Jesus wept.
Why the Christ doesn’t Labour use Grant more often?
Todays Finance Special on Q+A between Grant and Nicola was a devastating display of a Finance Minister at the height of his power and the wannabe who after todays debate may well be a never was because if there is a change of Government, David Seymour will be finance Minister after this disastrous performance.
Right from the beginning, Grant is on the attack and Nicola is desperately trying to keep up.
Grant strips back the facts of the Foreign Buyers Ban and the math doesn’t add up in any way shape or form. Her decision to try and defend the indefensible is shudderingly bad.
Interesting debate about the export market. Didn’t note how catastrophic climate change will impact that, although Grant noted Agricultural technology as a new premium investment market alongside renewable energy tech.
Nicola is very good at selling privatisation as the solution to infrastructure when it is in fact the worst fucking thing in the world to do.
Grant points out the underinvestment of the entire State that National oversaw which Labour inherited and has fought to replenish.
42% of those polled didn’t want Government cuts to impact jobs, which is extraordinary when you think about it! Only 38% wanted public service jobs cut!
The majority support the State and State Services – yet the Left are losing the election in the polls because we haven’t focused hard enough on upgrading those services!
Nicola’s attempt to defend the cuts is on the fly of that Poll result which clearly surprised Nicola.
Grant demolishes her argument that National won’t slash jobs and cut services.
Interestingly people polled about poverty and tax angrily wanted to keep their own money.
I think at a time of extreme economic stress, people are freaking out about their own wages and saw the question in those terms, if you went back to them and said, ‘Do you deserve tax relief/better public services by taxing the uber rich’, 90% would say yes.
The yoke of taxation needs to be lifted off the workers, beneficiaries and middle class’s and put on the Banks, the Speculators and the 1%!
Labour’s State House rebuild is admirable, but there are still 25 000 on the State House wait list and desperate people kettled into dangerous motels.
Nicola’s weird hatred of State Housing is alarming! She slags off Labour’s State Housing build and doesn’t care about how many State Houses get built and that’s dangerous because the only means of forcing private landlords to do right by their tenants is removing the desperation from the rental market by having more State Houses.
Nicola wants the desperation in the market to keep Landlord profits high.
Seeing as National have taken millions in donations from the Real Estate Pimps, they have no credibility on Housing!
National is little more than a Real Estate Agency with special branches for Corporate Farmers, Banks and Chinese Business interests.
National throws the first User Payers Generation -Gen X – under the bus and lifts Super.
Jack (who has been an excellent Host) slams it down that we ultimately need new revenue streams and new taxes to fund the cores services of the State.
Nicola says growing the economy will do it, which is bullshit.
Grant points out now is not the time for National’s Tax Cuts and reminds everyone how he has managed NZ during a once in a century pandemic.
Refuses to answer the wider question of a need to remove the tax yoke from the workers onto the corporates and the uber wealthy which is why Labour needs the Greens and Maori Party to help them be more courageous.
If Grant had been front footing this election campaign, Labour would be in the 30s right now, not in the 20s. He is a phenomenal asset to Labour and is one of their best performers.
There is no way you can watch this interview and pretend Nicola is ready to be the next Finance Minister.
Come on.
If there is a change of Government, David Seymour is Finance Minister, not Nicola.
Don’t cheer too loud for David getting Finance because Winston will probably be Treasurer.
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Will probably be a National/NZF Coalition as Winston will get 10-12% otherwise you may see a Labour/NZF/TPM Coalition depending on which way the votes fall ACT will be lucky to get 10% as they are really only appealing to the Woke and Extreme Right Wing Capitalists.
Bloody hell! When the word “woke” is bracketed with the phrase “extreme right wing capitalists” as if there is some natural alliance of the two, then the word “woke” has obviously ceased to mean anything at all. I saw Chloe Swarbrick’s election poster defaced with “woke lesbo” – if she’s ‘woke’, then why doesn’t she belong to ACT according to your reasoning? It’s obvious that as a person of principle and intelligence she detests ACT, and proves it weekly on TVNZ Breakfast by making Brooke van der Velden look daft. There are some people whose opinion I respect (e.g. Norman Finkelstein) who use the word “woke” because they have a socialist critique of giving primacy to identity in political analysis. But even people like him now need to step away from the word.
I think he/she/they (pronouns!) meant “anti-woke”. ACT is obviously against all things woke.
AB.. you might want to research … Neolibs have embraced Wokeism big time… they use it like a ninja star.. see Blackrock and ESG and DEI. I work in the capital markets … the shit that I see is truly shocking, stacking of boards because of “climate change” revaluations of companies because of “ESG” and “DEI” it’s all big con.
