Whisky bottle revisionism. Ardern was rejected because of her totalitarian lockdowns and mandates, and for imposing an unbelievably racist vision for the future of this country without any mandate. One year on from Labour we are still trying to pick up the pieces of the destruction they wrought in race relations, the energy, education and health sectors, inflation and debt etc. Pour yourself another drink.
What a load of rubbish. You are fully indoctrinated in the atlas spin that this article refers to as neoliberalism. We are currently in fee fall and significant depression will be the result. Enjoy your borrowed tax cut bribe.
The country would be in a much worse financial tail spin if Adern, Robertson and Hipkins were still in power. Socialism has a 100% success rate at failure.
Tell your great grandkids to enjoy paying your share of the 80 billion that they printed and borrowed. Look your neighbours in the eye and say that Labours economic policies didn't cause rampant inflation and so much pain for every household in NZ.
Take your Labour tinted glasses off and see the economic havoc they caused. Sadly, if you can't then the term is willfully blind.
Perhaps you could advise everyone who the NZ Government borrows from?? And also where they account for the repayments and interest attributable to that borrowing??
Who cares where they attribute it to or how they account for it. Stop trying to deflect from the perilous state the finances are in. What matters is the last socialist government borrowed, printed and spent unwisely with no thought for a ROI.
“Treasury forecast interest payments will amount to $9.2 billion ($4,622 per household) in the 2024/25 fiscal year".
Thats 9.2 billion the people and companies of NZ have to be taxed just to service debt. Thats a few hospitals right there. Thats a lot of support services right there. Thats a lot of potholes fixed right there.
😂😂😂 more absolute rubbish. The last National Government raised the “Debt” that you are so worried about by 50billion that is more than labour did after Covid. Suggest you read “the deficit myth” to educate yourself on the true effect of currency issuing governments using a FIAT currency. You are sentencing your kids to a life of austerity. Atlas network rubbish that hasn’t worked in any country that has used it including NZ.
I'll let the bank know if I am overdrawn that the deficit in my cheque account is a myth!!
There is no myth that if you operate at a loss, you have to borrow to make up for it, and pay servicing costs, and eventually pay back the principal. Now, I am no economist but if you continue to operate at a loss eventually the servicing costs for debt become too high and this affects your credit rating, which in turn affects your interest rates as your risk profile is higher...which means the servicing costs become impossible to handle and all the while inflation rises, those that can, leave the country.
Anyone that thinks long term deficits are a benefit to a country must have worked for a nutter like Bernie Sanders.......Socialist wonky thinking that any government silly enough to take on board would join the 100% of socialist failures.
Its also blind to believe that politicians prior to 1984 were different. Look at Muldoon for a start (not old enough to remember politics before that).
No they don't Trevor, because they deep down know that its true and when they try to defend their position they are found wanting and shot down. Thats why they get nasty because you are proving that their deeply held beliefs are wonky.
I used to believe the same as them, but after seeing the large numbers of people who abuse the welfare system I realised that the left way holds noone to account and only encourages more people to join the system abusers.
Arderns 2nd semester was a tragedy, so we are left very much with a maybe. To fulfil the good polician role one must take the plebs with you to be re-elected and she failed to do that on lockdowns, mandates, three waters especially. Through blindness, lacking some competencies, arrogance or quite what I don't know. If you're going to be courageous enough to make unpopular but critical change you have to do it early so that the benefits are widely felt within the election cycle.
She led NZ to the most successful outcome with Covid in stats that matter, lives saved. Every nation could have done better, but it was a moving target. As we can see with the rambling to clean our waters with the current three stooges bumbling and increased water-born problems from disease to leaks everywhere, 3 Waters was indeed a good idea. These bozos were voted in by a slim margin on the back of low gullible anti-vaxxers who shamefully fell for the right-wing instigated propaganda conspiracy theirs.
She was one of NZ’s best prime ministers shot down with endless death threats and harassment by these low IQ idiots.
