I always argued that we would know very quickly in the first 100 days of a Labour-Green Government whether or not they were going to be transformative.
They are fast running out of time to prove they are.
The first baby steps of this new Government was to endorse a racist drug law, rule out a wealth tax and refuse to lift benefits before Christmas.
They have bewilderingly however locked us into a vast debt trap to fund trickle down economics by printing billions and instead of loaning it to the Government to rebuild our infrastructure, poorly funded public services and refund our welfare state, Labour have green lighted it going to corporate banks to fuel property speculators in the hope the newly inflated paper wealthy spend that false sense of prosperity in the real economy to help the little guy.
Once again Labour use free market mechanics to try and fix a housing market wrecked by neoliberalism.
Add onto this a cowardly unemployment insurance that benefits the elite Public Service Bureaucratic class most while cementing inequity into place with a two tier welfare system.
This is middle class welfare on top of their property portfolios!
Why the Christ can’t Labour love beneficiaries, renters and the working poor the way they do property speculators & middle class white collar bureaucrats?
What’s the point of voting Labour if it’s just a slightly less cruel version of a National Government?
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Is it actually Robbo who is the National Cuckoo? I thought it was Jacinda who was the traitor because of her CGT stance but maybe it is all Robbo’s doing?
It’s been my belief that most of the time the PM is not the one making the main decisions about general policy direction. She’s excellent on policy detail, but the overall direction of most policies have not changed since the time of Goff and Little as leaders, especially when it comes to finance.
And I’ve also thought it’s likely Robertson, and maybe also David Parker who make the major decisions about economic and financial policies.
she sits in the big chair, she takes home the pay cheque, it’s her job…simples
Disagree about the money motivating her but I find her attitude strangely superficial, frivolous, like life is a laid-on feast. Not the proper Labour attitude. And events have allowed her strengths to carry on uncontradicted. She has done well for Covid and the mosque massacre. And they are learning to use their muscle like we demand. But there’s still something so light about her and Grant, like we’re a momentary episode in their CVs. When this is the most serious crisis in the history of the species, which will certainly clean up Jacinda’s daughter.
Agree and every time I see that captioned image I think – 10 out of 10.
From memory @ GW, you don’t watch TV. Count yourself lucky.
I’m not sure what JA’s press conference today reminded me of most. Whether is was as an innocent little choirboy watching Dean Hurst preaching to his flock at harvest time, or a mate who’d misread the label on his bottle of fluoxetine, happy as Larry while wondering why he kept running out and blaming the chemist.
Stay with it OwT. I think you may be more in touch than me with what is happening re Radionz and its legal marriage to TVNZ. I get downcast if I think about their likely joint offering, they together will be a sort of drug, maybe I should go for the historical joint for a more straightforward result? What’s the latest?
Labour are after votes to retain power the renters,beneficiaries and the poor can’t deliver enough votes so they’ve aimed at the middle class.
They are politicians and retaining power is their objective so the needy people of New Zealand have been deserted by a Labour Government.
Power over principle yet again.
Slight correction Jeremy. The renters ,beneficiaries and poor would deliver enough votes if they got off their chuffs and bothered to vote. A large proportion have no interest in politics.
Yes agree
and why would you, when you’ve been served up this shit for 30 years?
C’mon, there is very, very little difference between team red and team blue.
Politics?
where?
That’s a valid point s y d
Yep – they are both at it, – going after the middle class vote. Both Lab and Nats = shit neo liberals. We get the govt / govts we deserve?
that jeremy is about the size of it
“What’s the point of voting Labour if it’s just a slightly less cruel version of a National Government?”
There is no point at all if this is what we get stuck with. What I’m finding interesting is all the labour back benches must know they out of a job if they let this shit keep rolling. I’m surprised by their utter lack of spine.
Yes and out there in the real world no one will employ them so you can expect some quick changes in direction by the Labour Government very soon.
just like borises mob, keep on cashing the cheques keep on paying the leveraged loans on their rentals…and hope with crossed fingers, legs, arms and toes that they can stay on the gravy train a bit longer..which would also be the ACT/NAT M.O.
Do you have any suggestion on who the needy people should vote for then Jeremy ?
Maybe non of the above or abstain should be added as an option to the ballot. IF no one wins, the parties can organise a mixed care takers government and run another election but maybe with a bit more common sense and less pretense and arrogance.
