lockdown restrictions.
For the thousands of gobsmacked listeners who thought she mis-spoke or they misheard, she repeated it a couple more times for effect.
It did have an immediate effect. Widespread outrage as social media went into meltdown, with many calling her an outright liar. The chorus could be heard from states that had endured lockdowns, South Australia and Victoria among them.
Melbourne writer Jill Stark tweeted: “Gladys: ‘We have harsher restrictions than any other state has ever had.’ Far out, this is delusional. You can still go to Bunnings, play golf, pop into a garden centre, have multiple strangers traipse through your house at an open for inspection. Stop trying to rewrite history.”
Incredulous Victorians, who still remember their four month Stage Four lockdown as one of the toughest in the world, point out Sydney didn’t even impose a curfew. Nor are there any restrictions on how long they can exercise (and they don’t have to wear a mask while doing it).
And as Berejiklian finally agrees to bring in the troops, a week after she said she didn’t need them, we should recall that Victoria has been there, done that as well.
Sure, there are some rules on movement that are slightly stricter but they only apply in the eight Local Government Areas in western Sydney and not the entire city — much less the whole state, which was the case in Victoria.
The main argument is that the NSW decision to complete shutter the construction industry for two weeks went further than the scaling-back Victoria enacted.
The only problem is that only the day before Berejiklian lifted that ban and construction sites outside the affected areas are re-opening in some form from tomorrow.
It seems churlish to criticise Berejiklian’s performance as she is obviously doing her best during an intense crisis worsened by, as she constantly reminds us, the new virulent Delta strain.
It’s also not helped by the virulent strain of political undermining she must endure.
There is her dreadful deputy John Barilaro, who gets a gig most days at the Follies, but the prize this week goes to the Treasurer — and man who would be premier — Dominic Perrottet.
He made a rare cameo at the Follies in a blatant attempt to claim credit for his role in the increased JobSeeker payments for NSW.
And this from the man who only weeks before had been arguing “forcibly” against even extending the lockdown, sources leaked to The Australian.
(Probably the same sources close to the Treasurer who, in an obvious dig at the childless Berejiklian, said he had a better understanding of the impact of lockdown because he had six children.)
Perrottet’s self-promotion on Tuesday was all the more transparent given that he appeared before the PM had even made the formal announcement.
When asked during his presser whether Perrottet was “right to claim responsibility for the announcements today”, the PM replied: “Who cares who takes responsibility for the credit for this? Whoever wants to take the credit for this payment, knock yourself out, OK. I’m just happy we’re getting payments to people. That’s what I’m focused on. Who cares who gets the credit. I don’t, I really don’t.”
But the Berejiklian Follies have managed one amazing feat — she has remade Dan Andrews’ image among conservatives in New South Wales.
This is the new refrain: I know I criticised that damn Dan Andrews last year during lockdown and I don’t really like his politics but watching his press conferences compared with Gladys’, I’ve completely changed my mind. We could do with a bit of Dictator Dan.
This show will not be closing anytime soon.
I don’t think other states compete with each other for most severe Covid lockdowns, it’s just that NSW has truly made itself the odd state out during the entire pandemic. Happily spruiked by Morrison for political gain, his constant “compare and contrast” statements when any other state (most commonly, Labor states) went into lockdown only succeeded in ratcheting up resentment, and making the inevitable fall much much harder than it needed to be.
Imagine how things would be if Morrison had just kept his politicking out of the whole show. I truly think the people and the states would prefer to work together if they could. But you only need one person to start a power struggle, and Morrison cannot resist, when he sees a chance to score a political point, he has to go for it, regardless of what’s at stake in the bigger picture.
Gladys is now learning the hard way, the price of having Morrison as your “friend”. In the manner of Trump, Morrison is your best buddy til it no longer serves his purpose, then he throws you away without a moment’s hesitation. Morrison saying he doesn’t care who takes credit for the covid payments is risible, it’s his passive way of opening the door for Perrottet…if he is going to be of future, that is.
“of future use, that is.”
Delta Gladys Queen of Australia has always been as ruthless and corrupt as MOrrisin.
University of Sydney modelling from the Centre for Complex Systems, released on Thursday, suggests the problem is “Sydney’s current level of social distancing is still inadequate for outbreak control”.
“While in the last fortnight social distancing compliance appears to have increased to 60% from 40%, this level is still inadequate for the control of the Delta outbreak,” says Prof Mikhail Prokopenko from the engineering faculty.
“To adequately suppress the outbreak, 70-80% of residents in greater Sydney must comply with social distancing, however, we are just not seeing those numbers yet.”
By that, the researchers mean everyone must reduce their interactions to 10% of pre-Covid levels.
They also say that “crucially, 80% social distancing also means that many services currently deemed essential would need to be included under the lockdown restrictions”.
Instead, NSW is pushing the other way. Construction resumes in most parts of the city on Saturday, except for the eight LGAs. Workers from those LGAs must not work on sites outside these areas either – good luck policing that one.
Although the premier insists she is being guided by health advice, this is an economic decision. The NSW treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, said even the more limited activity would add $550m to the state economy each week.
But it certainly won’t help with reducing mobility in the city or the simplicity of the message.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/29/five-weeks-into-the-greater-sydney-lockdown-the-rules-are-eye-glazingly-complicated
Imagine how truly different it would have been for this nation if Labor was in power not only Statewise which has saved us from the Coalition ideology killing more, but also federally. We’d have purpose built quarantine facilities a year ago and there would have been o privatisation of the vaccine rollout to Aspen Medical or the powerful pharmacy and GP industries. We’d truly be world leaders by now, not the front of the queue almost neck to neck with the USA and UK Tory maniacs and their corrupt greed rorting of the national coffers for mates, with their mates to mates, reports, outsourcing, in-reach disaster, confidential contract crap. The only party that handles national crisis with the welfare of its citizens is Labor, historically this is so too, not the pig iron bobs of this world or the AWB Howard bribers of this world, or the Morrisin transactional satans of this world.