Well if 3 waters was such a great idea, why did they they not sell it to the NZ public? They didn't appear to back themselves or that policy, failed to convince the voter and the nay-sayers filled the vacuum. I was a swing voter in the lead up to the last election, and wanted them to convince me on their policies, but they didn't, not even close, in fact on some it was almost like they didn't want you to see under the hood. I didn't fall for conspiracies, I saw a party lacking in talent, conviction in it's own policies and getting distracted by further left ideologies that didn't appeal to my centrist tendencies. Neil's more on the money with this voter. Jacinda started well but faded down the home straight.
Having spent much of my life in politics I despair about the inability of elected reps to demonstrate an understanding of public ethics and how to direct and manage bureaucracies. I feel that the recent Royal Commission on Abuse in Care challenges us to rewrite our social contract. I have just read John A Lee's "Simple on a Soapbox" and as I reflect on the fights between caucus and the leadership of the Labour Party at the time it made me wonder how they got anything done. To meet the challenges laid down by the Royal Commission I feel we have to have a serious on-the-ground dialogue at community level about what a safe and decent society should consist of. I'm not sure we can rely on most politicians, or bureaucracies, to lead this. Or am I just being a curmudgeon?
Thank you Chris. Judging by levels of voting at election time, it seems that many have lost faith in the political system as it now works. Perhaps we need a new name for what our political system now is. Democracy does not seem to fit any more. Thank you again
"not before “Jacinda” and her party had done the impossible. Not before Labour had won 50.01 percent of the Party Vote in the 2020 General Election". Labour's response to the first wave of Covid was excellent and that, combined with National's meltdowns over Jami-Lee Ross, Bridges and Muller - resulting in Judith Collins leading it into the election - led to Labour that incredible result. The long Auckland lockdown the following year, plus Three Waters and to a lesser extent the Maori Health Authority, really caused Labour's fortunes to fall.
Thank you for a short, succinct comment on the last 40+ years. I despair at our failure to effectively resist in 84 and hope that the ongoing resistance will, if not triumph, at least ameliorate. Hope spring eternal.
F**king brilliant, Mr Trotter. Thank you. The question is how to convince an electorate - the majority of wihch have bought into the same said neoliberal ideology, and have been convinced that their own livelihood/prosperity is linked to the success of politicians which advance it. That said, I think your essay provides great clues. Thank you for this article.
I have always wonder what happened to theRoger/Ruth mantra that labour was just another commodity to be determined(wages) by supply and demand and if we wanted CEO's we had to pay international wages with bonuses. Somehow the mantra gets forgotten when we have nurses, police 'teacher shortages with many heading overseas. Surely wages in theory should rise to stop this exodus.
“But, when she said “Let’s do this!”, all those around her, either gently, or not-so-gently, said “You can’t do that!”” Exactly, the entire nation is so indoctrinated toward right-wing economic neoliberalism that they can’t perceive the neoliberal air that they are breathing.
Those levers to pull for Jacinda’s agenda were missing the economic clout that once existed here. Labor unions had since been all but destroyed with the introduction of employment legislation that was fundamentally copied from on USA Texas-style “right to work” laws. The income stream to pay for was slashed with the rudimentary Capital/wealth tax, the NZ land tax was thrown out. Meanwhile, the top income tax level was cut in half and replaced by a regressive GST tax. Taxes were flattened to the point that famously, a cashier pays more per person than a billionaire, creating high tax resentment. And spending was cut so that we spend among the lowest per GDP in the OECD.
That has been recipe for disaster, yet few discuss the real causes in our so called "liberal" media.
Whisky bottle revisionism. Ardern was rejected because of her totalitarian lockdowns and mandates, and for imposing an unbelievably racist vision for the future of this country without any mandate. One year on from Labour we are still trying to pick up the pieces of the destruction they wrought in race relations, the energy, education and health sectors, inflation and debt etc. Pour yourself another drink.
What a load of rubbish. You are fully indoctrinated in the atlas spin that this article refers to as neoliberalism. We are currently in fee fall and significant depression will be the result. Enjoy your borrowed tax cut bribe.
