Nicola Willis denies responsibility for worst recession since 1991, when Ruth Richardson unleashed the Mother of All Budgets; Willis' austerity strategy contrasts with English's approach in 2008-11
Am I on my own, watching Luxon helping at a foodbank, feeling a wave of revulsion? His government has cold heartedly and deliberately cut funding to foodbanks and social support providers from North Cape to Bluff. This man has demonstrated little empathy towards those his government have indifferently walked past all year, in fact they have made many NZ'ers lives more miserable. Then he poses alongside the committed ones who do the hard graft asking for no credit or photo opportunities.
the National party has always financially massively advantaged the already rich/wealthy and the current government is continuing doing that. Your comment is very polite compared with the revulsion I feel to them for what they have done (and not done) this year.
(although I did agree with their cancellation/repealing of Labour's water legislation)
Does his Pentacostalism lean towards the prosperity gospel, like most Pentercostal's? The welfare state has no place on prosperity gospel politics, they think the poor are poor because they deserve to be, and God has made it this way. It's sickening what people can justify.
It's the difference between the Old and the New Testaments. His fundamentalism towards his religious beliefs is absolutely consistent with his understanding of economics. They are both dated.
Good point. (I went to a useful wikipedia entry on prosperity theology to get a quick take on this notion.) If so, it would be a handy adjunct to the self-help genre refs and the David Brent management-speak.
It is one comfort during this otherwise frustrating farce that his personal approval ratings have always been low for an elected leader. He is no Key or Ardern, just a head-shaped void where a leader should be, reminiscent of the old Facebook silhouette you'd get if you had no profile picture. Despite his indignant claims to a mandate, he is a man who succeeded not by winning, but by not losing.
His mediocre ambition is as repulsive as an undergraduate whose only major is in Management. What is he passionate about? What is he talented at? Nothing, but by God he will be in charge of it. To him, servant leadership is an oxymoron, an apostacy. Leaders lead to be served, not to serve others.
And by God he will be rich, because he was meant to. He sees no humanity in others, who he accuses of being leeches while he diverts the blood of the economy to the pockets of slumlords and bank shareholders. He has no love for the people, and soon he will find they have no love for him. I look forward to forgetting who he is.
you are not alone. My feelings towards this government has shifted dramatically from one of intense dislike of policies to that of disdain, repulsiveness and the overwhelming desire to see each and every one of them voted out and then not get the cushie ex-MP jobs that are usually handed out. I honestly hope they are all put in the position that they are putting the majority of kiwis in.
Surely if four specialists from one department at Auckland or Christchurch hospital resigned in quick succession it would be a massive red flag. But four specialists resigning at Whakatane Hospital is deeply concerning and a manifestation of the ongoing crisis this government is happy to continue to stoke.
yes that is a shocker, next question is how well is the tauranga hospital staffed to handle this influx of extra maternity patients? This is the logical next question to ask, don't let them off the hook with this weak excuse. It is the network effects that start to cause real harm. I'm sure drs in Tauranga are also looking for the exits and from what I hear it isn't the best working environment.
Any chance someone can load these emissions liabilities into a shadow version of the government accounts? I'm sure the rating agencies will have something pencilled in there, but to add a bit more focus for us all to see the impact of these decisions?
Great graph showing the Key/English response to the GFC ie borrow big time time to crank up the economy. Which was then able to get back into surplus which increased govt income permitted. As I understand it.
In not quite the same way but along similar lines, I think this is what Roger Douglas is alluding to in his criticism of the Act party in the NZ Herald this morning. You might not have agreed with his theories but you can't deny his understanding of the AO/NZ economy and is right to criticise the current government.
Some of the easiest environmental wins can be in reducing plastic litter and waste to landfill. While the international plastics treaty is a while off, thanks to the petro-states, there is so much we can do locally in the meantime to stop items entering the country. The fact that they've delayed / cancelled the next steps here shows that the packaging/plastics/petro lobbying has worked.