Not Jeremy, but if you value your dignity, then not voting is the best option. On the other hand, if you find a patriotic, anti liberal globalist establishment candidate in the undergrowth, then go for it. If not, then don’t fuckin bother playing the pseudo democratic, liberal, party political dictatorship game.
Sorry but I don’t understand your choice of word combinations?
He means they’re all the same.
IN OTHER WORDS LiberalEstablishmentSucks vote for trump….well that went well didn’t it…the truouble with ‘disrupters’ is they have no policies and never follow through on their slogans..oh I dunno a bit like bog standard politicians with orange spray tans
ps before you ay it…boris fucked brexit right up, even for, nay especially for brexiteers
Yes a National/Act Government will be mush kinder than the incumbent Labour Government.
They know how to grow the economy to enable support for the needy.
As Martyn has pointed out Labour has deserted them.
I will get pilloried for this comment I know but I really believe Christopher Luxon is a compassionate person also Nicola Willis.
I can hear the screams now he owns lots of property and rides in a black Mercedes.
Irrational arguments will come from everywhere.
“grow the economy to enable support for the needy”
Best laugh I’ve had all day.
Sorry RosieLee but I think John seriously means it, you and I call it derangement syndrome.
Jeremy/John only sees what he wants to see.
His modus operandi is anyone but Labour, Labour sucks, are useless, etc, etc, etc.
National are the answer!
Bertie – honest question – are your starting to get worried now? Uncle Fester while being as delightful as a stale turd on Orewa beach to me is making inroads with females over the age of 50 while Seymour is holding the male vote.
The general feeling I get is the majority of the population (in Auckland at least) is well over it. The rest of the country is now slowly realizing traffic light Red is shitsville and the government’s response to date has been to double down.
I’m very worried that ACT will form part of the next National government after listening to Seymour today. If any of my clients spoke how he spoke today, it would straight in front of a psychiatrist with him. However the loopy need to vote and his is the party for them. So genuine answer Frankie, extremely worried particularly as he’s a gun loving vote collector.
Sorry but your reply must have been directed to me in error as I have never said the Labour Government sucks it’s not a word I use.
It’s all good John.
Out of the mouths of babes and suckling . You have joined the dark side Bert welcome
Wow bert, it’s good to see you have turned!!!! National are the answer indeed. Welcome aboard.
Not that bright are you german?
Racism again?
Xenophobic?
Oh John your so predictable. It was peaceful for a month or two. You look into cavities where no one else goes.
Well there’s one loopy vote.
Thank you Clarke.
And there’s the evidence!
I’m sure the dumb German will comment , oh there it is.
Pa
They should vote for any party that is focused on making as much money for NZ as possible. I say MAKING money. That is the only way out of this mess. NZ has shot itself in the foot with longstanding woke policies like no mineral mining, no coal, no heavy industry, no mass production and also no oil trade. Way too much no can do. How can the country carry the poor when the country makes no money? Before you answer remember…Labour printing money or raising taxes is NOT the same as making money. Making money means creating profit by trading anything we can. And we could but we won’t. Look at Norway how it’s done…their Left wing govt has not touched their oil production. That is what carries that country amongst other things. Also, too many people have now resigned themselves to being carried by the govt for the rest of their lives. Sadly.
Great piece TKN
Will be too much for most on this site.
Well said Te New Kraut we are now a country of making/doing SFA and expecting to be paid for it
Lowest unemployment stats in years but still 50,000 more people on some sort of welfare than 2020. What’s the guts there?
If it weren’t for the gumboot dancers NZ/AO would be one big basket case.
I hear ACT are maybe starting a new libertarian child prostitution policy, sell kiwi kids to the highest paying foreign millionaire.. it would be despicable but hey we’d make money hand over fist on it.
Yeay yeah, stupid weak attempt at humour. Congratulations for top sarcasm but fuck all constructive thought! Clearly you are one them naysayers. Have fun relying on the state. You can see where that will take you with this current govt. For what it’s worth, ACT have more productive ideas than this fucking govt…tax tax tax tax…until there’s nothing left to tax. Now they are taxing even the lowliest workers evn more. Yay, all bow to Roberston and Jacinda, saviours of the poor…the party for the workers…not!
ACT’s productive ideas are death by covid and death by gun promotion, do they have any that will assist people.
The fact you support such policies tells us all we need to know about you kraut.
