Congratulations to Bernard Hickey for his excellent article on the small group of self-centred middle-class New Zealanders who maintain a stranglehold on Labour government policy.
I’ve previously referred to these people as Labour’s “middle-class focus groups” but Hickey has a much more evocative name – “Ford Ranger Man” which he uses to show the impact of the government announcement this week to continue the reduction in fuel taxes.
Rather than helping people struggling with the cost of living and “bread and butter” issues, this government policy provides the greatest benefit for those on the highest incomes.
Nothing surprising here – middle-class welfare has a far higher priority for the government than bolstering the life opportunities and choices of those struggling on low incomes.
Bernard Hickey also reports on GST rates in New Zealand and finds they are higher than anywhere else in the world. GST, as all readers of TDB should know, is a tax on the poor. It takes a much higher proportion of the incomes on those on the lowest incomes than it does for the rich and supper-rich.
New Zealand has a crueller GST than any other country. These two graphs the story:
Ford-ranger man is happy about GST as it is – and even more happy with the drop in fuel tax. New Zealanders on low incomes and the global environment are the losers.
You could always form your own political party and call it something like Tru Labour.
Abolish the GST already, and reverse all the tax cuts! Lower fuel costs by withdrawing from the war, and supporting peaceful Eurasian development!
I think Hickey’s idea of the ‘Ranger Man’ says a lot about the disastrous state of the economy.
He seems to be speaking about the lowest levels of the businessmen: petty capitalists, self employed and middle-managers (‘petit-bourgeoisie’, as they’d say in France).
However, that would really be ‘Range Rover Man’, a step down from ‘Maserati Man’ and ‘Rolls Royce Gentleman’.
It’s interesting that he says that the ‘Battler’, ‘White Van Man’ and ‘Mondeo Man’ are distinct — these monikers are synonyms for working class voters, who take the opposite positions on most issues versus ‘Range Rover Man’.
Hickey seems to be suggesting that the country has become so poor that even ‘Range Rover Man’ has virtually disappeared, replaced by overworked people who can only afford to drive a (fairly low end) work vehicle to the club.
And what about the “Battler”? They’re certainly not driving new Falcons or Commodores any more, or even a Mondeo. Some of them are actually living in their White Van!
“However, that would really be ‘Range Rover Man’, a step down from ‘Maserati Man’ and ‘Rolls Royce Gentleman’.”
And a step up from Black BMW P Dealer Man
Gadzooks Minto!
You actually made sense! It doesn’t seem to happen often on this blog anymore, but here we are.
Where we are like to disagree is in to help those people at the bottom, but let’s leave sleeping dogs lie.
Totally agree,the smoke and mirrors game.
I agree with you John…first time.
In my experience as a long term observer of the middle class, many like Ford Ranger man are often not paying GST anyway.
There is a special kind of cronyism involved – such people have wide alliances. Personal goods are routinely written up as business\professional expenses. There are a wide variety of such scams in which it seems to be a mark of ‘friendship’ to help each other out. It is a sort of ‘lifestyle’.
Years ago I intended to write a book. It sounds silly but I felt my own people needed to understand how those of what is now called the PMC operate. Not to emulate them but because we can so easily feel inferior and demoralised by parts of a bigger picture that are often invisible, yet which help create a public narrative of our innate inferiority.
Know it well. The secret world of deals among those who can make them.
Quite ridiculous to think the media keeps the provinces and suburbs up to standard. They’re inveigled in the money and power. Competition, wider democracy and some NZ principle keeps us cleaner than Oz.
There is no way this tax will go back on in June if the party is still low in the polls
We were told in December we could not afford to carry on with dropping the tax now we can .Next this government will be turning water into wine and bring a few people back from the dead.
However are we going to fix the potholes if there is no income from this tax
.Asimple change to the income tax levels could have given the poorer workers a boost which is needed but Labour know these people do not vote so they need to appeal to middle income workers.
In my experience as a long term observer of the middle class, those like Ford Ranger man are often not paying GST anyway.