Excellent article Martyn, thank you.
“Grant points out the underinvestment of the entire State that National oversaw which Labour inherited and has fought to replenish.”
Never a truer sentence written.
When will Labour stop blaming others for the mess we are in? They’ve had 6 years but have only made things much worse.
If a hospital is destroyed by an earthquake do you want it rebuilt in a week?
When will right wing supporters simply face reality, National left our country in a worse state it is now. Imagine stopping 501s from ever entering our country when Key had his chance Fidel?
Labour have had 6 years dealing with Nationals abject failures that have set us back decades.
So how many hospitals have Labour started.They have taken a big knife to Dunedin hospital after calling out National for slow action.
In Chch when Woods got power she fired the local builders of our swimming pool and appointed an Australian Company. Lacking the local knowledge it is now sinking into a swamp just like Labour are.
Rubbish. Go read something other than NatAct ads
Where have you been the last 6 years Fidel? Noticed anything unusual?
You and I both know it is all an Act .If it meant they had power they would make it work. Other countries have far more unlikely partnerships .
An act? A bit rich considering the farse the Nats have in mind.
If Labour were going to do anything, it would have been done.
Nothing is all they will deliver.
But you vote for corporate cock suckers, who just wanna punch down.
Yep. Too little, too late. It’s vote “anyone but Labour”, they had their chance and blew it.9
Rat in a cage – 100% correct
More promises just aren’t enough.
What makes you think NatAct aren’t making promises that will be kept? You and your gun register focus won’t do a thing for the economy or cost of living. National can’t make their numbers work so they just talk about ‘opinions’. F’ing pathetic. They make Labour look safer which is an achievement in itself
Excatly
In Parliament’s Q & A the same woman comes across as very whiny and whingy, school-ma’am-ish.
In Tame’s Q & A she’s shrill, smarmy, overtalking and almost fish-wife in her demeanour.
Good luck, Luxon, keeping her in order and not trying to take his job…and then Seymour taking hers!
Willis is shrew .
I am NOT looking forward to the new government.
Willis and National reload Key’s ‘policies’ as a path to power….coupled with the ill fated ‘grow the pie’ and tax cuts of Liz Truss in the U.K.
Robertson is formidable but I though Willis did o.k.
The polls they referred to showed voters don’t really care much and just want…change.
Well, that interview might influence the votes of the six undecided voters amongst the Q+A audience.
I thought the only thing on Sunday morning TV these days were kiddies cartoons, infomercials for haemorrhoid cream and World Cup Rugby. And blue blocker sun glasses.
600 you mean, Ada…
Q+A is for the politically engaged. They’ve made their minds up.
You’re right Ada. The politically disengaged don’t bother with msm TV if that’s what you mean.
You guys must have watched a different channel than I.
They only saw half tge channel with one eye closed.
I agree Gary Peters.
That interview should be mandatory for Tv1 to play that on a weekday night at 7.30pm.
Also Rebecca Wright’s disturbing interview with the hapless Luxon. Not one snippet of that interview made mainstream TV 6pm news on any channel..
They are definitely protecting him..
Willis has no depth of knowledge!!
…and zero understanding of the basic laws of physics…
ie. ‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’.
It’s quite alarming and Seymour is no better.
Any fool can cut spending…
As Grant Robertson pointed out..
It’s all about striking the right balance at any given time.. which changes often..
That is over Willis’s right wing populist head..
Can’t think beyond tax cuts.
It was like watching a professional up against an amateur.
Federer up against a mouthy club player who thinks that they are better than they actually are!
Why would a person whose only gig was as a minister of early childhood education know about being a finance minister. God help the country if she gets in. Thankfully Labour and Robo have done a great job turning things around( as described below), clearly lost on those whose only argument is they hate a Labour government.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/mike-williams-what-makes-anyone-think-national-could-run-the-economy-better-than-labour/EY5T5XTLPRAORMLOK33X6SMRGE/
Ooo. That got the Clones rustling in their nests.
There is one thing; please stop using the word ‘farmer’ in conjunction with ‘corporate’. It annoys the shit out of me and it misdirects reality. It’s like confusing a house painter with being an artist. A butcher with that of being a surgeon and Grant Robertson should be P.M.
Most farms are structured and run as companies, which makes them corporates. Basic incomprehension like this is endemic among Labour voters.
And stupidity amongst Nact voters reigns supreme if your posts are anything to go by.
Stick to what you know which is nothing.
A company is not a “corporation”. Fonterra is a corporation, while the farmer down the road is a small business or company that sells their goods to said corporation. Very different rules apply to either entity. If you sell somethjing on Amazon are you a “corporation” too? What are you smoking?
