Claire just need to confront the fact that she’s hopelessly in love with John Key. Almost every column she writes takes the line that the sun shines out of the PM’s arse, and anyone believing otherwise is either an economic vandal, woefully ignorant or barking mad. I suspect she’s contructed a shrine to him in her bedroom where she dutifully pays homage every evening.

A more pertinent question would be, how is it fair that young people are expected to pay for something those who came before them got for free? Being lectured about “user pays” by the smug beneficiaries of free tertiary education would make anyone angry. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame folk saddled with student debt for simply defaulting on principle. If they all default at once, what is the government going to do? Cry into their Weetbix?

Sorry, Mary, I meant would Key or English pay for the tertiary education they got free, courtesy of the taxpayer.

I also fully agree.
The neo-libs have just about completed their task of destroying the concept of an inclusive society. Thatcher’s “society is dead”…divide and conquer, has worked all too well for these evil, societal, sociopathic bacteria.
New Zealand seems further down the rocky track than Australia – from abroad, NZ seems beaten, the bulk of the people generally, in a state of blissful ignorance, believing most of what they’re told and shrugging their collective shoulders at the rest!
At least in Aus. people are putting up some sort of fight – not much, but at least something!
The US and Britain are almost totally beaten down. The only thing that will “save” the US, is armed revolution – it is now virtually impossible to change from within,….we don’t want it to get to that stage in NZ!

The chooks are coming home to roost on 30 years of failed New Right policies and the right-wing acolytes are flailing about looking for scapegoats to point the finger at.

Thing thing is, if the policies don’t fit peoples’ needs, they just won’t work. Blaming people for that is futile.

Keep up the writing, mate!

“Thanks to Helen Clark, Kiwis can no longer claim welfare in Aussie. ”

Really, Andrew?? Since when was Helen Clark Prime Minister of Australia. You twat, she had no power to stop whatever policies the Aussie government wanted to implement.

Honestly, you righties are a thick lot.

Well put. I too, being a 62 year old “baby boomer” feel quite guilty

And John Key ticked up a hundred billion dollars

Completely agree with you.