There is a special kind of cronyism involved – such people have wide alliances. Personal goods are routinely written up as business\professional expenses. There are a wide variety of such scams in which it seems to be a mark of ‘friendship’ to help each other out. It is a sort of ‘lifestyle’.
Years ago I intended to write a book. It sounds silly but I felt my own people needed to understand how those of what is now called the PMC operate. Not to emulate them but because we can so easily feel inferior and demoralised by parts of a bigger picture that are often invisible, yet which help create a public narrative of our innate inferiority.
Excellent stuff, I had read Hickey’s great article.
Thanks @ JM. Excellent stuff.
Now, you watch? No one will give a fuck. All you’ll see will be dumbo’s who will come here with one word to spend at the lolly shop where Americlone shopping mall ganstas will be bustin’ rhymes after they’ve smacked the missus up while scoping out the shops selling junk while breathing in their own foul air.
The terminally stupid will rub shoulders with the terminally cunning and since both will have no class, no soul, no style and no art to be their guide, then, to paraphrase Mark Twain. “they’ll drag the rest of us down to their level then beat us with experience.”
Insisting and encouraging racial disharmony, deliberately impoverishing the working classes then insulting them by making the rich richer by blowing out house prices on homes the very poor can only wander past on their way to their bedroom in the decorative shrubbery. Seeing what you’d love but can never live in is a special kind of cynical cruelty that only the poor can afford.
We Kiwi’s live on a paradise. There are only 5.2 million of us for Gods sake and all we do is make food for export. Our AO/NZ’s larger in land area than the UK by 29 thousand square kilometres. Canterbury alone is the size of Holland with 17 million while Canterbury has about 660 thousand and yet we have poverty induced homelessness, hungry kids, waiting lists for elective surgery, massively expensive housing, no fucking public rail transport, a piss poor air service, an outrageously greedy supermarket duopoly that’s dug in like a greedy tick and yet, mystifyingly we bend over while shouting harder, harder, harder at our abusers. Do we all need psychological help? Are we collectively mentally unwell? Are we so down trodden, bullied and abused that we’ve suddenly woken up to a new AO/NZ normal? A new normal that’s really just an abhorrence to any sane mind? A macabre aberration of a paradise lifestyle? I’m thinking “Lord of The Flies” meets ” The Stepford Wives” meets ” Dumb and Dumber” meets ” Idiocracy”. If you’re cute and dumb then sooner or later you’ll end up full of yapping americans looking to buy a piece of the action once led by the hand to here by Chippies bestie above.
Yes CB I would say we collectively as a society are mentally sick but money of the wealthy insulates those with it into feeling well. You see if u are insulated u cannot feel a thing just u will have no soul that’s all (hollow as it were). But again the wealthy and those in the middle may not even know what that is.
Thanks for your comment @ JC.
You might find this interesting. Russell Brand talks with Jimmy Dore ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Dore )
YouTube.
Russell Brand.
“I recently spoke with Jimmy Dore about the war in Ukraine – who is really benefiting, why the US are involved & what you can do to stop it!”
https://youtu.be/PqUT0t1vL04
The political system Jimmy Dore mentions that bedevils the USA is the same neo-liberal system we have here.
The National Party, The Labour Party, The ACT Party, The Green Party, The Maori Party and The NZ First party are all the same thing. They’re all neoliberal which means, of course, that we have no strong and supportive political ground under our feet and we’re therefore in political free fall and as we fall, the rich 1% go through our pockets. Nine multi billionaire Kiwis and four now foreign owned retail banks taking billions out of our modest economy in net profits annually while some people wander the streets in homeless despair as kids go hungry while others still are in waged poverty and enslavement. Don’t you think that calls for a revolution raging in the streets but what do we get instead? Isolated powerlessness while being tyrannised by artificially ballooned costs as we few 5.2 million cringe in fear of the foreign owned banks and money lenders in our rich and plentiful AO/NZ.
Does that piss you off? It certainly pisses me off.
To offset the burden of GST on the poor Labour should reduce their tax rates, but they won’t not enough votes.