Fantastic article Martyn, you’ve been on fire lately, have you ever thought about entering Politics yourself, you have so many great ideas & common sense solutions on how to fix this Country, it’s so frustrating to have these idiot NZ Politicians screwing with our lives, we need a direct Democracy system in which all major Policy decisions go to Referendum, this system is in place in Countries like Sweden, it’s a system that takes the power from moronic Politicians & transfers it to the people to decide the Society they want, not something imposed on them by Parties that are bought & paid off by Big business & the Landlord class, like National & Act are & who service Rich elites & care nothing for the rest or the bottom feeders as Luxon calls the Proletariate class & the poor? I really like Te Pati Maori & the Greens Social Policy’s, they see everything in Humanistic, collectivism ways in which everyone enjoys the spoils & a bigger slice of the pie rather than a selfish, individualistic class in in which a greedy few Rich elites profit at the expense of those on the bottom, their should be no billionaires in this Country! But this is what the scam called Neoliberalism is all about & which has enabled this corrupt bunch to accumulate wealth, it’s a wealth transfer from the bottom to the top & individual self over the collective population is their motto because their is no Society, only the Self, to quote what that Lunatic Neoliberal witch Margaret Thatcher preached about? Something has to change in NZ & at least you Martyn & Robertson have some of the answers, Nicola Willis needs to go back too being a Housewife & mother because she’s a lousy & hopeless Politician & would be a even greater disaster & Trainwreck if she ever became a Finance Minister!
Antforce62 says – we need a direct Democracy system in which all major Policy decisions go to Referendum, this system is in place in Countries like Sweden, Is that actually what we need? A really workable idea or just a pipe dream. To have a better system those who are interested in having it must all work hard at setting it up and be clear how to keep it on track to ensure that it doesn’t go off track at a whim as with Douglas et al.
Stuff had an article on Saturday. Features Andrew Geddis from Uni of Otago, Raf Manji TOP party leader, Freedoms New Zealand Brian Tamaki along with Max Rashbrooke. It states that Aotearoa New Zealand does not have a legal framework for binding referendums but fringe parties are committed to bringing them into the country.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/132934109/direct-democracy-the-political-system-minor-parties-are-raving-about
Victoria University researcher Max Rashbrooke says direct democracy has a strong appeal to fringe parties because they distrust politicians and do not believe their decisions accurately reflect society as a whole. “Direct democracy, as I think of it, refers to things like referendums.
Direct democracy, the political system minor parties are raving …
Stuff.co.nz
https://www.stuff.co.nz › national › politics › direct-dem…
We want to be sure that we don’t leave a way for malignant weeds with pretty flowers to rise up between the stones, in any crack they can find. Not out of the frying pan into the fire.
I copied Paul’s comment from another post and I thought he put things as I understand them and feel that many of us have looked through that glass darkly already. We would do well to have a thorough-going discussion on this as a sideline to the main one pre-election. Our minds are alert, and there is a time for everything, to turn, and now or soon our time will be here.
This is what he said in Chris Trotter’s ‘So Little To Defend, So Much To Punish.’ Sep.1/23.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/09/01/so-little-to-defend-so-much-to-punish/
Paul September 3, 2023 at 10:35 am
Labour’s failings with 50.1 shine a light on the obstacles to real change in NZ.
They are just elected as laypeople project managers. They are reliant on “experts” and bureaucrats to formulate and deliver results.
However this establishment is traditionalist and captured by its own self-interest, which it sees in following the lead of its global influencers of corporates funders, thinktanks and their peers – other Western governments captured in this mesh.
When the risk/choice is between doing nothing or doing something that their PMC and “experts” tell them will fail, or will make fail – there is not difference. Safer to go with tiny wins the permanent state lets them have, that satisfy the optics, and keep the architecture of systematic owner-class exploitation intact.
Thanks. Adds to the argument. If I understand correctly, yes, it is crucial to have a “thorough-going discussion” on what elected governments can do/achieve, given their reliance on “experts” and the PMC, indeed in the light of capture by powerful players outside of what many think of as ‘political decision making’. I feel however that calls for a level of civic engagement not really apparent. Most debate and commentary is framed as if a democratically elected government has independent power. That’s the message that many voters base their assumptions and decisions on.
If only we could reduce the general election to a binary referendum: in a problematic climate of uncertainly how should an elected government grow and manage the economy for the benefit of all, and in order to fund everything that needs to be done?
