WENT FOR A WILD CARD? WHAT IF WEST COAST-TASMAN EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Voters might wonder what Damien’s done for us lately... At #10 on Labour’s list he’s in anyway - leaving possibiilties open for a questioning cat among Parliament’s pigeons. When approached recently for comment about the unpopular central Government-funded changes to the Motueka main street and other local small town centres including Pohara and Mapua, Damien O’Connor’s spokesperson provided a one liner: “Consultation is matter for the local council.” National’s local MP Maureen Pugh was more considered in her response but shared the same sentiment: “Having been a Mayor before,” she said, “there is a line between central and local Government and I do not wish to cross it.” But money has crossed that line... without standard or satisfactory public consultation. Money talks loudly enough both for our elected representative and his opposition, who have nothing more to say. Luckily, while dogmatic Party votes for the reds and blues will take care of O’Connor and likely Pugh’s possies in Parliament, West Coast Tasman has a couple of unique opportunities to tick someone in for the electorate with a proven track record of advocating for the people on this issue, and many others. Brought to you by the now quarterly GB Thinker, this edition will background a couple of free-speech advocating candidates in the wake of a mainstream media which has ignored the minor parties throughout the election race. Edited by Samantha Blanchard. 4/10/2023 A people’s politician... Grey stood between police and protesters having researched their rights to be at Parliament last year for protesting vaccine mandates. No politicians addressed the crowd in the 23 days they camped on the lawns outside the Beehive. Ignored by mainstream media, washing car windows and pumping gas has been one way Sue Grey has worked to meet voters. Minor parties are destined to remain minor - thanks to broadcasting bias... Not only do the mainstream media report their every move, but Labour and the Nats enjoy up to 20 times more of a fiscal leg-up than any of the minor parties for broadcast advertising during their election campaign. AND as election broadcasting is a state monopoly, fundraising for more than that is not allowed. One of the last things Sue Grey did as a lawyer before she hit the election trail was to take the Electoral Commission to court, with experts who said it’s practically impossible for new parties to get any traction in the run up to an election. Minor parties such as Freedoms NZ only received $66,000 for broadcast advertising, while Labour and National get well over a million dollars each. Add to that the mainstream media’s deliberate ignorance and rejection of the minor parties from any exposure or debate, and breaking the barriers of the beehive becomes bloody hard. Due to the imposed unpopularity of the minor parties, many expect we will be left with the same Big Five in the hive, and no real change. Imagine however the waves if the Sue Grey/Freedom NZ "people first" policies could break though. Imagine if West Coast Tasman could get one uncaged and unafraid voice into the 'Hive, who is prepared to challenge the powers that will inevitably be? “Most people don't have time to really think through why things don’t feel right... Every time you ask a question, it provokes more questions, because you're really exposing the bullshit... by asking the right questions and sharing the information I'm getting - that in itself is a big step towards democracy and holding the government to account,” says Lawyer and Freedoms NZ co-leader Sue Grey. Grey aims to file one Official Information Act request per day, often exposing abuse of power: “I haven’t even been able to read all of them - but there’s some shockers in there. If I can get into Parliament I’ll be able to ask oral and written questions. And instead of having to wait a minimum four weeks for an answer,” [one particular OIA request for the Government’s contract with Pfizer took nearly a year to finally come through... heavily redacted] “...When an MP asks questions, Ministers have to go and find the answer within five days. I’ve got so many questions I can’t wait to ask.” Sue Grey has built a career out of advocating for the underdog. She’s won cases for users of medicinal marijuana, helped protect the Marlborough Sounds from the development of salmon farms and she’s been unafraid to take a side against 1080 poisoning. She’s advocated for a small wool-growing business against the Wool Board which saw the downfall of a Judge with a conflict of interest - and locally, Grey chaired a meeting which would demand the Takaka Hill remain open to Golden Bay residents following the damage wrought by Cyclone Gita. Grey most recently became known (and slated by mainstream media) for her criticism of the Government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Whether you agree with her high-profile condemnation or not, she recently had complaints struck out against her for speaking out. Defending her own right to free speech was a momentary distraction from Grey’s work to assist ground-up people power and exposing a prevailing top-down directive. As well as joining a chorus of voices against fluoride additions to Nelson water this year, Grey attended recent meetings held in Tasman where residents are incensed about changes to main streets, including the removal of car parks in favour of cycle lanes. While MP Damien O’Connor and Maureen Pugh were silent, Grey heard the vexation. “Nobody’s asked the public - wouldn't you think that central and local government would ask the people they represent before they try to significantly alter people's