When I flew back to NZ from a visit to WA one of the things that stood out to me here was single-use litter.
WA has banned the single-use plastic items most often found in the litter streams (except for water bottles), with only certified compostable items allowed. So if something does get littered its more likely to breakdown and not impact wildlife. I know for a fact that the lobbying against this was horrendous and unceasing by industry, to the point where department staff were reporting harassment. They stood their grounds and now WA has some of the most comprehensive bans in the world.
Obviously reusable everything is the most environmentally friendly, and least cost for businesses...unless you're stupid enough to run a packaging business. It'd be great if NZ could just jump to that step.
Thanks Bernard. I'm absolutely incensed by the number of people including most of the media who parrot the CoC li(n)es about the recession being the fault of RBNZ and the last labour government. Even the so called expert economists are ignoring the elephant in the room. Once again, Substack seem to be the main source of reasoned analysis and commentary. @MountainTui this morning hit the nail on the head:
"I thought all high school students were taught the two major policy arms of economics are monetary (interest rates - a relatively blunt tool) and fiscal (government spending and revenue - taxation).
So why is it that so many of our financial commentators ignore the clear and present impact of fiscal? "
Last night's after dinner discussion was an explanation about who the govt borrows money from, what is printing money and it's possible outcomes and what a govt should do to curb inflation that will result and why.
Both are almost recent high school graduates.
I don't think school teaches them that.
If 20 years old can understand the concept surely Willis can.
But she doesn't want. Her job is to ready the ground for justifying privatization.
The Government wears it's disdain for Kiwi's on it's sleeve everyday. Productivity is too low, too many on benefits, too many out of work, we all need to skill up and on and on.
Why would anyone, in NZ or Internationally want to invest anything in NZ if our own Government doesn't have any confidence in us and constantly advertises the fact. If the Government doesn't see this country and our people as a good investment, then no-one else is going to.
Been a depressing year Bernard. Can’t see 2025 being any better in spite of that ridiculous business confidence report.
Am I on my own, watching Luxon helping at a foodbank, feeling a wave of revulsion? His government has cold heartedly and deliberately cut funding to foodbanks and social support providers from North Cape to Bluff. This man has demonstrated little empathy towards those his government have indifferently walked past all year, in fact they have made many NZ'ers lives more miserable. Then he poses alongside the committed ones who do the hard graft asking for no credit or photo opportunities.
Short answer, no. It was sickening
the National party has always financially massively advantaged the already rich/wealthy and the current government is continuing doing that. Your comment is very polite compared with the revulsion I feel to them for what they have done (and not done) this year.
(although I did agree with their cancellation/repealing of Labour's water legislation)
can you send your comment to Christopher Luxon?
will do
Does his Pentacostalism lean towards the prosperity gospel, like most Pentercostal's? The welfare state has no place on prosperity gospel politics, they think the poor are poor because they deserve to be, and God has made it this way. It's sickening what people can justify.
It's the difference between the Old and the New Testaments. His fundamentalism towards his religious beliefs is absolutely consistent with his understanding of economics. They are both dated.
Good point. (I went to a useful wikipedia entry on prosperity theology to get a quick take on this notion.) If so, it would be a handy adjunct to the self-help genre refs and the David Brent management-speak.
It is one comfort during this otherwise frustrating farce that his personal approval ratings have always been low for an elected leader. He is no Key or Ardern, just a head-shaped void where a leader should be, reminiscent of the old Facebook silhouette you'd get if you had no profile picture. Despite his indignant claims to a mandate, he is a man who succeeded not by winning, but by not losing.
His mediocre ambition is as repulsive as an undergraduate whose only major is in Management. What is he passionate about? What is he talented at? Nothing, but by God he will be in charge of it. To him, servant leadership is an oxymoron, an apostacy. Leaders lead to be served, not to serve others.
And by God he will be rich, because he was meant to. He sees no humanity in others, who he accuses of being leeches while he diverts the blood of the economy to the pockets of slumlords and bank shareholders. He has no love for the people, and soon he will find they have no love for him. I look forward to forgetting who he is.