You mean these productive ideas…
Cut and freeze the Minimum wage
Interest back on all student loans
No Kiwsaver subsidy
Cancel winter energy payment
Dump all climate crisis legislation
no more best start payments for families with new borns
cut welfare payments
no tax credits for research and development
cuts to working for families
$7b a year cut in public services
Abolish Maori seats
Abolish Human Rights Commission
Taxing the lowest paid workers you mean like john key did taxing the paper delivery boys and girls and the sausage sizzle fundraisers. And a seven billion a year cut in public services we would have had thousands more covid deaths with see- more in charge thank god that little worm is in opposition.
Wow I wonder what Jeremy/ John has to say in Reply to that Covid,” it’s all Labours fault Key did that?
I think you’ll find it’s Labour selling children for prostitution. They’ve sold out our children’s future through money printing, being asleep at the wheel and destroying complete industries, all so those terrified hobbits can feel a little bit safer in thier little closed kingdom. I mean it takes some sort of skill to ruin a business, but whole industries??… Wow that’s fairly impressive incompetence there.
I think you’ll find you are an idiot and that’s certainly no fault of Labours. Too many ACT pamphlets maybe?
Yes Bg they are a shambles.
Agree ACT and Nat are a shambles.
Most of our successful businesses make a good profit by not paying the social cost/adverse effects of their product. This enables them to make money but it is mostly the taxpayer who pays the cost via the health/justice/environmental systems so your money-making heroes are just perpetuating a system where the haves continue to profit from the rest.
It might be a bit harsh saying “most” as there are many good responsible businesses in the country so I would put the emphasis on productive businesses that improve the community as opposed to those businesses that rely on transferring wealth from others & do not increase the country’s wealth, gambling is an obvious example although there are other services & products that could improve the world if they did not exist.
New gen voters need to get up on their hind legs in 2023, and 2026, stop just blaming boomers and chart a new course. All the current parties including sadly the Greens, seem wedded to the neo liberal state and parliamentary monetarist consensus, Reserve Bank Act, State Sector Act etc. so something new will have to be done to finally retire Rogernomics and the toxic legacy of Roger and Ruth.
Politics is not just the bourgeois Parliament, it is also direct action and community organising–Gens X,Y & Z need to learn that pronto and act on it.
Having a class collaborationist Union centre (NZCTU) does not help. The CTU should be natural class left leaders but history shows how the battling FOL spirit was subverted in 1987. Richard Wagstaff (who?) should have been battling the Govt. hard for a Basic Income, COVID relief paid direct to workers via IRD, state house mega build etc. but no, the CTU just puts out press releases “welcoming” whatever the Labour Caucus coughs up.
If a new Alliance type party or movement is not formed only the scumbags that promote ACT and Tax Payers Union and anti Vaccination/5G will benefit. Populists (closet fascists) typically know the pressure points for aggrieved working class people, campaign to get their votes then do absolutely nothing for them materially!
Labour is all about tough love for the underclass and working class–the war on the poor continues–they will never implement the 2019 WEAG Report on welfare. The Labour Caucus hate beneficiaries as much if not more than the National Caucus.
You have some very good comments which will not endear you to many commenters here.
absolutely TM ‘youthquake’ needs to become a fact not just a meme
….but hey I’ll vote later just checking my feed there’s a monkey eating a sausage roll….kwaii
Excellent, T M.
Why is Robertson introducing this now when there is supposedly record low unemployment?
Why doesn’t he treat those who lose their job like every other person in NZ history who has lost their job i.e. feed them to his mates at WINZ who will make them grovel for a couple hundred bucks a week?
Why didn’t Robertson spend 50 billion dollars creating jobs for all instead of funneling public money into private hands, and who now acts like some saviour throwing around the cash lifelines, when his government caused this shitstorm in the first place with their hermit kingdom policies?
deliberate plan to ‘cement’ an underclass in place
..after all the lycra clad must have someone to sneer at, and as race and gender are off the menu
…the poor can ‘come on down’
I do feel that we should have a wealth tax here in New Zealand. Investors are getting wealthy by not paying any tax on their capital gains. You’d have to pay tax on the interest earned from your savings, so why not the increase in value of your other investments?
capital gains are income, end of, no if’s no buts, it’s income, tax it like every other income..
personally I’d tax it at a higher rate as it’s ‘unearned income’ but hey that’s just me.