lifestyles? But of course, what we've got is not representation. This is really a top-down ideology they're trying to bring in.” Sebastian Marinkovich’s succinct presentation demonstrating examples of doctored of data foreshadowing climate disaster is available at www.sebastianmarinkovich.nz/videos While shunned by mainstream media, expert opposition to the climate change narrative does exist . Two nobel laureates are among a growing list of over 1700 scientists and professionals globally declaring “there is no climate emergency” at www.clintel.org: “Climate science should be less political, while climate policies should be more scientific. Scientists should openly address un- certainties and exaggerations in their predictions of global warming, while politicians should dispassionately count the real costs as well as the imagined benefits of their policy measures.” Investigative journalist Ian Wishart’s #1 bestseller ‘Air Con = The Seriously Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming’ sets out a New Zealand case against climate alarmism. Wishart has continued his climate change research since Air Con was published in 2009. Mitigating the effects of climate change is mooted as the reason for under-consulted town-centre changes across NZ, with various Government funds being drawn on to enact them. But there’s another West Coast Tasman candidate who’s railing against the narrative which he says is dangerously manipulative. NZ Loyal’s Sebastian Marinkovich’s climate scepticism comes from a long period spent as an advocate for the environment. “I was concerned about climate change and active on environmental issues for over 10 years, attending local Extinction Rebellion meetings,” he says. But it was listening to the views of a couple of farmers in a Northland meeting which made him look at the information more deeply. “They referred me to a Professor of Atmospheric Science, John Christy - among other sources - who presented non-emotive rational information which I couldn’t refute. I realised the mainstream climate narrative wasn’t properly substantiated. I read the ‘Climategate’ emails, found science has been suppressed, and realised the money behind it was huge.” Marinkovich says misrepresentation of data is often used to catastrophise the future - and scientists who blow the whistle are defunded or blacklisted. “For example, sea levels have been rising steadily for the last 20,000 years - a natural increase of 400 feet. Yet climate alarmists would have you believe the last few inches were man-made.” Marinkovich made a concise presentation of data to the Motueka Community Board earlier this year demonstrating how the narrative is being twisted. “It’s understandable that people don’t want to believe it, but we are being sold down a very scary path. This has nothing to do with the environment - this is about money and control.” During his campaigning for climate action Marinkovich tried for funding for a nationwide kids vege garden initiative which he says could have promoted environmentalism and interest in food sovereignty. No government department would fund it. Instead, they're changing people's lifestyles with $8.6 million earmarked for a cycleway and removing car parks in central Motueka to mitigate climate change - Marinkovich says it’s ill-founded. “The money could be far better spent on reinforcing the bridge over the Motueka River, which the sewer and chorus line are connected to, and Golden Bay relies on. Slash makes the bridge vulnerable, and with better dredging of the river it could better handle floods.” (Grey is also an advocate for dredging rivers to better cope with floods.) “Instead we have a closed-door top- down policy forcing people to change their lifestyles. If I’m voted in, absolute dissemination of information will be a priority.” Marinkovich cited a captured media for their role in the division New Zealand is seeing today. “There needs to be absolute accountability for any manipulation and deceptive behaviours presented in the media. If you’re standing up as a public official or media representative with information that is not fact checked or scientifically verifiable, then you need to be absolutely accountable for it,” he told voters at Collingwood’s recent Meet the Candidates meeting. Evidence based arguments ignored... Find Aroha at the Upstairs Shop above Dragonfly and Soma 30 Commercial St, Takaka. bookings@theinnlet.co.nz or 839 Collingwood-Puponga Main rd, 7073 Welcome to The Innlet Country Apartments, Cottages and Holiday Villa self catering accommodation Both Marinkovich and Grey are concerned that people’s heartfelt concern about the environment is being weaponised. Both candidates are supportive of local people making local decisions. Both believe Three Waters, the Therapeutic Products Act and hate speech law ideas should be scrapped. Both are anti-1080, pro-choice and pro freedom of speech. Grey is realistic about how unlikely it is that any minor party policies will be adopted by the incoming Government - it’s more about having creative cats amongst the politicking pigeons to ask hard questions, and steering a reclamation of local decision making. "Let's reclaim democracy by the people for the people, so each community can celebrate its uniqueness, and without government tentacles, ideology and red tape, interfering with our lives." Marinkovich says he’s running because “the people of West Coast-Tasman need a representative who will fight for their concerns and well-being without any influence from over-arching agendas.” Keen to hear these local candidates speak? Search their names at www.realitycheck.radio Made by Goulters The Vinegar People -Nelson Phone: 03-5465174 email: products@vinegarpower.co.nz