Social insurance scheme, TVNZ-RNZ merger, biofuels mandate and hate speech law dumped for this term; Minimum wage hike slowed to match CPI inflation; Three Waters changes flagged (vaguely)
Feb 8, 2023·edited Feb 8, 2023Liked by Bernard Hickey
What a U-turn.
The woke ideology collided with realty again today for this party. Sadly, the clearing of the decks is just reactionary for the purpose of scrambling back to some popularity & voter recovery in a timely fashion.
A band aid over a gapping wound I would suggest. The culture of this party still remains, this is an interim adjustment at best without an iota of transformation in sight. A quelling of these shortsighted proposals in the meantime.
We all know that a problem is never resolved with the same minds that created it - they need to go.
ACC ($30 billion?) was always meant to include illness and obviously universal, as everything should be, (and promised by Andrew Little years ago) instead it covered predominantly men and was unspent as it remains to date. It also has to cover injury and costs of crime injuries and losses which is why being able to sue is obstructed via DOJ and Courts plus like everything else unfounded in fact or rationality and with NZ Police being both cop and prosecutor with no accountability to any independent agency or Government. So it’s all prejudiced and skewed in those types best interests not the general public (majority women and children). We’re all in big trouble when you think this and more about it logically.
Bernard, what’s your view on at the (new) minimum wage, a full time worker will be hitting the 30% marginal tax bracket? Surely an adjustment needed...
Anything can happen between now and the election. But, if Labour is not going to complement their low target strategy with some meaningful policy offerings they will simply lose because of low turnout. Outflanking National on tax cuts might not be enough.
I'm glad the biofuel mandate has been shelved. There are tonnes of fish hooks in here and we could end up losing food production to grow fuel feed stocks as has happened elsewhere. We need to drive less, electrify the fleet and invest in more active and public transport.
I blow a large raspberry at the 'low target strategy'. I want a climate focussed lolly scramble! Let's go all in! Bring public transport back into full public ownership. Buses so we can invest in decent services instead of providing profits for shareholders. Take AirNZ back so we can set a sinking lid on flight emissions. Extend the clean car rebate to ebikes and bikes. No one's winning my vote with a low target strategy. It's time we demanded more from our politicians!
I wonder if there's any work done on who are the businesses who employ minimum wage workers. Are they small businesses as some claim or are they large corporations who just don't want to share huge profits? Are those businesses retail, manufacturing, services? What size of a business as a small business could be two people or 20 people and there's a world difference.
Who are those businesses that a $1.50 wage rise will tip over the edge and why is it only wage rise that will tip them and not, say, the commercial lease increase or insurance premiums.
What a U-turn.
The woke ideology collided with realty again today for this party. Sadly, the clearing of the decks is just reactionary for the purpose of scrambling back to some popularity & voter recovery in a timely fashion.
A band aid over a gapping wound I would suggest. The culture of this party still remains, this is an interim adjustment at best without an iota of transformation in sight. A quelling of these shortsighted proposals in the meantime.
We all know that a problem is never resolved with the same minds that created it - they need to go.
ACC ($30 billion?) was always meant to include illness and obviously universal, as everything should be, (and promised by Andrew Little years ago) instead it covered predominantly men and was unspent as it remains to date. It also has to cover injury and costs of crime injuries and losses which is why being able to sue is obstructed via DOJ and Courts plus like everything else unfounded in fact or rationality and with NZ Police being both cop and prosecutor with no accountability to any independent agency or Government. So it’s all prejudiced and skewed in those types best interests not the general public (majority women and children). We’re all in big trouble when you think this and more about it logically.
Bernard, what’s your view on at the (new) minimum wage, a full time worker will be hitting the 30% marginal tax bracket? Surely an adjustment needed...
Anything can happen between now and the election. But, if Labour is not going to complement their low target strategy with some meaningful policy offerings they will simply lose because of low turnout. Outflanking National on tax cuts might not be enough.
Policy debris is a fine description.
-Sharon
I'm glad the biofuel mandate has been shelved. There are tonnes of fish hooks in here and we could end up losing food production to grow fuel feed stocks as has happened elsewhere. We need to drive less, electrify the fleet and invest in more active and public transport.
I blow a large raspberry at the 'low target strategy'. I want a climate focussed lolly scramble! Let's go all in! Bring public transport back into full public ownership. Buses so we can invest in decent services instead of providing profits for shareholders. Take AirNZ back so we can set a sinking lid on flight emissions. Extend the clean car rebate to ebikes and bikes. No one's winning my vote with a low target strategy. It's time we demanded more from our politicians!
It is a verified fact that women and minorities receive the majority of hate speech. Just throwing that i to the mix.
I wonder if there's any work done on who are the businesses who employ minimum wage workers. Are they small businesses as some claim or are they large corporations who just don't want to share huge profits? Are those businesses retail, manufacturing, services? What size of a business as a small business could be two people or 20 people and there's a world difference.
Who are those businesses that a $1.50 wage rise will tip over the edge and why is it only wage rise that will tip them and not, say, the commercial lease increase or insurance premiums.