Well, this policy is neither here nor there for me. I don’t think it’s terrible….but I can’t say I find it exciting news either. Interestingly, it appears to be a policy endorsed by both sides of the political spectrum – from business to unions. On paper that sounds like a political win, however most people’s reaction seems to be ‘meh’ so it probably won’t move the needle much either way. Christopher Luxon even looked bored as he opposed it out of what appeared a sense of duty rather than genuine feelings against the policy.
But look, to say Labour are shafting renters, beneficiarys etc I don’t agree with. Remember, Labour are centre left not far left. They’re not going to rewrite capatilism in any major way. But they do care about poorer workers and beneficiarys. We’ve had massive minimum wage increases under Labour, we’ve had benefit increases also, and all apprenticeship training has become free. All of this disproportionately benefits the poorest in our society. And how much it this would National have done?
Labour are centre right, mate.
labour are right right neo libs, nats are monetarist throwbacks, and ACT think they are libertarian edgelords.
You have some very good comments which will not endear you to many commenters here Brad.
Hey TBDers. Straight up genuine question.
If you’re a socialist-type, then who the heck can you vote for in NZ? Sick of being sold out by BAU frauds.
Not exactly seeing much that inspires on the Register of Political Parties as it currently stands.
Better to simply not vote?
Riot instead?
How the f@&k can we effect change in this beautiful land? Ranting on here, whilst therapeutic for many, doesn’t cut the mustard.
Even many of the Unions seem toothless/afraid and act like employers apologists than actual workers reps.
Hey Jase, sorry to break it to you, but this as Socialist as you’re going to get.
A Labour majority, with Green backing is as good as it gets, notwithstanding your leaders’ international Socialist credentials.
However be aware, that this kind of position the current govt is taking, may mean a harder right correction.
I suggest you enjoy it mate, when we do swing mate right, you may look upon these as halcyon days.
If we swing right Bg, then alas the riot option becomes the only recourse to change.
We currently have a Labour majority with green backing and the result is that they can’t differentiate between women and men anymore, believe that people can change their biological sex, they forcing people to have a jab every three month or else these people can’t participate in society and that going into isolation for up to 24 days is going to keep the country safe. Good grief, if this is the best this country can do then we are all fucked.
Vote Te Maaori Party.
National in culturally appropriate drag! Why bother when you can vote blue and have the real thing!
And yet Martyn will vote for one of these Turkeys.
“They are slightly less harmful than National” is not a reason to vote Labour.
The latest announcement, rent controls, is nice in theory for a government who wants to hide the destruction of letting housing implode, but it’s doomed in reality. I recall similar attempts this control prices under Labour in the mid 70’s and under Muldoon, it never ever works.
I am over this government.
When Jacinda ruled out a capital gains we knew it wouldn’t be progressive.
seconded, with bells on.
And a Labour leader did that? Seriously WTF?
We’d make more money drilling for oil than taxing capital gains. Or digging up our own coal instead of buying shit coal from overseas. Or we could save 15 billion by not doing that stupid rail link which is already outdated.
Oh fuck, there it is!
Labour are only a less harsh version of National until the billions that they’ve borrowed runs out. Then they may be tougher than National because they are good at giving money away but not so great at making it. The money required has to come from somewhere. Our good export returns are in spite of this government not because of them. The whining on this forum about foreign labour has turned out to be groundless as we have shortages in every industry and low unemployment numbers. The handing out of money seems to be done simply by writing out a cheque without an idea of where it comes from. Most here wanted a labour government and now you’ve got it.
NV c’mon certain industries have been whining for ages about how they want their indentured servants back..cos they can’t/won’t train up kiwis and pay a decent living wage…that there is the nub of it, they want a shiny new ute every year or 2 and an urban tank for the mrs..and to hell with NZ the country they pretend to be so ‘patriotic’ about.
Gagarin. There may be a smidgeon of truth in what you say when it comes to fruit picking but it hasn’t been that way for a while. I’m a retired sheep and beef farmer. You can’t get any job done for less than $30 an hour and any heavy machinery driver demand’s at least that and often more. It costs over $5 per sheep contract to get the wool off. I imagine you start as a builders labourer at that money as well. Your chip on the shoulder view of pay rates is wrong. Gagarin if you are willing to work you’ll be paid well. Give it a go you probably need the exercise. And when I say I’m retired I’m 71 and still working Payless on the farm that my son works while indebted to the bank. It’s convenient to have your own smug view of the world.