Its all weasel words and sound bites from both wills and luxon, they speak words that say nothing. I see today they have released a policy to change speed limits back to where they were and it’s going to cost 30 million dollars why ?? . Some of the roads are not fit for 100 kph. So obviously once again the trucking lobby is dictating national transport policy. Look out for more accidents and potholes plus more emissions
On the subject of foreign buyers of our precious homes. Who are they going to be exactly? Will they be vetted in some manner?
7 Houses Luxon keeps insinuating that they will be wealthy, “Tech Entrepreneurs.”
But will they all be legitimate wealthy individuals that we want to be associated with. Or will they, or the money be filtered by more illegal means and criminal elements? Such as crime bosses, drug cartels, asian gangs, Russian oligarchs, mafia, terrorist groups and so on.
One of the top three methods of laundering proceeds from crime is via real estate transactions. Does New Zealand and the public want to be seen as aiding and abetting international crime and terrorist organizations? Organizations that are responsible for horrific acts on innocent peoples, and inflicting pain on whole societies. This needs to be asked.
Also, if there is a large shortfull of sales, then what? Dropping the threshold to $1m? Selling of more national assets?
What is the backup plan Nicola and 7 Houses?
Good points Bruce.
Australia has just canned their scheme for overseas buyers because it became apparent it was a funnel for laundering drug and fraud money.
Same will happen here but it won’t only be Asians, the rich Americans and Europeans will be lining up especially as Nats are already known for selling residency.
Yep, looks that way. What’s the saying? Sell you own grandmother for political power.
Just read another article. Chinese are dumping their overseas investments ASAP due to the state of their own economy. Money needed to prop up the home base.
So Chinese poor economy will probably be blamed on Labour.
Your questions regarding the intent of buyers makes perfect sense to me since that type of financial laundering is happening globally. I can also imagine some of those 2 million dollar home buyers being wealthy foreigners who want to leave their country but wouldn’t qualify for residency by standard means. I suppose though any kind of vetting would be anathema to National and ACT whose vision is dimly short-sighted.
National and Act want to cut thousands of hard working tax paying highly qualified public servants. Those are real people who’s careers will go down the toilet for political expediancy, and who will probably then head overseas. Yet they want to increase each year, another 500 prisoner places, which will cost $200,000 per prisoner per year. Another 500 university of crime placements year on year. So prisoners who add nothing to the economy, are who National and Act will generously spend tax payers $200k dollars on, but dedicated public servants are not worth it.
Expect huge cuts from National, and new or increased fees they will need to balance their books. Higher ACC fees, higher prescription fees, higher car rego fees, increasing pension age, again stopping contributions to the super fund, and don’t be surprised if higher GST comes in, like they did before, after saying they wouldn’t.
Not a pretty picture, but at least there will be more guns and more prisons to get the country back on track, and I agree it will get on track, but just what track, and where will it lead. Reversing emission mitigation measures, recommencing fossil fuel development, and re energising house prices and rental costs, by helping landlords. This is a track in the wrong direction, but it is the one being funded by real estate moguls through their political donations.
Fossil fuel development being re started, will not drop petrol prices by even one cent, and it never has.
NZ no longer has a refinery, so any discovered oil will only be exported, and will not be used to fuel cars here. Ditching emmissions mitigation measures doesn’t help someone whose house is buried in mud.
Labour provides strong and stable govt, while National provides flimsy slogans and stoking fears, and pretend that a National+Act+NZFirst coalition would even function, but would likely end up in complete kaos. Luxon is simply so insecure, that he cannot find the spine to rule out NZFirst. He can’t do it. And NZFirst is now hovering above 5%.
Labour are the known commodity, that has been shown to be dependable in times of crisis, but National are a gamble with unknown outcomes, who are betting the house, on their inflationary tax measures, that not even experts can make add up. Experts.
“National and Act want to cut thousands of hard working tax paying highly qualified public servants.”
They may pay tax, but they are also paid via the taxation of productive workers and businesses. They usually contribute absolutely nothing other than adding to lavish expense accounts. We could remove 50% of public servants overnight and nobody but them would notice.
Clearly you do your own house work @ Fidel Cashflow. Nothing like running a tight ship, eh.
Are we talking about the same Labour Party that is sliding down the poll rating to oblivion
due to their poor performance
The man you hate Trev, Luxon is about to call…Winston.
Country boy i agree 100% . How can people be so blind . Our economy is on a knife edge and it has been carefully managed through the utmost uncertainty ever. Why would anyone think that Willis can actually do finance. Her holding up a piece of paper with a one line explanation of their modeling should be top in the MSM. because its so frightening in that they are conning NZ for a $2 tax cut . Its a catastrophe in the making. We were about to enter safer economic waters . NZ will rue the day if NACT rule there are huge storm clouds on the horizon all for the sake of power.
