"I'm Mad As Hell And I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore!"

A Call To Action 12/7/2025

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“I’m As Mad As Hell And I’m Not Going To Take This Anymore !”

One of my all-time favourite movies is the 1976 classic Network. Brilliantly written by Paddy Chayefsky and performed by Peter Finch, it is the story of news anchor Howard Beale, who is so overwhelmed by the combination of the misery he has to read every night and his show’s falling ratings, that he loses his cool and beseeches his viewers to shake off their complacency, get mad, and rebel against the forces of oppression.

Here’s part of Beale’s tirade:

“We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy… I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad. (shouting) You've got to say: 'I'm a human being, god-dammit! My life has value!'
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell: 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!'
I want you to get up right now. Sit up. Go to your windows. Open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!...You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first, get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!”

And, in the movie people do. They throw open their windows and scream “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Well, it’s not 1976 it’s 2025 and this is reality not a movie. But Howard Beale’s challenge to shake off our complacency and take action against those agents of oppression that are making our lives miserable, is just as important to meet today as it was back then.

Taking Action

So I’d like to draw your attention to three groups of people who are giving voice to their frustrations and pushing back against the oppressive edicts of our current government - The NZ Nurses Organisation, the NZCTU and the Ashhurst parents and pupils protesting the loss of their rural bus - and I ask you to ‘get as mad as hell’ and support them.

Our Nurses Are Going On Strike

Here’s the first call to action.

We need to give our full support to our Te Whatu Ora nurses. More than 36,000 of them - midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora - have voted to strike for 24 hours on July 30^th . Please put the date in your diary and join them in the streets if you can.

As you can imagine The Nurses Organisation have not done this lightly. These are people who care about us and they are doing it because Health NZ has failed to address their safe staffing concerns.

Pay is also a factor because we are losing nurses to Australia.

Health NZ is offering a 3 percent pay rise over two years, plus two payments of $325. With inflation running at 2.5% (the next rate to be released at the end of this month) the payoffer is 0.5% . That’s not going to keep our much needed nurses in Aotearoa.

Write to Minister Simeon Brown and tell him so. Fill up his maibox Here’s is his email address.

S.Brown@ministers.govt.nz

And while you’re at it copy the Prime Minister Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz

The NZCTU Pay Equity Petition

Here’s something you can do right now.

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is trying to get 100,000 signatures for its Protect Pay Equity petition which it will be handing over to parliament on Wednesday 23^rd July at 1pm

They say:

“This Government’s new legislation doesn’t just undermine pay equity — it was rushed through under urgency, shutting everyday people out of the process. It affects over 180,000 workers, mostly in women-dominated industries.

If the Care and Support Workers pay equity claim had gone ahead, each worker could have gained $20,644.45. That would be life-changing.

Together, we can win back pay equity for the people who hold our communities together.”

I’ve signed their petition I hope you will too. Here’s the link.

https://www.together.org.nz/fbt_for_pay_equity

Parents And School Kids Protest Rural Bus Service Cuts

Last night One News belatedly carried the story of yet more School Bus Routes being closed down, this time at Ashhurst, Pohangina Valley, Rongotea, and Shannon in the region Manawatu. But the locals aren’t taking this act of government meanness without a fight.

There are 25 bus routes serving 15 schools in The Ministry Of Education’s review. In Ashhurst alone, there are eight buses moving over 150 students to schools in Palmerston North City. If the service was to be cut, the public transport does not have capacity to carry these kids and the cost increase of bus services would be passed on to users and ratepayers.

These citizens are making their voices heard. If National want the rural vote next electon they’d better listen.

Organize!

There’s no question about it.

If we want to get rid of the politics and economics of selfishness that is Neoliberalism we can do it.

We just have to encourage our friends and whanau to get “as mad as hell” and take back our society from those who are exploiting us.

PS…. Oh and if you want to see the clip where Network anchor Howard Beale loses it - for which Peter Finch won his Academy Award - here you go.