NV it’s real simple…a business should pay the actual costs of business, wages are legitimately one of those costs.
how many pinoy farm workers on the dairy farms round your way that are owned by absentee ‘farmers’ and run by ‘managers’?
work hard = paid well, ask an uber driver or any ‘gig’ worker.
Dairy farms 2 k away as the crow flies. Family owned and pay good wages. You have to pay fair or no one will work for you. You have your truth and I have mine. If you want to poke a stick at slave labour have a look in your local supermarket and leave farmers alone. You’re out of touch.
supermarkets paying shite..you won’t get an argument from me on that one…but if there’s a stick to poke at farmers, that’s down to the farmers..
again how much pinoy labour and how many ‘managed’ agri-business units compared to ma’n’pa farms in dairy?
Bang on gagarin, the breed of farmer the german is are a protected species, as in, they believe they are better than us. He is so out of touch.
Haha spot on NV have you noticed how hard it is to get stock processed even before Xmas.
Yeah my son has bulls that should have gone last month. May not get killed until later in March. We are ok now but getting pretty dry in Hawkes Bay.
Ahh, so that’s where the right wing bullshit comes from.
Yet so called lefties keep voting for em hoping for different results… this govt has been about as damaging as the Lange govt when you look at what’s happened to housing etc you know the things that really matter in the long term.
But yeah kindness.
Get real guys!
Labour operates at the behest of their main sponsor – the union movement. For years now the union movement has been dominated by middle class public servants – mostly teachers and PSA members. Last time I checked teachers alone were 55% of membership.
These people are predominantly comfortably off Grey Lynn types whose husbands are in one of the professions.
That type of statement illustrates why the only company some posters are likely to enjoy is wandering farm stock with their head caught in a fence.
Just a minority of unions are affiliated to the NZ Labour Party-and none of them are state sector unions courtesy of their rules requiring political neutrality.
omg you are so out of touch Andrew ! and so wrong!.
Labour was captured by the Friedmanites 40 years ago. Labour works for the Aussie owned banks the Corporates and Beijing. In that order. It’s the 2020’s not the fucking 1970’s. Teachers haven’t been able to afford to live in Grey Lynn or any other part of central Auckland for over 30 years. Unless of course they have 3 mortgages on a dog kennel! a shoebox down lane and a cardboard sleepout with the necessary indoor outdoor flow!
Read my post again: “Their husbands are in the professions”.
Teachers today are predominantly women just earning a second income for their family.
well put shona
Yes shona I agree with gagarin. But Andrew has a point that, like many of his, is a bit sharp and cuts deep but he isn’t entirely wrong, and – notice the fact there – he says he has checked and teachers make up over 50% of the PSA members. I have noticed the middle-class hegemony amongst them often enough to feel it may be predominant. (Not saying they don’t do good jobs, but this is assessing their viewpoints politically .)
And Nact acts at the behest of the business round table so your point Is?
You write @ MB.
“Why the Christ can’t Labour love beneficiaries, renters and the working poor …”
Well, beneficiaries are losers, renters are stupid and the working poor deserve all they don’t get.
Of course, I’m joking, by way of an unfunny joke.
The reality is simple to explain.
The liars who are labour can’t afford to show just how much agrarian export earned money vanishes over night into rapacious rich bludger pockets while human-being AO/NZ’ers must suck it up or find a shop door way to sleep in.
The liars in national are taking a half time breather on the bleachers to enjoy their well paid holiday between elections before they must pretend to be different from labour and take up a governments position to continue the farce that is our politics/economics.
Most of you won’t have read what I’ve just written. And most of you who did will think I’m deluded and obsessional while the one or two of you will find comfort in the possibility that I may be even madder than you are.
There will, however, be more than one or two who will be trying to find out where I live to send a truck-slams-into-car-head-on-killing-occupant headline to the media. Aye boys?
And if you think that’s mad try reading ‘The Paradise Conspiracy’ by Ian Wishart and of what happened to Paul White.
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Conspiracy-Ian-Wishart-ebook/product-reviews/B006IYC0B4
“The Paradise Conspiracy by Ian Wishart, is a true story set in the 1980s and 1990s. Known as the wine box investigations, it involves: secret files, arms dealing, corruption, money laundering, death threats, kidnap and more. Ian Wishart, is one of New Zealand’s best investigative journalists and this is his story as he and Winston Peters, a New Zealand politician, uncover a scheme to defraud New Zealand, Australian, Japanese and other country tax systems of millions of dollars through the Cook Island tax haven.