They will play to their larger audience,the middle class.Hipkins has already begun.
Haha that’s so funny.
Great, now I’ll have to google Ford Ranger is find out wtf it is.
It might even say a little about Hickey if he thinks that recognising one is common knowledge.
It’s a ute Richard, it’s a ute, one of those things that cuts in on you at the end of a passing lane or screams past at 130k spraying gravel at your windscreen and is 4 cars ahead 30klms later.
Or, ‘your research’ could simply be reading the article… ? Explained it pretty well at the start even.
‘In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs.’
Seems to be a reasonable number of Porsche SUVs around in Christchurch these days, plus an assortment of Maserati, BMW and other high end “lifestyle” 4x4s
Minto should know better.
But as usual cherry picking stats and massaging the truth.
Bernard Hickey also reports on GST rates in New Zealand and finds they are higher than anywhere else in the world.
The rates are NOT higher than anywhere else in the world.
What the facts are is, that the NZ Gist provides a higher proportion of Government revenue than equivalent percentages in the rest of the world.
There could be a gazillion reasons for that in a country of 5 million people.
Removing NZ GST or buggering about with it, will not solve the problems of low income residents
Kia ora Ra
Okay Minto hasn’t said it quite correctly, but then neither have you, this is what Hickey said:
‘The IMF highlighted Aotearoa’s status as having the most punitive GST rate in the world, covering more products than any other and collecting a bigger share of GST than any other’
Remove GST a punitive tax on the poor introduce a financial transactions tax, a miniscule percentage and a wealth tax. The poor have always paid and paid and paid GST because of course they spend every cent they earn. GST introduced by Labour should never ever have happened.
It’s quite amazing the correlation between work and privilege.
It’s not 100% of course, we still have the likes of politicians and bankers doing quite well for themselves.
It’s stupidity like this that’s keeping Maori poorer than the rest of us. I don’t have to work cos everyone else owes me a living.
It’s just dooming them to perpetual failure and the rest of us to being their indentured servants through the taxes we pay to reinforce their stupid beliefs.
You lot are so busy being “kind” that you are too stupid to see the damage you’re doing.
This is how we end up with the PM with the worst track record in NZ history in terms of social issues.
Sounds like u are on the wrong Blog..
You might have seen something that has started that idea in your head Jays.
But you do need to realise that because you are right about one thing and one person doesn’t mean it also applies that other similar people are the same in their ways. Perhaps you realise that your family is often of a different opinion to you. It is posssible that many Maori have been big drinkers and that saps your keenness and your pocket. You could try reading Alan Duff’s Out of the Mist and Steam or similar. He has tried to tell about Maori males and their ambitions as he experiences them.
Many here link the pause in the planned rise in fuel tax as a good thing in a cost of living crisis. It’s a TAX period. It’s no different to income tax as gives those at the bottom a little reprieve where as those at the top end and who can afford to pay the tax, get off the hook. I don’t expect to hear any criticism of a national policy for tax cuts across the board because it’s the same thing. Those in the cities who drive ford rangers as a status symbol are tossers. Ford rangers are top of the line these days and as a service contractor or farmer if you can afford one good on you. There’s a bit of jealousy here. However if you can afford one you can afford the tax.
Whatever happened to Hillman Imp man? He rocked in 1982
Cool little car. Think they had overheating issues.
We are into the political cycle that sees huge easter eggs given out usually to those who dont need it, expect Chippie to do more of the same. It wont substantially improve underlying problems and will detract money away from those who need it. Not sure how many houses can be built for $700Mill 700? 1000? What a waste of time and money.
Shock, horror! People with more money spend more. Who knew.
Minto is missing the point. Just about every New Zealander is directly or indirectly impacted by higher fuel prices. Either directly at the pump, or indirectly at the supermarket.
Almost all families have vehicles and they use them. So higher fuel prices have a direct impact.
When I was young, I purchased fuel by a dollar amount, I could never afford to just fill the tank. Now I just fill the tank. I probably do more kilometres these days than I used to. I don’t have to carefully think whether I can afford a longer trip. This is the effect that Minto is describing.
