Thursday, April 14, 2011

Goff can't copy Gillard

Two months ago Australian PM Julia Gillard made her first major economic speech of the year about getting people off benefits.

She has just re-iterated her focus on work in a further address. This is how she defines what Labor, her party, stands for;

In her speech to the Sydney Institute last night, Ms Gillard said Labor was ''politically, spiritually, even literally the party of work. The party of work not welfare, the party of opportunity not exclusion, the party of responsibility not idleness.''

Immediately one mentally contrasts this to the New Zealand Labour Party, and reflects on the latest attempt by one of their own to define his party. Something to do with geese.

Uninspired political leaders often look overseas to see what their counterparts are doing. But there isn't a cat's chance in hell that Phil Goff will come out saying what Gillard said. It would be judged utterly implausible and generate further public derision.

Which is very sad because it was once quite true. Ironically, when we had an Australian PM.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

It is very sad indeed. Labour in New Zealand has become infatuated with the ideology of victim and identity politics.

One only has to look at their list to see that the various 'victim groups' are represented. Trade Unionists, gays, Pacifica, women, etc.

Once in Government, they set about 'righting the wrongs' of the oppressive white male dominated business minded, working elite.

It's just very sad.

Anonymous said...

The real difference is this:


The budget will also be full of ''tough'' spending cuts so the government could cover the billions in lost revenue caused by the summer of natural disasters, and still return the budget to surplus in 2012-13 as planned.


Labor in Aussie wasted billions more than NZ in dealing with the floods etc, and GIllard is balancing budgets on time!

So unlike John Key!

Yep NZ National/ACT coalition is far far to the left of openly socialist Australian Labor

Anonymous said...

Ha, Gillard is toast just like Goff.
Her poll rating is 30%

The Gantt Guy said...

I was about to say exactly what the first anon said. Just because they share a similar name (Labor/Labour) don't make the mistake of thinking they share the same ideology. The ALP would be considered, on many issues, to the right of ACT. It doesn't stop the Fabian Socialists Gillard and Swan trying to destroy Australian industry (via a Mining super-tax and a Carbon tax) but the fact is, Swan is preparing to announce a budget that will cause the government to become even more deeply unpopular, in order to balance the budget. Something John Key and Bill English are too cowardly to do, even though they are at the head of one of the most 'popular' governments in New Zealand's history.