The country would be in a much worse financial tail spin if Adern, Robertson and Hipkins were still in power. Socialism has a 100% success rate at failure.
Tell your great grandkids to enjoy paying your share of the 80 billion that they printed and borrowed. Look your neighbours in the eye and say that Labours economic policies didn't cause rampant inflation and so much pain for every household in NZ.
Take your Labour tinted glasses off and see the economic havoc they caused. Sadly, if you can't then the term is willfully blind.
Don’t educate your self just keep writing red neck rubbish. You are dragging NZ down with your bigoted blind faith in Atlas and their operatives.
Nothing bigoted here from me. Perhaps thats a mirror, not a window you are looking at.
Perhaps you could advise everyone who the NZ Government borrows from?? And also where they account for the repayments and interest attributable to that borrowing??
Who cares where they attribute it to or how they account for it. Stop trying to deflect from the perilous state the finances are in. What matters is the last socialist government borrowed, printed and spent unwisely with no thought for a ROI.
“Treasury forecast interest payments will amount to $9.2 billion ($4,622 per household) in the 2024/25 fiscal year".
Thats 9.2 billion the people and companies of NZ have to be taxed just to service debt. Thats a few hospitals right there. Thats a lot of support services right there. Thats a lot of potholes fixed right there.
😂😂😂 more absolute rubbish. The last National Government raised the “Debt” that you are so worried about by 50billion that is more than labour did after Covid. Suggest you read “the deficit myth” to educate yourself on the true effect of currency issuing governments using a FIAT currency. You are sentencing your kids to a life of austerity. Atlas network rubbish that hasn’t worked in any country that has used it including NZ.
I'll let the bank know if I am overdrawn that the deficit in my cheque account is a myth!!
There is no myth that if you operate at a loss, you have to borrow to make up for it, and pay servicing costs, and eventually pay back the principal. Now, I am no economist but if you continue to operate at a loss eventually the servicing costs for debt become too high and this affects your credit rating, which in turn affects your interest rates as your risk profile is higher...which means the servicing costs become impossible to handle and all the while inflation rises, those that can, leave the country.
Anyone that thinks long term deficits are a benefit to a country must have worked for a nutter like Bernie Sanders.......Socialist wonky thinking that any government silly enough to take on board would join the 100% of socialist failures.
Well said.
Its also blind to believe that politicians prior to 1984 were different. Look at Muldoon for a start (not old enough to remember politics before that).
You sir have your head firmly planted up your arse!!
Typical Leftist comment. Do you have a counter argument? Bwahahaha.
No they don't Trevor, because they deep down know that its true and when they try to defend their position they are found wanting and shot down. Thats why they get nasty because you are proving that their deeply held beliefs are wonky.
I used to believe the same as them, but after seeing the large numbers of people who abuse the welfare system I realised that the left way holds noone to account and only encourages more people to join the system abusers.
Yes they do but red necks do not consider any opinion except their own so they Jarrod?
Bollocks
Arseholes! Grow up.
Arderns 2nd semester was a tragedy, so we are left very much with a maybe. To fulfil the good polician role one must take the plebs with you to be re-elected and she failed to do that on lockdowns, mandates, three waters especially. Through blindness, lacking some competencies, arrogance or quite what I don't know. If you're going to be courageous enough to make unpopular but critical change you have to do it early so that the benefits are widely felt within the election cycle.
She led NZ to the most successful outcome with Covid in stats that matter, lives saved. Every nation could have done better, but it was a moving target. As we can see with the rambling to clean our waters with the current three stooges bumbling and increased water-born problems from disease to leaks everywhere, 3 Waters was indeed a good idea. These bozos were voted in by a slim margin on the back of low gullible anti-vaxxers who shamefully fell for the right-wing instigated propaganda conspiracy theirs.
She was one of NZ’s best prime ministers shot down with endless death threats and harassment by these low IQ idiots.