However, if I think back to the time when I had to be really careful about how much fuel I used, a 25 cents per litre cost would really matter, much more so than it does today. I am sure that will currently be the case for many younger people and also for hard up families.
So if the government had reimposed the 25 cent charge, the people hardest hit would be poorer New Zealanders, not the Ford Ranger man who is probably deducting the cost as a business expense anyway.
Minto does not seem to understand the practicalities of political policy making. A government that deliberately increased fuel prices in the middle of a cost of living crisis would rightly be described as crazy. Hopkins does not strike me as someone who is crazy.
if the well off spend more they are the ones fueling inflation not the low pay NZ workers
Wayne.. You are forgetting that this was a tax put on in the first place by Labour. It should never have been there. Now Labour piled on this tax to A/ nudge us into unaffordable electric cars and B/ to collect revenue that they say will be used for good stuff but who would know. C/ Paying back debt would be helpful. Like Taranaki, like the refinery and like importing Indonesian coal everything this government does to be green is ill-conceived. As soon as National mentioned tax cuts you all jumped on it like mad dogs. Go figure.
” Rather than helping people struggling with the cost of living and “bread and butter” issues, this government policy provides the greatest benefit for those on the highest incomes ”
Once again John the NZLP despite # lets do this , build back better and now bread and butter issues mean we are re focusing on the middle class and the almost wealthy backed by guys and gals like Andrew Kirton who are as far away as you would expect a Blairite to be when it comes to the filthy underclass.
John there is no political party or movement that represents anyone in this country that does not have money or influence.
And I am not including the Greens because they capitulated some years back.
Can you tell me why that is ? and I know you generally don’t comment on the blogs responding to your posts but I would like to know your thoughts.
Class privilege seems to be endemic and neo liberal influence has diluted the left and replaced it with capitalist , corporate friendly pretend social democrats who now make up the rank and file NZLP membership.
That membership and policy influence will never represent actual bread and butter crises but you and Bomber deep down know that.
Its power , control and influence in this little capitalist paradise and the underclass and exploited have no representation despite a new PM and his this is my government and not Jacinda’s rhetoric.
John will there ever be a political movement to counter middle class privilege and the power and influence of the current elite that dominate this country with an agenda to only look after their own interests ?
No political party or movement represents the many who are maligned and slaves to the neo liberal jack boot that is pressed firmly on the head of so many.
This from the Canary in the U.K
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2023/02/02/big-banks-are-making-a-killing-amid-inflation-and-the-cost-of-living-crisis/
” This has hardly changed since 2016-18, at a time when the poorest people who were in bad health could save even less. However, it’s no surprise that poor people can’t save any money. This is because they spend more on everyday costs than all other groups – from housing to food – and the least on “recreation”:
And like here it is no different .
Great’, you may think. However, lower petrol prices only help some people. As The Canary previously reported, just 35% of the poorest households own a car – versus 93% of the richest ones. This means that the majority of poor people won’t see any benefit from the drop in petrol prices. However, other price increases are still hitting them.
Kirton has been working for the last year for Anacta Consulting – a trans-Tasman “government relations” firm run by David Talbot who, with political commentator Stephen Mills, also provides opinion polling to the Labour Government and corporate clients.
A former student of the University of Oxford and London School of Economics, Kirton has in the past run his own lobbying firm, Kirton Consulting, but is more well known in the lobbying industry for being the head of government relations for Air New Zealand, working for Christopher Luxon when he was CEO. Kirton’s background in the corporate world also includes working for housing property developers and, when living in London, with the London Chamber of Commerce and head of public relations for Heathrow Airport.
These people are Social Democrats which is a sham because they hide behind what used to be the party of working people , their families and protecting their interests in favour of middle class privilege that surely is the National party’s territory.
With LINO they prosper regardless who thinks they control the treasury benches.
