I read almost everything Colin James writes. What I most admire about his work is his ability to step back and grasp the bigger picture. But today what I really really like is this witticism. What a great way to start the day. He described National as ...... the bland leading the bland.
Perfect.
But here is the key passage I always look for;
The economy is seriously unbalanced. Rebalancing will be painful. We have only just started. Large tax cuts might ease households' pain but will not make it go away. National's acceptance of most Labour programmes adds to the difficulty of dealing with the pain, let alone generating economic step-change.
National is trying to do the impossible. Be all things to all people and grow the economy.
Key may be attempting to reduce economic uncertainty for voters. When facing the facts, as James describes them, he succeeds only in creating misgiving in me.
4 comments:
What I most admire about his work is his ability to step back and grasp the bigger picture.
What - you mean like this bit?
[Helen Clark] sanded rough edges off the 1980s-90s economic and social policy reforms, to the electorate's approval.
Sanded the rough edges off? WHAT?
How about: totally destroyed?
Rebalancing will be painful. We have only just started. Large tax cuts might ease households' pain but will not make it go away
New Zealanders, by and large, are lazy, bluding, dependent, stupid, scum. The ABs result last week is just another piece of evidence that 10 aussies do the work of 15 kiwis.
Any Kiwi with any kind of spark or initiative has already gone overseas, or will go as soon as they've bludged education of our taxes.
And where' is ACT's pathetic, Labour-aping "pledge card". Where are the real polcies that will rebalance the economy:
* close down the socialist health system
* close down all socialist "education"
* close down TVNZ and RadioNZ
* close down benefits
and so it goes
but no, it's appoint mentors to help with parenting skills.
Pathetic.
National needs ACT on at least 10% to form a government, and more realistically on 20%
is this the best you can do?
Did I say I always agreed with him?
That doesn't mean I don't value the perspective he brings.
You can get the policies you want elsewhere. Or I should say, vote for them elsewhere. Be my guest.
ACT has a workable, economic plan to raise incomes by $500 over the next 6 to 10 years (my estimation) by getting govt out of as much as is feasible.
It has already been demonstrated that your prescription cannot win enough votes to win even a seat.
By the way did you know that per capita Australia has more beneficiaries than NZ? No. Didn't think so. Mind too closed.
By the way did you know that per capita Australia has more beneficiaries than NZ? No. Didn't think so. Mind too closed.
A: that's simply not true.
More to the point: if it was true, how on earth will:
getting govt out of as much as is feasible.... raise incomes by $500 over the next 6 to 10 years
If bludgers aren't the problem - and your fake aussie stat says they aren't - then how will your given-everyone-state-provided-socialist-insurance-policies solve the single biggest problem:
that 10 aussies do the work of 15 kiwis.
Now there are simply policies that will solve this: reducing all wages by 30%; going down to 2 weeks Holiday, or ideally none; abolishing all other public holidays; and making saturday a working day would just about do it
But "a competitive market in ACC"? forget it.
Clearly what ACT needs to do is pick 2-3 simple policies that will make a demonstrated, day one improvement in NZ. Such as:
* no married couple pays more than 10,000 income tax per year.
* all police to be armed; gang patches is a absolute defence to murder or manslaughter charges
* WFF, DBP and dole to be cancelled
* rejoin ANZUS; remove all nuclear-free legislation
* minimum wage to be abolished
* plenipotentiary anti-corruption comission
Not some stupid pledge card with promises no-one believes about raising income in 10 years time - but 3 or 4 policies that will capture people's imagination and will really make change overnight.
The best example was labour's 39% tax rate. What has ACT got like that? Nothing!
Hi Lindsay, yes, I think Colin James is just the best there is, good post, by the way, you beat me to this one! As long as Mr James writes off a Clark and Labour comeback (as he did a couple of weeks ago, then so do I).
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