Acronyms, they're everywhere. Some people talk in them as if everyone could know what they mean, in-talk for in-groups with in-jokes. What could FSC stand for? It's nothing to do with Trees for Travel this time, but it is to do with timber, sometimes.
Maybe Fun, Silliness and Chortling while taking a break from building?
Ahhh, if only that were the case.
Perhaps, Fortitude, Strength and Capability? Yes, I think we need a critical mass of such qualities, lately.
That acronym, FSC, I've chosen to represent the most basic requirements of life - Food, Clothing, Shelter.
Why? Aha, this is quite a scary tale. My apologies, but we need to know about this, just in case, and it's vital.
Take away one of those, remove food, or clothing, or shelter, or make it so expensive many people cannot afford to have this necessity, then what happens? Rising unrest, more crime, social disintegration, beggars, bad health, more education failures, and other vital activities are affected adversely, poverty causes dire problems.
But the government of my country, Aotearoa New Zealand is selling what we the people own. This right wing privatising force have carried out massive amounts of this unfair and unwise dealing already. Selling what they have no right to offer in the first place. They're selling New Zealand's assets to anyone with enough money, (against the will of the people), often to those who they're friends or associated with, (and who may give them a job when they lose the next election). It's that blatant now. They're not just selling power companies either, it's not that obvious any more what's going, and we must surely stand against this disapearance, this thievery, this ruination.
Housing - an election issue, no mistaking it, our homes appear threatened. Everyone's house. They're starting with the poorest people's dwellings, but eventually you may be sure they'd like all NZ property owned by just one or two corporations. Yes, even that over-priced villa you just bought for a million dollars, or someone you know or heard of did, they want that eventually too. Being the government means they can manage things so they can get those places in time too. Gradually moving on over....
Make a stand now, stand for diversity and fairness. Please keep reading and see what you think.
A friend, Frith Trezevant, who lives in England pointed out this fact - "You're not just saving homes. You are trying to save a way of life and I hope you manage it. Auckland has become the City of Sales. It's destined to become one huge land bank.
Areas of Central London are now like this, with huge empty homes in a dilapidated state because the owners don't live there and don't need to do anything to the houses in order for them to maintain or increase in value. The market does that for them."
You may think that if you own a house it's no problem, but then real estate people harrass some home owners daily, (they want to sell to developers, or developers have them doing this badgering), and the council may get you out with a rates increase. City councils also work with central government on pet projects, you see. One rate increase arrives in your inbox or letterbox that finally really is too high. You have to sell the house and move somewhere smaller. But nowhere smaller, and accessible, is affordable in your area by then either. No social housing available in ten or so years time, all the Housing New Zealand places sold to developers. Or if they have some HNZ places, they are for families, or people younger or fitter than you are, sorry.
Or, here's the extreme end of this - the government simply takes houses by force. It happened before, to indigenous people. They also take the houses of criminals, nowadays, if the place was used for crime. They could do this again, to everyone, if they wangle it and if you refuse to speak up, now. They make the laws. What say the government makes a law that makes you a criminal? Me one too, for writing this blog? This does happen, it has happened and is happening elsewhere, why not here? They have the police on their side. This government may make things how they want them to be, slowly but surely, and they could behave like you do not matter. That's where we're heading for everyone, if we do not make a stand now.
They did take away the laws against treachery, let us not forget. Then they behaved like traitors. That was no accident, (the law change).
Writing this blog scares me. That's the country I live in now. I am frightened of writing anything critical of the government. I'm brave, but I also could soon disappear, or lose any hope of working for various reasons created by this government for people like me, or just go insane with the pressure of knowing what trouble we are in and that not enough people are willing to stand against the ruination. Too many cowards, too many ignorant, too many cannot be bothered, and the rest unable to, tired, ill, scared, running away....
But yes, so, sorry but these so-called servants of the people, (in a democracy, politicians and government officials are in office to serve us), they may make you home-owners sell to their developer friends, their speculator friends, more often than not. Subtle machinations occur which are hard to see or follow.