This story begins in June 1992, when a 26 year old second-hand computer dealer purchased a set of used floppy discs discarded by an international bank. The information on these discs lead Wishart and Peters on a path of discovery as they uncover schemes to launder money and defraud countries of millions of dollars in tax revenue. In September 1992, Paul White dies mysteriously in what junior police investigators conclude to be a car accident. Wishart, himself, prior to publishing this book finds his car brakes have been tampered with, while others sharing information over the investigation experience death-threats.
Airing this discovery on television is beleaguered with threats, court injunctions and Management obstacles, and in parliament by opposition by some National members of parliament. It is not until two years later that Wishart and Peter’s tenacity is rewarded with the public airing of the wine box.”
It was while reading the above book that I came upon the term/word Machiavellian to describe winston peters.
If you don’t know who Prince Machiavelli was then read this?
Niccolò | ˌmakɪəˈvɛli |
(1469–1527), Italian statesman and political philosopher; full name Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. His best-known work is The Prince (1532), which advises rulers that the acquisition and effective use of power may necessitate unethical methods.” Hopefully before our AO/NZ becomes a republic then sold to Wall Street traders and the handful of the billionaires who are already here.
While our AO/NZ politic is a capitalist-democracy Labour won’t be allowed to take care of our most vulnerable first. Trickle down, remember?
Got there in the end CB. The punch line is indeed “trickledown”.
There should not be even one hungry or homeless person in this land of plenty.
Yup. I spent a ton of time reading about Paul White and the circumstances surrounding his death. If I recall,… Citibank was involved, a USA outfit…and the spider spun and spread its web from there.
It’s patently clear that Labours sum-total of an economic strategy is to let a few people/organisations in this country drive the economy, turn over the revenue , take all the risks and then tax the living shit out of them. Oh yes, and print lots of money to create a secondary fake ‘healthy and thriving’ economy. Tax and print money, that’s it. No making money.
If Labour had half a brain and if Jacinda had some backbone, and if she really wanted to be transformational and leave some sort of legacy, then she would re-introduce industry, open up oil fields, override DOC, the monstrous city councils and a few stubborn landowners, and start mining coal, minerals and other useful stuff. Also, she could make NIMBYism illegal with huge penalties. The downside would be a few Greenies (laptop socialists) screaming blue murder about some endangered snail they never personally visited. The upshot would be New Zealand earning a trillion dollars (much of it could be used to placate the ever increasing welfare demands…who cares, now that we have trillions to spend.) What would you rather have? Happy greenies, happy NIMBYs and no money, which is the status quo? Or screaming Greenies and trillions of dollars to spend on everyone, especially the poor? The correct answer comes with a pack of free earplugs.
(BTW all you socialists, stop whinging! Russia and every other socialist state was built on everything I suggested above, so stop complaining about it.)
Mein gotten Himmel! Krautenstein has certainly got a mouthful of Natzo bratwurst today!
Hahaha brilliant!
I didn’t take a $1.10 rise in the minimum wage rate to mean that the labour government disliked the working class!
I took it to mean that they turn a blind eye to inflation, which they so often do.
For many, many years in this country, at least fifteen years, the minimum wage would go up once or, maybe twice, a year by around fifty cents an hour each time. Those who were lucky enough to be represented by Unions were paid more than that, as the Union organizers negotiated more money for their members. It was a harsh social system entrenched by the national governments of the 1990’s, a system we’ve just come to the end of only now.
If the divide between ordinary workers and Union members was large, and it was, the divide between ordinary workers and beneficiaries was a chasm. A minimum wage worker in 1997 could expect to receive around $300 a week after tax; a beneficiary would get around $80. Right now in this country our minimum wage workers are getting around $650 a week after tax; beneficiaries, around $250.
The Labour government are responsible for a lot of the work involved in alleviating social divides in this country. Sure, they increased the minimum wage for workers but they also increased benefits. They realized that, in real terms, which means putting the rises in the annual rate of inflation aside, benefits hadn’t been increased for more than 25 years.