100% agree, Mate!
you are not alone. My feelings towards this government has shifted dramatically from one of intense dislike of policies to that of disdain, repulsiveness and the overwhelming desire to see each and every one of them voted out and then not get the cushie ex-MP jobs that are usually handed out. I honestly hope they are all put in the position that they are putting the majority of kiwis in.
Surely if four specialists from one department at Auckland or Christchurch hospital resigned in quick succession it would be a massive red flag. But four specialists resigning at Whakatane Hospital is deeply concerning and a manifestation of the ongoing crisis this government is happy to continue to stoke.
yes that is a shocker, next question is how well is the tauranga hospital staffed to handle this influx of extra maternity patients? This is the logical next question to ask, don't let them off the hook with this weak excuse. It is the network effects that start to cause real harm. I'm sure drs in Tauranga are also looking for the exits and from what I hear it isn't the best working environment.
Absolutely there will be a domino effect as the slack has to be taken up. The pace at which it could all implode is terrifying
Any chance someone can load these emissions liabilities into a shadow version of the government accounts? I'm sure the rating agencies will have something pencilled in there, but to add a bit more focus for us all to see the impact of these decisions?
Great graph showing the Key/English response to the GFC ie borrow big time time to crank up the economy. Which was then able to get back into surplus which increased govt income permitted. As I understand it.
In not quite the same way but along similar lines, I think this is what Roger Douglas is alluding to in his criticism of the Act party in the NZ Herald this morning. You might not have agreed with his theories but you can't deny his understanding of the AO/NZ economy and is right to criticise the current government.
Some of the easiest environmental wins can be in reducing plastic litter and waste to landfill. While the international plastics treaty is a while off, thanks to the petro-states, there is so much we can do locally in the meantime to stop items entering the country. The fact that they've delayed / cancelled the next steps here shows that the packaging/plastics/petro lobbying has worked.
When I flew back to NZ from a visit to WA one of the things that stood out to me here was single-use litter.
WA has banned the single-use plastic items most often found in the litter streams (except for water bottles), with only certified compostable items allowed. So if something does get littered its more likely to breakdown and not impact wildlife. I know for a fact that the lobbying against this was horrendous and unceasing by industry, to the point where department staff were reporting harassment. They stood their grounds and now WA has some of the most comprehensive bans in the world.
Obviously reusable everything is the most environmentally friendly, and least cost for businesses...unless you're stupid enough to run a packaging business. It'd be great if NZ could just jump to that step.
this is why we have so many kiwis leaving everyday to live in Australia.
Thanks Bernard. I'm absolutely incensed by the number of people including most of the media who parrot the CoC li(n)es about the recession being the fault of RBNZ and the last labour government. Even the so called expert economists are ignoring the elephant in the room. Once again, Substack seem to be the main source of reasoned analysis and commentary. @MountainTui this morning hit the nail on the head:
"I thought all high school students were taught the two major policy arms of economics are monetary (interest rates - a relatively blunt tool) and fiscal (government spending and revenue - taxation).
So why is it that so many of our financial commentators ignore the clear and present impact of fiscal? "
Last night's after dinner discussion was an explanation about who the govt borrows money from, what is printing money and it's possible outcomes and what a govt should do to curb inflation that will result and why.
Both are almost recent high school graduates.
I don't think school teaches them that.
If 20 years old can understand the concept surely Willis can.
But she doesn't want. Her job is to ready the ground for justifying privatization.
The Government wears it's disdain for Kiwi's on it's sleeve everyday. Productivity is too low, too many on benefits, too many out of work, we all need to skill up and on and on.
Why would anyone, in NZ or Internationally want to invest anything in NZ if our own Government doesn't have any confidence in us and constantly advertises the fact. If the Government doesn't see this country and our people as a good investment, then no-one else is going to.
On Point, Annie!!!!