INEXCUSABLE
MORRISON Government still doesn’t know how many Australians with disability contracted Covid
Officials fail to act on disability royal commission recommendation to collect the data
The [MORRISON] government still doesn’t know how many people with disabilities have contracted Covid-19, despite a royal commission saying eight months ago that its failure to collect national data on cases was inconsistent with UN obligations.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/31/government-still-doesnt-know-how-many-australians-with-disability-contracted-covid
No state thinks it’s a competition except NSW. It’s these gratuitous comparisons she makes with others that make everyone push back.
The Great Race-a Morrisin Declared Miracle
Almost $100million Palmer paid to get Morrisin in power; he bought and paid for a Coalition victory and the AEC issued ‘warnings’ for Coalition breaches of the electoral act during the campaign. Palmer’s paid candidates often left the dual citizen information blank.
And he’s doing it again with the forthcoming election, it’s a miracle says Morrisin, the Miracle of Money Buys Power – just ask the cult to which he adheres, the prosperity business franchise tax exempt and masquerading as a religion.
Clive Palmer disregards TGA call to stop spreading ‘misleading’ vaccine material
Labor has complained to the Australian Electoral Commission about the mining magnate’s latest pamphlet, which is being distributed across the country
I don’t know who Gladys is trying to fool. There is the lockdown – saying how hard it is, when it’s as soft as putty. And the daily case numbers come with so many asterisks that you can’t distil the truth from the spin. Say, 200 cases, with 50 in the community the entire period (but ignoring the 100 that were in the community part of the time, and the 30 mystery cases that we haven’t got a clue about). What Berejiklian and Morrison have both discovered is that you can’t spin your way out of a pandemic. Today’s spin is tomorrow’s escalation of case numbers.
Far less restrictive than those imposed in Victoria’s second wave; Berejikillthem is seriously a nasty bit of work
Looks like the media has caught up with Shredderjiklian, doing to her credibility what she did to that “incriminating evidence” re her maladministration of her “Stronger Communities Pork Barrel Fund”?
“Glum” Glad has earned that spot on Scotty FM’s “Olympics Prevarication Medley Relay” team.
As for “churlish”???? Like Morrison (was advocating and would have done if he’d had his way – if there’d been no down side he could see), Johnson, Trump, Bolsinaro etc etc she bet the NSW/family farm on “The Economy” to beat “Health” and now she’s “collecting” in spades.
I reckon she practises those concerned, anxious, upset facial tics presenting herself as a caring quasi victim like those who are in fact her victims.
As Chant keeps saying, the issue is people catching it in their workplaces, taking it home to multigenerational families and infecting the whole family – whose members then go out into the community to work and shop.
And KillerShredder refuses to name the places of work, which ins interesting as surely the hotspot list contains the places…or may ne not…this is the ICAC challenged NSW Coalition which saw a Liberal Premier and 10 Liberal MPs removed for corruption.
More interesting is the fact that Sydney hospitals never seem to show up on NSW Government or NSW Health ” Source” websites … despite, Chant or Berejiklian stating that some nursing staff have worked in, staggeringly, “Geriatric and Vascular Wards” while sick (Liverpool & Fairfield hospitals) …or previously, an Anaesthetist who, while symptomatic, assisted in surgeries at Campbelltown and Liverpool hospitals….to name only two instances.
If more truth were told, by the “experts” and less lies by politicians, maybe there’d be more chance of Berejiklian being listened to.
And this!
The Saturday Paper has confirmed that a woman who died of Covid-19 in Sydney was a home-care recipient. Her carers are isolating and being tested for infection. New South Wales Health will not reveal how she became infected or if carers were, too.
The woman’s death underscores concerns that this part of aged care was strangely and dangerously ignored in the national vaccination rollout plan.
For all the deserved focus on the risk in residential facilities, governments have done little to protect people in home-based care.
The irrefutable evidence of her knowledge of her secret fancy mans informing her of his connections with his Chinese conman and their antics have finally come to light. Her ‘harsh’ lockdown is just a bit of fluff and she is endangering the lives of those in her state as well as us elsewhere in the naiton.
It’s easy to understand why she doesn’t want to make the entire city of Sydney wear masks as soon as they leave home – especially as she has publicly poo-pooed their use outdoors.
But as the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, discovered in 2020, postcode-specific lockdowns don’t work.
Part of the difficulty is explaining differing messages, especially when the communities being subjected to the harsher and complex rules are ethnically diverse with multiple languages spoken.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/29/five-weeks-into-the-greater-sydney-lockdown-the-rules-are-eye-glazingly-complicated
The media have not run with this though
Greens Michael Shoebridge:
”It seems incredible that one of the most critical risks in a pandemic – in this case, the transportation of international flight crew – was handed out to a privatised firm with literally no public health oversight.
We need to understand how that happened and ensure that measures are being put in place so that kind of mistake is not repeated.
When you privatise and contract out critical public health functions in a pandemic, of course, that’s going to invite scrutiny and that’s what we are going to give it.”
A committee is now investigating Berjikill and her methods
Five weeks of spin, stats and political rhetoric about the pandemic from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian,
it’s what she does best.