Well if 3 waters was such a great idea, why did they they not sell it to the NZ public? They didn't appear to back themselves or that policy, failed to convince the voter and the nay-sayers filled the vacuum. I was a swing voter in the lead up to the last election, and wanted them to convince me on their policies, but they didn't, not even close, in fact on some it was almost like they didn't want you to see under the hood. I didn't fall for conspiracies, I saw a party lacking in talent, conviction in it's own policies and getting distracted by further left ideologies that didn't appeal to my centrist tendencies. Neil's more on the money with this voter. Jacinda started well but faded down the home straight.
Having spent much of my life in politics I despair about the inability of elected reps to demonstrate an understanding of public ethics and how to direct and manage bureaucracies. I feel that the recent Royal Commission on Abuse in Care challenges us to rewrite our social contract. I have just read John A Lee's "Simple on a Soapbox" and as I reflect on the fights between caucus and the leadership of the Labour Party at the time it made me wonder how they got anything done. To meet the challenges laid down by the Royal Commission I feel we have to have a serious on-the-ground dialogue at community level about what a safe and decent society should consist of. I'm not sure we can rely on most politicians, or bureaucracies, to lead this. Or am I just being a curmudgeon?
I think FWIW that your calls are inspiring and head the right direction, Garry.
Thank you Chris. Judging by levels of voting at election time, it seems that many have lost faith in the political system as it now works. Perhaps we need a new name for what our political system now is. Democracy does not seem to fit any more. Thank you again
"not before “Jacinda” and her party had done the impossible. Not before Labour had won 50.01 percent of the Party Vote in the 2020 General Election". Labour's response to the first wave of Covid was excellent and that, combined with National's meltdowns over Jami-Lee Ross, Bridges and Muller - resulting in Judith Collins leading it into the election - led to Labour that incredible result. The long Auckland lockdown the following year, plus Three Waters and to a lesser extent the Maori Health Authority, really caused Labour's fortunes to fall.
The problem is in finding men and women of good will and as importantly ability to make a difference.
I don’t share your disparagement of Douglas and Richardson. People higher up the food chain lost their nerve.
Ardern demonstrated what an all powerful State can do during the pandemic and the reaction of the people came out in October 2023.
Problem is that very few of the current lot have much competence nor the ability to override the grey men and women of the bureaucracy.
Thank you for a short, succinct comment on the last 40+ years. I despair at our failure to effectively resist in 84 and hope that the ongoing resistance will, if not triumph, at least ameliorate. Hope spring eternal.
F**king brilliant, Mr Trotter. Thank you. The question is how to convince an electorate - the majority of wihch have bought into the same said neoliberal ideology, and have been convinced that their own livelihood/prosperity is linked to the success of politicians which advance it. That said, I think your essay provides great clues. Thank you for this article.
I’m with yo7 MT!! Well said!!
I have always wonder what happened to theRoger/Ruth mantra that labour was just another commodity to be determined(wages) by supply and demand and if we wanted CEO's we had to pay international wages with bonuses. Somehow the mantra gets forgotten when we have nurses, police 'teacher shortages with many heading overseas. Surely wages in theory should rise to stop this exodus.
Nice article.
“But, when she said “Let’s do this!”, all those around her, either gently, or not-so-gently, said “You can’t do that!”” Exactly, the entire nation is so indoctrinated toward right-wing economic neoliberalism that they can’t perceive the neoliberal air that they are breathing.
Those levers to pull for Jacinda’s agenda were missing the economic clout that once existed here. Labor unions had since been all but destroyed with the introduction of employment legislation that was fundamentally copied from on USA Texas-style “right to work” laws. The income stream to pay for was slashed with the rudimentary Capital/wealth tax, the NZ land tax was thrown out. Meanwhile, the top income tax level was cut in half and replaced by a regressive GST tax. Taxes were flattened to the point that famously, a cashier pays more per person than a billionaire, creating high tax resentment. And spending was cut so that we spend among the lowest per GDP in the OECD.
That has been recipe for disaster, yet few discuss the real causes in our so called "liberal" media.