Comments on: From Free Market Stormtrooper to Decent Society Peacemaker – RIP Jim Bolger 1935-2025

By: gordon walker

gordon walker — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:58:29 +0000

A DECENT PERSON was Jim but his trickle down mentality was sad to see and hear .

By: joseph

joseph — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:55:41 +0000

Bolger was responsible for the BNZ scam. It was claimed the bank needed in todays money an $800mill bailout so it was sold for around $3billion. In 2024 it made $795million profit. That amount of profit could have been available every year for the last 33 years to pay for social services or infrastructure investment or state houses or reduce taxes or subsidise food from farmers. Instead the $795 million a year became part of the bank profits export industry otherwise known as the NZ Mortgage Mine. Over the last 33 years the government could have received $23billion in profits.

How come the National Economic Mismanagement Party couldn’t see the opportunity but the National Australia Bank could? Mates.

For his penance Labour made Bolger the chairman of Kiwibank.

Given half a chance the Nacts will give Kiwibank away to foreign banksters. I guess you can assume this hasn’t happened already because … Winston?

By: Richard Christie

Richard Christie — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:12:09 +0000

He eventually found a job that suited, leading NZ Post, iirc he did ok at that.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:34:48 +0000

He may have overseen the work of Ruth Richardson but he fired her as soon as he got the chance.

Jim Bolger probably watched David Lange’s attempts to get rid of Roger Douglas and being a smarter politician waited for the right time to get the job done.
I say smarter than Lange because it took his caucus 4 years to stab him in the back whereas Lange’s did it the same week he tried to fire Douglas.

By: Lone Comet

Lone Comet — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:22:21 +0000

Good on ewe for representing. Keep it up, don’t despair. However cannot feel sorry for a farmer who was given money to borrow and squander to bankruptcy left right and enter as opposed to those who could not get a comparable small loan to buy a house they would have made sure to service. No leg up there. Loads of normal people suffered because of that. So fuck the farmers crying over their stupidity and squander, not to mention unsustainable farming practices we are all suffering from that the banks are still bankrolling.

By: Lone Comet

Lone Comet — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:15:41 +0000

In reply to millsy. There you go, his legacy. Unfortunately it’s the negative stuff (pretty bad) that gets remembered.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:57:14 +0000

I own a leaky home, don’t have fixed abide at the moment. Jim Bolger obviously has a lot to do with that.Seymour is an out and out dipshit when it comes to deregulation.

However, met Jim Bolger almost 10 years ago at a union event he happened to be at, and had a chat with him, a nice bloke, he lamented Donald Trump saying he was a big liar, a few weeks later Trump unbelievably won the election

By: millsy

millsy — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:22:25 +0000

His health and housing reforms are the reasons why both those sectors are so fucked today.

By: Corrupt Gnat

Corrupt Gnat — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 03:11:49 +0000

“Bolger’s second term in office saw the introduction of the MMP electoral system. In the subsequent 1996 election National emerged as the largest party but it was forced to enter into a coalition with New Zealand First. Bolger continued as prime minister, however his critics argued that he gave the inexperienced NZ First too much influence in his Cabinet. On 8 December 1997, Bolger was effectively ousted as leader by his party caucus, and was replaced as prime minister by Jenny Shipley.”

Sounds familiar? History repeating itself.

By: Nitrium

Nitrium — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 03:08:12 +0000

National (under Bolger) was my very first election vote!