You do notice, however, that house prices go through the roof and into the outer stratosphere. No one can live in outer space without expensive technology, but there are the price tags way up there somewhere unreadable, and anyway unaffordable....
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| http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/picture-galleries/9581599/Spectacular-deep-space-images-50-Years-of-the-European-Southern-Observatory.html?frame=2357457 |
Those people, this minute, in Housing New Zealand properties, (which were never supposed to be sold, ever, which were always meant to be social housing), they're not as lucky, no luxury of seeing a rates bill slowly rise. Instead they have agreements, legal agreements, ignored, broken; instead they have foul treatment from officials and police. I learnt this at a meeting in Grey Lynn this evening. The stories I'd heard before were nothing compared to what was revealed there tonight.
This is a NZ-wide issue, too. This government are trying mass evictions and selling housing to developers, in a few places first, to see how they can get away with things. In Pomare, there are entire streets of empty houses, both sides of the road. The government is reducing their housing stock, rebuying only a few when new places are built, (not replacing the many demolished). But they have hundreds of people waiting for houses. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5742030/Pomare-housing-demolition-begins
All of these people in Aotearoa New Zealand are waiting for a place to live - http://www.hnzc.co.nz/renting-a-house/waiting-lists/waiting-list-by-local-office
In Glen Innes, Tamaki Makaurau Auckland they get fifteen of these 90 day notices to leave Housing New Zealand (HNZ) homes, a week. Any landlord may give 90 days notice without reason, but these tenants are some of the most vulnerable and they have often nowhere else to go. HNZ is supposed to provide social housing, and it is failing the people of our lovely country. The government is deliberately setting out to wreck lives with this action, and part of that is how officials and police treat the tenants involved.
Locals have been fighting those Glen Innes evictions for three years. Many of them involve older, frail people too. A man who spoke tonight is 'just a labourer' he told us, his mangled hands evidence of years of manual work. He built roads or buildings for people perhaps, valuable work that created assets for someone. Now he's retired he's treated like less than human, because he's in the way of a government plan to privatise assets we all are supposed to own and benefit from?
Officials may arrive without warning in the night with forms to sign, to get tenants to agree to move. These bullies shove papers at women alone, in houses where some have lived for decades. Some women ill, (one woman with breast cancer endured this treatment), also making demands of the widows of returned servicemen, (they always come for the women first). These government officials intimidate them into signing and leaving, sometimes.
Old people lie awake worried at night. They thought they had life-time tenancies, legally given years ago, now they have no idea where they can go. They have no one to help them but their neighbours, and the community faces disintegration.
Shocking stories told tonight in Grey Lynn at the community centre. People from Westmere, Glen Innes, Avondale, Pt Chevalier, Grey Lynn, Mt Albert, Mt Eden, Ponsonby and the central city were there, plus a few others.
In Grey Lynn, evidence was illegally gathered by HNZ from a bank. They then tried to sue a tenant for fraud, which is not going to happen, because the figures were not understood properly. It appears it was perhaps simply an intimidation tactic. Or maybe they think they can do anything they like? Are government departments now above the law?
Contact people with more information through this facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/233483516845350/?fref=ts and get involved. Read what's posted there and send in more information, please do.
Mobilise when needed and get on the ground to stand with the good people of Glen Innes, too.
Stand against the evictions.
We can stop them.
Send emails and letters to the PM and MPs, including opposition members, cc them in. Tell them we require social housing, and we require fair treatment of all citizens of this country. We also want diverse neighbourhoods. The email addresses are here - www.parliament.nz/en-nz/about-parliament/get-involved/contact/00PlibHvYrSayContact1/contact-an-mp
People in Glen Innes (GI) need people on the ground, to feel supported.
I say HNZ, by the way, but did you know that this agency has recently been demolished in fact, like many of our valuable houses? This is a huge asset for NZ, it was worth 15. 1 billion dollars. Yes, billions. What will happen to it now? HNZ was making money for our country and the people here. All the citizens. Now? http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/02/guest-blog-pat-odea-nationals-assault-on-state-housing/
On
the 14th of April 2014 Housing New Zealand as a state agency for the
provision of Social Housing is to be abolished, and the $15.1 billion
dollar State House asset will be transferred to WINZ and private sector
charities and Iwi groups.