There is a flaw in your reasoning John Minto. The cost of fuel has a great effect on the price of food because of the distribution network. Therefore the fuel subsidy, which is effectively what it is, is not just benefiting Ford Ranger man. GST must be taken off fruit and vegetables though.
He didn’t say anywhere that the fuel subsidy didn’t help the poorest.
BUT
it benefits Ford Ranger man more – and sure as hell Food Ranger Man does not need it at all.
” Rather than helping people struggling with the cost of living and “bread and butter” issues, this government policy provides the greatest benefit for those on the highest incomes ”
Once again John the NZLP despite # lets do this , build back better and now bread and butter issues mean we are re focusing on the middle class and the almost wealthy backed by guys and gals like Andrew Kirton who are as far away as you would expect a Blairite to be when it comes to the filthy underclass.
John there is no political party or movement that represents anyone in this country that does not have money or influence.
And I am not including the Greens because they capitulated some years back.
Can you tell me why that is ? and I know you generally don’t comment on the blogs responding to your posts but I would like to know your thoughts.
Class privilege seems to be endemic and neo liberal influence has diluted the left and replaced it with capitalist , corporate friendly pretend social democrats who now make up the rank and file NZLP membership.
That membership and policy influence will never represent actual bread and butter crises but you and Bomber deep down know that.
Its power , control and influence in this little capitalist paradise and the underclass and exploited have no representation despite a new PM and his this is my government and not Jacinda’s rhetoric.
John will there ever be a political movement to counter middle class privilege and the power and influence of the current elite that dominate this country with an agenda to only look after their own interests
No political party or movement represents the many who are maligned and slaves to the neo liberal jack boot that is pressed firmly on the head of so many.
This from the Canary in the U.K
https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2023/02/02/big-banks-are-making-a-killing-amid-inflation-and-the-cost-of-living-crisis/
” This has hardly changed since 2016-18, at a time when the poorest people who were in bad health could save even less. However, it’s no surprise that poor people can’t save any money. This is because they spend more on everyday costs than all other groups – from housing to food – and the least on “recreation”:
And like here it is no different .
Great’, you may think. However, lower petrol prices only help some people. As The Canary previously reported, just 35% of the poorest households own a car – versus 93% of the richest ones. This means that the majority of poor people won’t see any benefit from the drop in petrol prices. However, other price increases are still hitting them.
Kirton has been working for the last year for Anacta Consulting – a trans-Tasman “government relations” firm run by David Talbot who, with political commentator Stephen Mills, also provides opinion polling to the Labour Government and corporate clients.
A former student of the University of Oxford and London School of Economics, Kirton has in the past run his own lobbying firm, Kirton Consulting, but is more well known in the lobbying industry for being the head of government relations for Air New Zealand, working for Christopher Luxon when he was CEO. Kirton’s background in the corporate world also includes working for housing property developers and, when living in London, with the London Chamber of Commerce and head of public relations for Heathrow Airport.
These people are Social Democrats which is a sham because they hide behind what used to be the party of working people , their families and protecting their interests in favour of middle class privilege that surely is the National party’s territory.
With LINO they prosper regardless who thinks they control the treasury benches.
MMP still provides an opportunity to force change with a party that has courage and will stand for the many who LINO pretends to represent but never are represented.
John there is no political party or movement that represents anyone in this country that does not have money or influence.
I’m not John but the closest I think is te Parti Maori, after all if we get it right for Maori then we get it right for everyone.
They have the highest Stats for prison, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, low or no housing, addictions poverty poverty poverty.
Now despite loathing that man John Tamahere
I have now joined te pati Maori, I was in the Greens who I now think as pretty much pathetic.
OMG! Check this out. Mind reading brain implant tech is here and now. Im Right? Pay attention.
Russell Brand.
https://youtu.be/5v5vQm4epto
It sounds like Hickey and Minto are envious of the Ford Ranger drivers? No?
Get a life Kraut stupid comment, I expect both of them could afford Ford Rangers.
The coward cabbage is an idiot Michal.
