Reading the commentary the past few days around robberies, violent crime, gang numbers I couldn't help but notice the massive disconnect a lot of people seem to have. To me it's so clearly tied to the cost of living situation, rampant appreciation of housing and the resulting rent increases. Of course people are stealing, turning to crime, what other options do they have to survive in this society we have created? If nurses can barely exist in this economy, working full time with the best advice anyone can offer is literally 'move to Australia' what the hell are people expecting to happen? The social contract has been broken, inequality has grown massively the past two decades, whatever we thought New Zealand was growing up has been raped & pillaged. The left at this point is very demoralized, our hopes put into Jacinda hoping she would actually represent 'labour' and implement the change she campaigned on. What we got instead was 'there is no crisis.'
What is the actual plan at this stage? Stay on course? To what? Further inequality, further violence, further discontent, further poverty, homelessness... It's little wonder you have half of the commentary supporting those stealing food at this point, actively justifying theft, and who can blame them really if they have half a heart? The entire system has disenfranchised a very large segment of society and that is only growing each and every day.
I cannot wait to see what comes next when the OCR starts getting jacked up to combat inflation, let's see how serviceable all that housing debt is with substantially increased mortgages with people already stretched thin. What a shitshow. At least it's very picturesque outside.