Much to my surprise I have actually started to enjoy the campaign. It's a great relief to take no active part, having done so in the last three. But more than that, the polls telling us what real people intend to do, show that New Zealanders are cleverer than Labour think they are. What a tonic. Yes, I know National adopted Labour's big ticket policies but they haven't extended them or added more. Small mercies.
At the campaign start I was neutral on Goff but now I can't abide him. Having seen him in action firsthand, the finger wagging did it for me. Or didn't do it for me. So little do I care what comes out of his mouth.
As others have observed, this campaign has seen the re-emergence of the politics of envy on a grand scale. But the things that worked for Labour post the Great Depression aren't going to work for them now. Not when unemployment is still low by OECD standards; when the welfare system is redistributing furiously to the degree that some beneficiary's incomes are higher than those of the people funding them and when Maori no longer suffer institutionalised widespread discrimination.
And I am growing more confident that ACT can pull perhaps 3 percent - although less confident that Banks will win Epsom. That's a waiting game.
But essentially I am just relishing Labour's vote dwindling by the day.
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3 comments:
I was neutral on Goff too, now it pains my ears to hear him speak - I always flick the channel or mute it when he is as can't believe he is so spineless to just regurgitate politics of old.
Re your comment "when the welfare system is redistributing furiously to the degree that some beneficiary's incomes are higher than those of the people funding them"
Can you please quantify that? I am not sure how that could be correct as my understanding those on low incomes - single or families, either don't pay any tax or pay very little due to the assistance they might get by way off either the whole WFF package or even just the accommodation allowance.
From what I have deduced from IRD & Treasury figures is that the people that are funding the bulk of the welfare state are earning in excess of at least $80k, most probably closer to $100k and are single or one child families.
And yes the campaign has become a little more enjoyable - good to see are real divide between policies. I voted for National last time out of sheer hope they would be at least slightly better than Labour & they were. I suspect we will see them swing more right this term as they start to clamp down on welfare dependency.
There are certainly low income earners without dependents that pay tax and don't recieve any state assistance. Some people don't collect 'entitlements' either.
But you are right regarding the bulk of funding coming from high earners.
"Some people don't collect 'entitlements' either" - yes of course, that is very true. This includes a lot of families who often have no idea what they might get under WFF.
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