Look, ACT are funnier than National and far, far, far cooler than National.
Of that there can be no doubt, but beyond the sick burns and clever one liners, the policy mix is fucking crazy and infinitely spiteful.
Be under no illusion, if ACT are anywhere near power, they honestly want to damage the system so much so that the system can’t won’t and won’t work..
If the centre-right wins in 2023, ACT promises to pause minimum wage hikes, reverse sick leave increases and the upcoming benefit boost, and scrap either the new Matariki holiday or another public holiday.
ACT MP Karen Chhour, spokesperson for social development, says the Government is entrenching welfare dependency with the benefit increases.
“Welfare should be about helping people get back on their feet, not allowing them to abuse the system and depend on the state. Welfare should not be a lifestyle choice,” Chhour says.
“Almost 188,000 adults are receiving the Jobseeker benefit, yet we have severe labour shortages in many sectors that are not being addressed.”
…firstly, almost 82 000 of those almost 188 000 are sickness and disability beneficiaries whom Karen (her name is Karen, isn’t that glorious?) want’s to force back to work at the end of a pitchfork so maybe the question shouldn’t be ‘why are 188000 on a Jobseeker benefit’ and should be ‘why are MSD and WINZ making sick and disabled peoples lives miserable by threatening them with sanctions if they don’t work’.
ACT want to channel the naked rage of those who see bashing dirty filthy bennies as a cultural right, we have allowed the legacy of a de-unionised work force and the jealousy those low wage conditions have generated to spill over onto beneficiaries.
ACT play to this and pretend their hand up not hand out rhetoric is the solution when really they want their hand around your throat.
Here is their catalogue of greatest hits…
- 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
…these are the mad rantings of the fringe, but with the polarisation of political debate and the Left incapable of actually debating ACT (because they are too busy cancelling and de-platforming them), ACT + National could be the math that gives them a Parliamentary majority in 2023.
Chloe Swarbrick is the best Left wing MP who can actually knock Seymour off his feet in a debate, the Left and the Greens should be pushing this.
David Seymour wants a debate on co-governance, the space should be set to allow Chloe to do that.
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and that’s exactly why I’m voting for them!
And you are aloud to vote for yourself Andrew its called individualism.
Let me guess the script. National will be the saviour, they’ll need to be voted in with enough sway to responsibly moderate the ACT madness away, but only just enough leaving the general gist intact Aim ridiculously high, accept lower.
End of story. Thanks for coming.
But why should Chloe have to is my question? Where is CLL or Ardern in this? Nowhere!!!
I like David Seymour (Despite his looney agenda) and find him intellectually ahead of nearly all of Labour and National MPs but he should not be the one championing the impact of Co-Governance on our Constitution, similarly it shouldnt be left to Chloe to answer. It’s simply too important and it’s a question for all New Zealander’s.
I’d love to see Chloe and David, Simon and Kiri and Chippie in a party together. Probably a couple more, Louisa for example. Then we might see some intelligent solutions and a desire to get them implemented.
This is one brat that needs to be stillborn.
Co governance is a fancy word for apartheid.
If a collection of indigenous iwi can be so sidered an apartheid state, then surely Isreal meets that definition as well.
Single governance is a fancy word for dictatorship.
Nonsense. In NZ, everyone on the electoral rolls has a vote.
Poor Berts not too bright.
A great thoughtful contribution to a debate.Well done.
Ex kiwi for a reason, raised the IQ of both countries when you left.
How original
An oldie but still a goodie in your case.
@ex kiwi – I disagree. Bert’s posts are always incisive yet at times subtle and often humorous which shows how clever he really is. If you read his post above carefully it is excellent.
ps: You omitted to put an apostrophe in the right place in ‘Berts’
Saying “Co governance is a fancy word for apartheid.”, is code for saying “I’m scared of change”.
Very Putinesque
And you come across like Tucker Carlson. Congratulations.
Why Chloe? She has no power. If labour want to bring this thing in, they need to start talking about what it involves, what the pros and cons are, why we need it.
This is likely a big change, so a lot of discussion and a referendum is a good idea.