Reading Jeremy Paxman’s autobio, he admits news is all about the middle class reporters’ idea of what matters. Middle class focus groups limit Labour to ‘wrong’. And even in Chippy’s time.
The virilent enemy of David Cunliffe, our Jeremy Corbyn or Bernie Sanders. He’s about pleasing the tits of the middle.
hey hey ford ranger
don’t be a stranger
make some potholes in the roads!
what diesel, mate?
some serious weight
over two blue tonnes – well thar she blows!
so over here https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/spy-where-to-catch-all-the-action-for-urban-polo-and-the-nz-polo-open/GZ4KT64IIJELHFJJ2VC2KZOHA4/
we’ve gotsa cheer
it’s A for asshole I been told
there’s a new A-list
you’ll be glad to have missed
with harts by the hundreds in the hold: https://www.ventureradar.com/keyword/Organ%20Transplantation
John,ask your sibling,where,the snark.
I drive a big double cab ute for 2 main reasons. One being because the the laws of the land say I must do or the Government will screw me over. 75% of my mates with big utes/SUV’s also drive those for thre exact same reason. The second is for for assorted welfare reasons, like if I tried to do what I do in my ute with a Ford Focus some will possibly be killed, as would I be.
But a good part of the time I ride a good sized scooter or a big Ducati which the Government charges me a shit load more to do that Ranger Man, RR Twat, Grandma Corolla, Minto Morries or any other car driver pays for their ride…..per bike not combined.
Maybe you could make your argument a little clearer Peter.
urban tanks equals small dick nuroses
Of course Labour policies support the middle class!
That’s because their voter base is largely middle class and has been for a couple of decades. Its base consists of teachers, civil servants both local and central, student activists, and white women who live in smart restored villas and own an SUV. LOL The only exception is the brown vote/unemployed vote.
You really think Ford Ranger Man votes Labour? In my experience of the breed, they mostly own small contracting businesses or work for them. The modern-day ute is a consequence of fringe benefit tax rules: Change those and ute sales would plummet.
(According to the Treasury, the bottom 20% of income earners effectively pay zero tax because their welfare more than covers the welfare they get.)
and the fact that ‘earners’ need welfare is scandalous…taxpayers are subsidising the poverty wages paid by NZ business
The USA being the Center of Mammon, leads the way with other competition which are good at this land development for profit.
https://allpropertymy.com/developers-defaulting-on-maintenance-fee-of-unsold-strata-property-seen-to-rise/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/131017798/williams-corporation-converts-unsold-townhouses-into-airbnbs (NZ Lower Hutt) Jan/23
https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3183849/hong-kong-developer-billion-fails-sell-single-flat-horizon-project-tai-po July/22
https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-mexico-housing/
26/11/2017 — Builders have all but abandoned hundreds of developments without completing infrastructure, resulting in a patchwork of public services.
The Wall Street-backed developer that reaped billions, …
https://www.latimes.com › world › la…
26/11/2017 — Today, with its broken-down, blighted and half-finished developments littering cities across Mexico, Homex is one of the country’s most despised …
2916 = https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2016/07/14/investors-trumps-failed-mexico-resort-speak-out
On her 65th birthday last year, Sylvia Villavicencio — once a Donald Trump devotee — pummeled a Mexican piñata of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Her guests poked out the eyes and tore off the legs.
“We wanted to express our feelings and vent our anger,” said her husband, Mike Rodriguez, a retired real estate builder. They live in Madera, in California’s Central Valley.
The couple are unlike most buyers of Trump piñatas, which have found a market on both sides of the border since Trump’s political rise. They dislike him not because of his hard-line immigration policy proposals or his remarks about minorities, although those have added fuel. The root of their anger is a sense of profound, personal betrayal. They believe millions of Americans will soon experience it, too.
(Even the unethical avaricious rightard followers are unhappy. Some people are never pleased!!)
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/11/the-unfinished-suburbs-of-America/382707/
Interesting and insightful. I completely agree about GST. I’ve always thought that the sooner it goes back to 12.5 percent, the better. Moreover, calculations are easier to work out at that lower rate.
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