Maybe they felt a wealth tax wasn’t something we were ready for as a Nation, which is why it got ruled out.
they didn’t increase benefits they ‘gave’ 20 bucks, knowing winz would claw most of it back by reducing other benefits on a case by case basis, they knew full well this would happen, they could have made it ‘stand alone’ like winter heating benefit but deliberately didn’t, thus perpetrating a cruel joke on bennies and a fraud on the NZ people…and to be honest they were called on it so soon that even the spin flopped.
and at the end of the day…wow a whole faux 20bucks how will bennies cope with their new life of luxury?
They’re strange people. See their coup for the rich in 1984. Which they’ve never drawn back from really. It’s their guideline rather.
I can’t talk to Roger Douglas direct, but I know he’s governed by ideals, coming from the people’s side. How has the leadership of the rich these 37 years been better than that of the people, Roger?
That’s what you introduced.
You’re a bit of a fool by all measure on the people’s side. Only rich numpties will cry at your death, like for the Kerr guy. But you’re just a calculation in their book. No tears will drop to the floor.
Your father and grandfather will only allow you into socialist heaven by sticking your heel into the ground and turning 180 degrees. Changing your mind, the most human act there is.
The dimwit is above this.
monetarist policies achieved what they were designed to achieve, the only surprise for the chicago school is how far those policies have gone…and they’re fuckin deeeelighted.
” What’s the point of voting Labour if it’s just a slightly less cruel version of a National Government ”
Until we get back to MMP and how it is supposed to operate LINO don’t need or will do anything for the groups you talk about Bomber it will only be when a real centre left alternative is there to pressure them on their polices and and will be asked to form an agreement to allow LINO to govern. The Greens are the perfect example of why we need a new movement that is unrelenting in their support for the many marginalised members of our destitute communities and focus only on that and not be side tracked as the Greens have been can we give hope and support to those economic refugees who in many cases work to keep the top wealthy and privileged.
If its good enough for the various groups whose interests are looked after including the middle class in this country and I include the wealthy , the corporate base and the big IT conglomerates , the developers, the business community , the banks who pay the minimum in tax and corporate tax then is it not time the most disadvantaged and wage slaves surviving on the bare minimum , the majority of the growing underclass have someone to represent them !!!
I am not suggesting another Alliance but they as a group did extraordinarily well in and achieved real support as a left alternative.
The Canadians have a centre left party which is the New Democrats which is to the left of the Liberal ( Labour party ) and represents those who the neo liberal Liberal party of Trudeau no longer represent.
Internet Mana did try but the time was not right and already had been written off due to Kim Dot Coms input and was already a divisive figure thanks to Key and his media gangsters. A number of mistakes were made.
There will be no help or change until LINO is forced to acknowledge a new movement represented in parliament that will be uncompromising on real action to stand up for the groups mentioned on this site and are largely ignored by everyone else.
Well put mosa.
Yes good comment. The Alliance immediately came to my mind after reading this piece. Guess they were ahead of their time, or certainty, my political intellect back then given I was so hard Labour back in those days. Still, the Greens are the ‘real centre left alternative’. You say they’re side-tracked, well that’s an easy problem to fix, compared to trying to find or start a new alternative. Their ‘beneficiaries, renters & the working poor’ focus can easily accommodate the entire working class also. Policy that is focused on the aforementioned and championed to the pillars in conjunction with the message that Labour is just National-lite and this is an easy sell, a timely sell in fact.
Bottom line being, the alternative to Labour has always been there. They just need to be knocked into shape and then their policies (focus) and message (who Labour really represents) will take them a long, long way. It is clear that the NZ public are at the very least, open to new political views. Why should these views come exclusively from the Right. The opening is there, the real Left needs to start making itself known.
Because the Greens were as repugnanat
Brilliant thread folks. We’re fucked. “The end game or Capitalism is barbarism”.
We already have a party that supports the ‘beneficiaries, renters & the working poor’…its called the Green party. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel here, we just need to knock the kinks out of the party we already have.
greenz ha ha ha, I do have to admire your chutzpah.
Well, given the Right’s surge in recent times, this tells me that there is an opening for something different. My point is, the Left can take advantage of this opening every bit as much as the Right is doing. Labour does not have a stranglehold on the Left, and it is clear to me that even Lefties can see the disadvantages in the Labour party. All we need to do is iron out the kinks in the Greens, make it known how having a strong Left party can keep the middle-ground Labour party honest, and Bob’s our uncle. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the answer to many of our problems is easy to see.
It’s in their policies, like Biden, but not their hearts, like Biden. Did a phone political poll survey in the last week and was sad when I said I’d vote for the Greens next election.