When the right win we all lose…
I like Bomber. But Karen Chhour haS BEEN A beneficiary and knows what it means, Like much of the Left, Bombe4r and Chloe are middle class folk who are playing at it
Reading her maiden speech it’s clear her mother went on the DPB and KC was then shunted around by child services which it’s clear she think needs to be reformed. It also seems it was sheer luck that a good Samaritan selflessly took her in when she was at rock bottom. With a 7 bil a year cut in social spending there better be a lot of Samaritans handy.
Problem is that the current approach of throwing money at the terrible situation isn’t working either is it?
I don’t agree with some of what they’re proposing but at least they’re asking questions and putting forward new ideas as something needs to change.
Yeah, but Karen wants to make things *WORSE* for those on benefits. She wants to cut benefits further, bring in user pays and hike their rents.
Also Millsy what was the benefit when KC was a youngster? Was Ruthless Richards mother of all budgets early mid nineties? Benefits were probably somewhat more adequate back then. Most commentary now days is the existing benefit is not something that would encourage it as a lifestyle choice.
Yeah well, I’m a working class white man who central Wellington funding authorities have decided doesn’t fit their new mandatory diversity drive, so I’m looking to punish vote now.
Yeah well, I’m a working class white man who central Wellington funding authorities have decided doesn’t fit their new mandatory diversity drive, so I’m looking to punish vote now.
Very nteresting about Karen Chhour. Just read about her
Someone who thinks that they can help the poor by taking money off them and give them a pamphlet on how to grow veges.
Yet another proponent of the ongoing agenda to reduce New Zealand living standards to the level of India and China.
Hang on millsy – the poor in China are progressing out of poverty while in NZ …..
One hundred Million have, what is that a percentage of 1.2 Billion again?
Suffering more than any other sector, New Zealand is in dire need of politicians.
Yes but voting ACT really pisses off the middle class wankers…
It’s too hard to resist.
ACT’s agenda is to import the USA’s hardnosed, profit focus health and welfare system, which will double the number of people living on the streets, and also lead to major downward pressure on wages and living standards.
They see the likes of China and India, where the poor scavange through rubbish dumps for stuff to sell from their 1 room mud huts, as something to aspire to.
Suggest you check what’s happened to the number of people homeless housed in hotels under the Labour government before you bang that drum millsy.
Labour could only bullshit the thinking electorate for so long.
Hotels are better than nothing.
They only got nothing thanks to Jacinda. 50% house price increase in 4 years. She has destroyed NZ for the poor and made it great for those who enjoy looking down on the plebs.
Your lot would slash benefits and wages, hike rents and power prices, as well as impose US style health care. Imagine having to pay $2000 to have your broken arm fixed because some rich prick want to not pay tax.
I despise National and Act, and now this new NatLab party too. I wish there was a true Labour party, but there isn’t.
To ACT, politics is a lifestyle choice, a place where they get to bludge off the taxpayer while acting out their ideological fantasies.
“Almost 188,000 adults are receiving the Jobseeker benefit, yet we have severe labour shortages in many sectors that are not being addressed.”
Isn’t the Holy Market on High supposed to correct labour shortages by magically offering higher wages? The mechanism seems to work fine at the higher salaries end of the market.
It would work if the alternative state funded life wasn’t as attractive to so many.
Now I know this will fire up a large portion of the readers here but ask yourself why any able bodied person would rather accept welfare if there is employment available of which there is.
I believe we need a compassionate welfare system however I also believe in reciprocation and personal responsibility which is definitely missing across a large swathe of the unemployed.
Again, there are those that should receive support and help but not all and that’s where ACT will drive the wedge
For the employers who hire mostly unskilled workers, the year upon year minimum wage hikes have been an untenable burden, resulting a large percentage of the time with the skilled workers threatening, either directly or obliquely, to look for work elsewhere if their pay isn’t raised also.
As for sick leave, the increase from five paid sick days to ten paid sick days a year has been a burden on all employers. I feel that, over a period of time of working for a business the amount of annual sick leave should increase but if you are, for example, a healthy man in your twenties and you’ve only been with a company for, say, fifteen months, why on earth do you deserve, or why on earth would you even expect, the same sick leave entitlements as a female worker in her sixties with ongoing health difficulties?
Holiday entitlements in New Zealand are pretty reasonable, although I personally would scale this back a little bit. Or keep it the way it is, but reduce the amount of public holidays.
There’s nothing to be overly concerned about with the way things currently are. However, I do think the entitlements ought to be reviewed periodically by an independent authority to cater to our ever changing national demographics.
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