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.
The ACT hologram is left ‘ON’ by National because it gets to say what National only dares think privately.
NACTional*:
Public Money
Bailing Out
Private Interests
*(& guns guns guns ‘cos they don’t have a gun problem in the US after all and it’s all your fault if you get shot and all these gun owners don’t really want to kill things it’s just a sport that’s fair isn’t it? and I mean come on what are ya’ some sort of poofter and it’s my right to own a machine gun and I’m a law abiding citizen and it’s all about individual responsibility and the government wants to create a communist dictatorship and free markets are real and fair and……*click*)
Its worth comparing COLFO (and ACT) firearms policy with that of the US NRA. They are similar in the way Labour are similar to the Republicans (both use the colour red, so close enough right?)
You forgot to mention the Association of Rifle & Submachine-gun Enthusiasts Harbouring Outdated Laissez-faire Entitlement Syndrome.
They’re a not-so-well-known bunch of gun nuts but still dedicated to the cause, so close enough right?
Along with the Yeti, taniwha, bogey man and Loch Ness monster 🙂
For a party spouting a democratic process and freedom of speech I wonder whether Seymour will follow his reasoning on the Cannabis referendum with the Euthanasia referendum.
Those who think voting National or ACT for their democratic beliefs are fucking deluded…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12355267
No Bert he (seemore) has already been 2 faced and said he will support what his national masters do and say regarding the referendums .
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.
Sadly no redbuzzard. No one will be taking a blind bit of notice of this. That’s not the reason ACT’s vote continues to mushroom. They will go to 9%. NZ deserves this hideousness . As you sow so shall you reap.
Brooke Van Velden is simply another nasty bullhorn for the grand old National Party far right wingnuts.
Well you (and all the anti gun loose units)opened the door for this schtick Bomber. And there will be more so much more.
Such a good sound democratic idea to have a closed Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch massacre. And an even better idea you would say brilliant to rush through unworkable gun reforms. It’s effing marvelous when people who don’t know ANYTHING about firearms and are so ignorant and uninformed they compare NZ to the USA with it’s high rate of deaths by shooting. We don’t have that so why imply that we do? We do have a police force who have shot and killed more unarmed citizens than the UK police in the last 5 years tho. So of course those are the people our government listened to when seeking advice on on firearms reform. People who don’t know what they are talking about.
They should’ve asked the Christchurch White Supremacist nutcases. They’ll all be voting Act so they know what side up is.
You are right on the button Shona.
The histeria followed by near paranoia leading to ill conceived gun legislation, coupled with free speach issues, woke up this normally compliant group of citizens.
In short the workers, the guys, yes mainly men who get up each day, pull on the work boots, jump in the ute to go to the job where they swing the hammer, the spanner or drive the big rig. The very people Mike Moore called the “Kiwi Batler”
Labour has long since forggoten them (comfirmed by Mike in his last interview) National was never their natural home.
Ms van Veldens comments were for this demographic, the working tax payer.
This election will see a shift in loyalties. Consider if ACT does in fact becomes the party of the ” working tax payer” taking votes accross the spectrum. Leaving National with the afluent, Winston with the gold card holders and the one nation Maoris, leaving Labour with the beneficiaries and the separatist Maoris
Be clear if David Seymore does sucessfully consolidate consolidate the worker vote then the political landscape will change for ever.
It’s just a knee-jerk to the shock of so many dying all at once. If you actually examine the situation consequently, they really should be looking at also banning rugby and motorcycles (i.e. non-essential recreational activities that can and do maim and kill). And if you really want to make a dent in the road toll, how about banning cars for all non-work related travel? That will save hundreds of needless deaths every year! It’s all about keeping us “safe”, right?
Those stats about NZ Police shooting people blew my mind – for all the issues I still have a great deal of respect and trust in our Police Officers. But is private ownership of firearms the real problem to chunter about?
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2017/11/under-fire/
“New Zealand police have shot more people in the past 10 years than the previous 40. They shoot almost as many as their counterparts in the UK, which has 13 times the population.” :0
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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