NZers have been conned. Again.
One of the arguments for flogging off 49% of our energy assets was that the money would be spent on education and hospitals.
At the start of the 2011 election campaign, Prime Minister John Key had promised the money raised would have to deliver substantial social or economic dividends, like major hospital redevelopments, new schools and transport projects.
The government raised a lower-than-expected $4.7 billion from the sales of stakes in Mighty River Power, Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy and Air New Zealand.
But documents released under the Official Information Act show only a third of the $3.9 billion dollars allocated so far in the Future Investment Fund has been earmarked for education and health, with another quarter to transport.
Aside from the fact that education and hospitals should be funded out of taxation rather than selling off our assets, this is just another example of how clever National are in conning NZers.
Ideologically National want to reduce the revenue stream of Government so they can rightfully say they don’t have the money to spend on social services. This argument of ‘we don’t have the money to spend on those nice to haves’ has found resonance with the Mums and Dads of middle NZ who budget weekly or monthly, of course it’s a bullshit argue t because you don’t run your country the way you run your household, but NZers never understand that.
What compounds this is the enormous amount of money the Government have borrowed so they can afford their tax cuts for the rich.
So once again National have tricked NZers into selling assets and promising to spend the money on hospitals and education when they actually haven’t.
Yeah, but look, we will get a new flag maybe, and a couple of pandas maybe. I mean that counts as spending on schools and hospitals doesn’t it?
Step one – put your Gnat MP in hospital.
Step two – send them back to school to learn a trade.
You won’t get good government without.
I think you’re being very harsh. This government is doing its level best for our proud nation and negativity like this isn’t helpful. “Flogging off” is such an emotive term for the actions of the prudent Bill English who it must be said delivers his budgets on time every year.
Be grateful for the $1.3bn that is earmarked for health and education – the $2.6bn balance? That’s quibbling and does you no service.
Ideologically National want to reduce the revenue stream of Government so they can rightfully say they don’t have the money to spend on social services.
As George W Bush said, “let us not entertain outrageous conspiracy theories”. He is a wise man and this is completely unfounded speculation.
In short, this blog post clearly demonstrates the politics of envy. Shame on you TDB.
Nice bit of irony there, e-clectic… 😉
E-lecturing. Why shouldn’t we ignore your comments?
The governments own policy tests have failed.
Keys have said he wants to leave New Zealand better than how he found it by getting debt Under control. He hasn’t. Debt has gone up 5 times.
The NZ jobs market is so much more bumpy under Keys. And we are running out of new suckers borrowing more than old suckers.
@Spam – you shouldn’t ignore my comments, because I live in the real world not this leftie echo chamber.
You sound like a typical negative leftie focusing on things like debt and facts.
E-clectic, your style in irony and satire gets better by the day…
Kinda like have the morning paper cartoon to chuckle over – but with words instead.
Definitely *Big Thumbs Up*
Just my luck – a Marxist amateur proctologist.
@ E – Clectic
Debt and facts ! Hahahaha aa ! I get it . You’re taking the piss. Jesus , you had me worried there for a minute.
Re @ E-Clectic. I got to the second sentence; ” This government is doing its level best for our proud nation ” and got up a little bit of sick. I fear that reading further into E-CLectic’s logical fallacy wankery will cause in me an outbreak of non stop projectile vomiting and raging shits .
Shame on you TDB ? Fuck off.
That’s the trouble with you lefties – weak stomachs.
Well done CB, e-clectic is a true insane disciple of the Nats and all that they stand for. Reminds me of the definition of a disciple by Robert Anton Wilson:
“A disciple is an asshole looking for a human being to attach itself to.” ―
Good to see him hanging out here in the “leftie echo chanber” – where the REAL human beings with social conscience and sanity.
“Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road
@Whinny – I don’t know about insanity but stupidity easily arises when emotion and prejudice cloud judgment.
Liars and yes schools and hospitals and roads are the main reasons we pay taxes. Selling off the assets was like selling the family car because you needed to paint the garage. Sick as!
Please send this graph to Mike Hoskings at Seven Sharp and Henry at TV3 and get their comments on Keys mismanagement and mistruths.
Only problem Jack, is that Hosking will spin it so that his BFF Key comes out looking like the best thing since sliced bread.
The Nat base voters, fed on cheap tvs, out of control housing market in Auckland, beneficiary bashing and selling off every asset thinks that $105 billion in NZ debt, a new flag and cute pandas is worth it.
I agree and empathise with E-clectic and also greatly admire the war hero George Dubya Bush. Martyn is not the messiah, just a very naughty boy.
Note to future commenters: Writers Beware. Readers lack irony metres and appear to need ‘trigger warnings’. Perhaps future ironic comments should be prefaced ‘irony ahead’. Now I’m being cynical and this final sentence is a belated trigger warning.
Have we really become that Amerikan?
god bless its ears and whiskers. We are the fifty somethingth state of it. Irony is lost, ”literally”.
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