The last great privatisation
The State Housing asset worth is worth $15.1 billion and is one of the government’s biggest remaining assets, housing approximately 200,000 people and returning to the government roughly $100million per annum which is regarded by accountants as a very poor return on investment, but though being a relatively small return on investment it is set to get worse.
- See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/02/guest-blog-pat-odea-nationals-assault-on-state-housing/#sthash.hmOoMhDq.dpuf
The last great privatisation
The State Housing asset worth is worth $15.1 billion and is one of the government’s biggest remaining assets, housing approximately 200,000 people and returning to the government roughly $100million per annum which is regarded by accountants as a very poor return on investment, but though being a relatively small return on investment it is set to get worse.
- See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/02/guest-blog-pat-odea-nationals-assault-on-state-housing/#sthash.hmOoMhDq.dpuf
On
the 14th of April 2014 Housing New Zealand as a state agency for the
provision of Social Housing is to be abolished, and the $15.1 billion
dollar State House asset will be transferred to WINZ and private sector
charities and Iwi groups.
The last great privatisation
The State Housing asset worth is worth $15.1 billion and is one of the government’s biggest remaining assets, housing approximately 200,000 people and returning to the government roughly $100million per annum which is regarded by accountants as a very poor return on investment, but though being a relatively small return on investment it is set to get worse.
- See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/02/guest-blog-pat-odea-nationals-assault-on-state-housing/#sthash.hmOoMhDq.dpuf
The last great privatisation
The State Housing asset worth is worth $15.1 billion and is one of the government’s biggest remaining assets, housing approximately 200,000 people and returning to the government roughly $100million per annum which is regarded by accountants as a very poor return on investment, but though being a relatively small return on investment it is set to get worse.
- See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/02/guest-blog-pat-odea-nationals-assault-on-state-housing/#sthash.hmOoMhDq.dpuf
They stopped a house being moved two weeks ago, in GI. But since then, agents who now act for what was HNZ, are sending in people to demolish houses on the spot (if they've got someone out of there).
There are many empty houses. This government allows houses to stand empty while people are homeless, while people are on lists waiting for houses for their children and themselves, in winter, why?
Wasteful behaviour too, smashing a house instead of relocating it. That's not only someone's home going either, it's your money being destroyed. That house was worth something to the people of NZ, as income. A relocated house is sold, a destroyed dwelling is mere firewood and landfill.
These are state-owned houses bought as a service to the people of New Zealand, bought with your forebears' taxes, (not a business at all). The houses were bought long ago in many cases and have in any case gathered rent money for all New Zealanders, they're now paid off and simply gather revenue. They also house lower income and vulnerable people so they have a place to live, do not beg on the streets, or drift homeless, sleeping rough. Government collected their rents to pay for our schools, hospitals and roads, our rail and other necessities. Such houses are revenue spinners for New Zealand. But this government is selling off assets that make money for us. They sell them to their friends, to developers, speculators, those who then artificially inflate prices. Rents go up, mortgages get heftier. This is ruinous for our long-term prosperity, that of the majority of people who live here.
Our government is managing the country badly. They then lie about the figures, in the media.
We are horribly in debt now as a country, this government racked that up.
We need assets to keep us prosperous, to make money for the country to run, we also need diverse communities for real time, broad social networking, for reasonable access to facilities for all, and a sense of equality wherever possible in most areas. This lowers crime, raises standards for everyone, and ensures a more stable place to live.
We have to change those in charge.
We must vote this government out. Please, see sense. Everyone vote. Your voice matters. Your vote counts.
Please also, research this and get in to the struggle. They could be going for your house next, otherwise. Stop them now.
I have seven pages of valuable notes from this evening's fine meeting. Do go to the next one. Thanks for reading and comments are welcome.
o
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