My favourite ACT Slytherin character is ‘Freedom’ the knitted elf support mascot that children killed by ACTs gun fetish are handed during trauma incidents…
…but my second favourite ACT Slytherin Character is the new Deputy Leader, Brooke van Velden.
Isn’t she a wee piece of work…
The ACT Party’s deputy leader is calling for public sector workers and beneficiaries to take a pay cut in order to help lower debt levels.
Brooke van Velden was laying out the party’s ‘Alternative Budget’ in an appearance on Newshub Nation on Saturday, and says ACT’s approach will help New Zealand recover from the economic fallout of COVID-19.
The party’s policy includes abolishing the winter energy payment, scrapping KiwiSaver subsidies and putting interest back on all student loans.
…hold the phone blocker!
Let me see if I can get this completely straight.
The poorest most vulnerable members of society INCLUDING the public service workers propping up the state’s response to this plague SHOULD ALL TAKE A PAY CUT so that the books look good?
Nothing manages to sum up the open eyed small Government fanaticism of ACT better than demanding the poorest take a pay cut!
We have demanded Politicians and top level Bureaucrats take pay cuts out of solidarity because they get paid enormous amounts, beneficiaries and the poorest paid public servants aren’t on comparable wages.
Demanding the poor take a cut out of their already meagre payments isn’t about balancing the books, it’s about punishing those who ACT see as less than human.
This is punitive cruelty the likes we haven’t seen for such a long time and it’s glorious. Before ACT gained free speech momentum and were taken over by the NZ NRA, all we had to be worried about was David’s twerking, but with a new wind of spite in their sail, they are once again the paramilitary hate stormtroopers of the free market and Brooke van Velden is their new Queen.
The beauty of the National vote collapsing and ACT inflating their own support is that this far right viciousness becomes incredibly alienating to the middle voter and cements into place 3 years of opposition where Right wing fanaticism can paint ACT and National into the same corner where they can’t gain a majority.
ACT’s inflation at National’s expense make Labour’s 2023 win more likely, not less, so please ACT Party, tell us who else you want to flail to death for your free market mantras, keep talking Brooke, big smile, look at the camera, tell us who else needs to die for your books to balance.
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And this is when as a right winger you headbutt the wall. There are plenty of Government (both national and local) paid bludgers that deserve a haircut – beneficiaries and front-line staff aren’t them.
I’m hoping there is a distinction between front line government staff (you know the one’s that are hardworking) and the ‘troughers’ in the background that don’t, yet collect all the big bonuses and salary increases
Moreover though until there is a significant economic bounce back it would make sense for those in the public service earning over $120,000 to have a pay moratorium – you know team of 5 million and all……
Cheers for a voice of sanity!
How on earth does a so-called “economic bounce back” happen when you want the government to cut spending. Now just take a second and think that through one more time before replying, or just consult professor google for the correct answer. I’ll wait.
It’s not about cutting or indeed increasing spending – it’s about quality spending. There is significant wastage/non utilization in the system at the moment and has been for at least 4 decades. The most recent example is by using 4 & 5 star hotels for quarantine when we have non utilized sites such as Army Bay and Whenuapai that could have been used for far less cash and been made far more secure (i.e. a win win).
Throwing money at something without any defined, objective measure of success (or failure) is an inefficient usage of funds. More so if you are borrowing this money. Indeed the real worrying issue with our covid response (trans parties and trans countries) is the distinct lack of spending on long term projects to reinvigorate our economy and/or society.
If tourism/hospitality/retail and related service businesses aren’t going to viable in 12 months time or indeed ever again – what was the point of extending the wage subsidy? Keep someone in a job for another 3 months – then what? All you are doing is kicking the can down the road at huge expense……
Quality hasn’t been used to describe Public Health for some time. What will be different this time?
Lol! Haha Love it Frank.
Looks like ACT have stabbed themselves in the foot with this one!
Good Red Buzzard, it’ll do ACT good to maybe think first before speaking.
Brooke Van Velden is simply another nasty bullhorn for the grand old National Party far right wingnuts.
Its actually amazing that these far right wing freaks are still at it in the middle of a global pandemic and looming global economic downturn and mass unemployment. Talk about their complete disconnect and sense of self entitlement …
Absolutely staggering.
These are some of the same sort of reasons that lit the wick of the revolutions in Europe and removed monarchy’s… do these nutjobs ever learn?
Very true Wild Katipo. It’s like they are locked into their little worlds, not understanding how much pain they cause, until someone/something forces them to actually open their blinkered eyes.
Pale Stale Female!
Seems to tie in with the disjointed and self contradictory articles in the Herald today abount deficits and the magic money tree. Interestingly any of the key concepts that didnt support the argument were simply ignored or not mentioned even where this caused a major contradiction. Oddly the fact that many of the issues the author raised could also be solved by modest tax increases on the better off was not mentioned either. Hence the overlap with Act.
The Herald writes with agendas in mind, thus will always have a lopsided rightwing approach. Think Hosking having to pay out Tamahere for comments made that lacked any evidence and prior, John Armstrong’s attack on David Cunliffe. Think of those writing for the Herald, Hosking Young, Joyce, Hawkesby, Key etc and tell me it’s not slanted and with a hidden agenda?
Just to add, why are these pieces not hidden behind the paywall? If people want Hosking/Joyce /Key’s opinions then hide them behind the paywall like most other things.
Hopefully Epsom drop David Seymour like a hot potato. The Act party has become dangerous and holds ideologies that even National would find hard to work with.
Time for David Seymour to follow Winston Peters out of parliament.
The truth is she is itemising the cuts National want to do but hide in a vague policy talk of slashing $80 billion in ten years.
So between ACT and National they the same old same old.
ACT have a curious idea of freedom – a mindless dummy without a will of its own – a poor representation of the principle, but a splendid model of the kind of voters they’re hoping for.
Any chance that act are getting donations from the US nra? Pauline Hanson gave it a go.
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