Grant has demonstrated his ability to manage under extremely difficult circumstances while keeping society functioning, Nicola is a train wreck waiting to happen is about the kindest thing I could say about her. As a Conservative Christian I don’t agree with all of Grants lifestyle choices but the good book is full of instruction about not judging others and the reality is that Grant is easily understood while Nicola is not.
Looks like Willis has joined ACT. Dumped the blue suit for Acts pink suit. None of which are power suits, just insecurity suits.
And what about Forever Inflation and the Cost of Living Crisis? Growing the GDP is just more inflation dummies!
Are we talking about the same Labour Party that is sliding down the poll rating to oblivion
due to their poor performance
Yes, Bonnie. Robertson’s retort to Willis was that actually being in charge of the finance portfolio in ‘difficult’ times is very different to simply espousing theory. Swing voters should be very wary of false promises.
Heard you the first time, Trev! Just relax, fella, and see what happens in the other poll on October 14.
Might surprise even you!
And worse Is to come with Act pulling the strings, all those who are 60ys old now thinking they will be able to retire in 5yrs better think again Acts going to start gradually raising retirement age from this year so those who are 59-60 now have just been robbed of 2ys pension and added another 2 yrs to work.
Well as VI Lenin alluded to many years ago…bourgeois Parliamentary elections are essentially an exam for the political level of the working class. And that level in AO/NZ is pretty damn low at the moment.
If Grant has done such a bad job as Finance Minister and Deputy, can Nicola say how many other countries in the world have economies that are 8% bigger now, than they were before the pandemic? Because the NZ economy is now 8% larger than before, with a near record low unemployemnt rate, and sorry to say Nicola, but no recession either.
And we did it, at the same time as we minimised the worst effects of the pandemic, that so ravaged other countries, that had much higher death tolls than we did. Are our memories really that short? In fact, the amount of excess mortalitiy measured in NZ, was actually zero. Which translates to meaning that in our country, no more people died during the pandemic, than would otherwise have ordinarily died from other causes, during the same period of time.
Most countries life expectancies went down during the pandemic, and most countries economies shrank during the pandemic, but not us. And what was National saying during the pandemic – they were criticising that the borders were remaining closed for too long. But they needed to be closed while our population, particularly the elderly, got fully vaccinated. Doesn’t anyone remember the chaotic anti vax protests at the beehive, and Trevor’s Manilo music.
Instead of criticising Grant, we should be thanking him. Yet these 2 amazing facts I’ve described, won’t stop Nicola whinging like a spoilt little girl, because that’s just her way. If she has elderly parents, she should be thanking Grant as well. Credit where credit is due. If sadsack Nicola wants to so bag out country, then she should buzz off to where the grass is greener.
Barnie both sides. Who us yous say, care , and not pillory.
If, the farm fence, is back in town. Maggie,
Yawn ! Labour have delivered sweet F A , but Willis is a dumber than a bag of hammers.
We are doomed either way .
Quick back of the napkin calculations.
Total houses in NZ over 2 million dollars = 96,500
Latest figures from One-roof for sales over 2 million Q2- Q4 2022 =865 sales per quarter which is a MASSIVE drop of 65% over previous quarters.
Total sales over 2022 for houses over 2 million= 3,360
National is banking on 50% of house sales going to foreign buyers.
It. Does. Not. Add. Up.
Yes and well done providing the evidence, it gets lost on a large right wing base on this site.
The research also shows just how $2m-plus sales there have been in New Zealand in the last two years. Of the 133,170 settled sales since August 2021, just 7177, or 5.3%, have been for $2m-plus, with again Auckland accounting for the bulk of higher-value transactions.30/08/2023
Source: Oneroof.co.nz
So national is gambling on 50% of house sales going to foreign buyers to fund tax cuts.
Not possible.
I watched the debate. It was a shout fest between a man who has spent the last 6 years attempting to single handedly wreck the economy, and the woman who will spend at least the next 6 fixing it.
LB seriously more weasel words out of the Luxon and Willis playbook
Let’s correct that statement, a man who spent 6 years attempting to fix 9 years where National single handedly wrecked the economy. You were a bit loose with the truth Liberty but we’ve come to expect that with National supporters.
When GR took the reins, by just about any measure the economy was in better shape. In just 6 years we’ve witnessed a profound deterioration, coupled with unprecedented political interference with the RB mandate. The cost of this governments mismanagement will take years to fix.
Different views. I saw a finance minister who knew the numbers vs I can’t add Willis pushing hopes and dreams akin to a nightmare.
Looks like Nicola has pulled out all the stops and is going for broke, and has gone full Jacinda with her hairstyle and shade!