He’s really screwed this one up hasn’t he?
Bill English’s bewildering statement and then awkward interviews afterwards about suggested Superannuation reform shows how out of touch National have become with middle NZ.
English has been ramming his neoliberal welfare reforms through without so much as a whisper from anyone for almost a decade now that he can’t help himself when it comes to middle class entitlements like Superannuation.
We saw this tin ear when National decided to redefine what ‘swimmable’ water meant.
You can’t push these sort of reforms on the educated and middle class because they know they are being lied to.
What many Journalists still don’t appreciate about English is that he is a hard core ideologue. He sees superannuation as simply the next benefit to attack, just like CYFs, just like state housing, just like public prisons.
This is a terrible blunder by Bill English, and my guess is that they will scramble to try and save some face here by suggesting that residents who currently only have to be here 10 years to gain super will nowhere to be here a lot longer.
I just can’t see him seriously suggesting any major changes to Super.
National will trey to find a xenophobic dog whistle to cover over their new Leader’s hard right zeal, but voters need to remember this. Bill English is a hard right ideologue where as Key was a populist. National under English will be a far more radical and dangerous beast than smile and wave Key.
Martyn I don’t think he will extend the entitlement out to 25 years for elderly immigrants. He will not want to incur the wrath of the wealthy European/Asian immigrants who have come here and now want their elderly parents here to look after their kids. Double Dipper loves wealth coming into the country, he enjoys the fueled up housing situation, it all looks good on paper and he crows that it means we are a successful little place down here.
He may tinker around the edges but it will affect everybody who is now entitled, he has said he won’t put the age up for entitlement, so what else can he do. Whatever it is, it will hurt us ordinary kiwis because he has an innate dislike for all things kiwi, so-called “drugged out workers”, sinful solo mums, lazy workers, he insults us all on a daily basis but he won’t for sure insult his rich friends who fill his coffers. He reminds me of a mean spirited miser.
As for the elderly immigrant parents who are coming here, their children have money coming out the warzoo and won’t have any difficulties caring for their parents once the super is whittled down to an unliveable stipend.
He is a policy wonk and is hopeless at being interviewed. You are so correct, dry and a hard right ideologue.
He (English) needs to stop the Asians and Indians exploiting our super this is bad and unfair that they dump their parents here and we are expected to pick up the tab if they haven’t contributed to our country they can pack up and go home . When we go to there countries we get nothing and that is what they should get when they come here the same.
Really – so you want to help Bill English destroy a universal benefit because it’s benefiting lots of people. Right wing governments depend on people who think like you – see below.
Nice to see you have some moral integrity
You underestimate the stupidity of the middle class. All Bill English needs to do is say that foreigners and poor people are getting benefits that the didn’t pay for and the middle class will be on the bandwagon before you can say – i like shooting myself in the face and I want to destroy a universal benefit.
The only people easier to manipulate into believing that the state is useless are the working class. Again – just tell them beneficiaries are all lazy stoners, Job done.
I don’t know that I agree that English is worse than Key because the latter came across as a decent Kiwi ‘bloke’ who accordingly connected with many whereas English is awkward and clearly nowhere near as populist as Key as you suggest. The problem is that Key could get things done without it being obvious and he was being slippery whereas English lacks this slyness and accordingly is less likely to dupe Kiwis of the truth.
[…] English has clearly fumbled Superannuation and rather be seen as being too weak to change things, he’s decided to go all in and signal a rise in eligibility to 67. […]
In the Blinglish World you have to work and pay your way, that is unless you are a rich and/or privileged prick, who inherited wealth and power, and can simply buy her or his way into this economy.
User pays for those who still live, even if they barely hang onto life, that is what will be enforced in relentless fashion, it will hit those elderly, who will be deemed to old to still get a job to earn enough, and it will increase poverty among the older generation.
Already now the super that is paid is for many barely enough to pay the rent, that is if you have to pay rent. Without any topups or extra income from “investment”, many of us will be screwed anyway, while the rich rake it in and channel their wealth into tax havens in the Caribbean and other places.
First they dealt to the beneficiaries, slowly they come to deal to the elderly also.
Of course there are always some that can work or do business aged 65 and older, but those working in ordinary jobs for wages, they will have little to fall back on.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/71620904/kiwis-lack-retirement-plan
Kiwisaver is the step towards privatising retirement saving and income distribution.
By 6PM he ( PM English) had his script carefully screened by Goldman Sachs and their team to sound like a presidential speech saying things like “we must do what’s best for the country and our future”
What a lot od total crap.
Some people have commented about how English has just conceded the election with this announcement.
I’m not so sure.
When you think about it, who are the ones who won’t be touched?
The troughers, the tax dodgers, the baby boomers, and (of course) Mr English and his mates.
What is the common denominator in this?
They are all National supporters.
National supporters who are in these categories will certainly continue to vote National because they know that under National the good times will continue until they die and then after that, who cares?
This might polarise the electorate to some degree but I don’t think it is going to be the election winner for Labour that some excited pundits are predicting.
The biggest winner here is likely to be Winston because, unlike Labour, he can honestly say that he has always opposed raising the age eligibility limit.
I’m not saying this because I am a Winston supporter, because I am not, I am saying it because it is a logical conclusion.
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