Willie Jackson on the AM Show

Good on you Willie Jackson for saying what needed to be said. Turns out you see, National do hate poor people. Readers may remember me asking this very question of then NZ Prime Minister Simon "Bill" English. Well here it is folks, National were throwing people out of perfectly liveable homes. It's disgusting to think but apparently true.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/national-had-no-idea-meth-guidelines-were-wrong-judith-collins.html

Mr Jackson said Ms Collins was feigning ignorance "to cover for [Ms Bennett] who was fronting and demonising poor people".

"Bennett should be on her knees grovelling to this nation for what she did to our community, what she did to poor people... This is one of the worst things that a Government has ever done."

NatTube: Not Really

My second survey of the AM Show took place today between 7 and 8am. National didn't get a single mention so I'm going to back down and say I was wrong. The AM Show are quite fair minded.

All mentions that directly related to New Zealand politics were clearly references to Labour, or one or more of their coalition partners. The AM Show did so generally positively 11 times and negatively 7 times. Included in those 7 times was a 42 second rant against Labour from both Duncan Garner and Mark Richardson who used the old anti-left canard of the "hypocrisy of the left". Nothing surprising from Richardson, he's the ugly face of conservatism in New Zealand. I'd be surprised if he's ever read a book.

But the audience expect nothing else really and there was so many positive mentions of Labour that I'd go so far as to say that their rant makes them look balanced. It's likely to reinforce the positive mentions of Labour, not boost National.

What of National now? They're spent and you have to place the blame firmly at the feet of the staggeringly incompetent Simon "Bill" English.

[A follow up survey 13/11/17, 7-8am showed more positive about Labour than negative, despite that hour being dominated by CPTPP talk. Only the one positive mention of National. This illustrates the difficulty of being in opposition, they can't get heard at all. Well they deserve it so I won't be crying.]

Lesson for NZ from German Federal Election 2017

New Zealand and Germany have the same type of electoral system - mixed member proportional. Both went to the polls over the weekend and both threw up interesting results. For New Zealand it was that the centre/left has spoken and shifted the balance of power. Only Labour grew their vote while all others withered or stood still.

In Germany, the far right has gained ground, actually winning seats this time round. Significantly, Angela Merkel will be Chancellor off a vote of less than 35% for her party. Get the idea Labour? That's right, Jacinda Ardern can be Prime Minister and there is precedent. All Labour need to do is do the deal with its left-of-centre travellers.

The Rise of Labour and the NZ General Election 2017

Never underestimate NZ Prime Minister Simon "Bill" English's ability to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory. I have no idea how competent the Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is, but voters can see she's at least human. By comparison Bill English you know is just lying every time he speaks. Now I realise both are lying most of the time, but English comes across as particularly disingenuous. It looks like Labour are romping to victory. A week, as they say, is a long time in politics.

Pike River Latest

The latest video footage from inside the Pike River mine is interesting to say the least. There is at least one wooden pallet still intact which means the temperatures inside the mine weren't that hot after all. It's quite likely there are bodies down the mine. There really is no reason for the continued refusals to enter the mine.

Has there been a cover up? It certainly looks that way but I don't see what exactly is being covered up.

The very weak and ineffectual New Zealand Prime Minister Simon "Bill" English should finally do something. New information and all that. But then with English's performance this past week regarding the Todd Barclay matter, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

Australia Kicks New Zealand Again

It's time to say goodbye to Australia. The latest outrage is they've stopped Kiwis at Australian universities from receiving domestic fees, the same fees Australians face.

Many don't know that New Zealanders in Australia generally earn much more than Australians. They're the go-getters, while Australians are shiftless. Think about this; Kiwis in Australia pay more tax, a lot more, but receive few if any services in return.

My answer is it's about time NZ pointed out to Australia that they're surrounded, their only ally is NZ. Why would they constantly blame Kiwis for every ill in their stagnant country?

The answer to this is very basic and may even shock. Winston Peters, leader of NZ First, has it wrong. He says that because NZ allowed a back door into Australia for decades (this is where people gained NZ citizenship solely for the purpose of getting into Australia), that Australia is paying the favour back. No, that's not it. What has happened is that Australians have got used to Kiwis beating them up all the time. In Australia, the boss is often a Kiwi. And then on the sports field, the All Blacks always beat Australia. Well not always but of the last 20 games played, NZ has won 15, Australia 4 with 2 drawn encounters. It must suck to live in a country where draws are your closest rival. And it is likely no coincidence that in the same year as the rug was pulled on these fees, that it is also a year when no Australia team has beaten a NZ rugby franchise is Super Rugby. If any Australian team does win a game against a NZ team the Australians will likely hold a street parade, that's how bad they are.

The NZ Prime Minister, the weak and ineffective Simon English, of course he will kowtow. He's such a horrible little man.

Prime Ministers Make Moves

As if acting in concert the Prime Ministers of three Commonwealth countries have made moves designed to ensure re-election.

The most significant is the UK's Theresa May calling of a snap General Election. A brave move and we'll soon see if it pays off. No doubt May is hoping for an affirmation of her Brexit negotiations and 'hard' exit. I think she'll get it. Whether UKIP can build will be also of interest. The Tories are after their share of the vote.

A side bar is which way Scotland will go. Will they vote SNP or Labour? The debate over Scottish independence I'm ambivalent about, have they not checked out New Zealand? Technically part of Australia, it goes its own way, with its own currency, but on trade and immigration has a flexible relationship with Aussie. There is no reason why Scotland couldn't do a similar thing with England and the rest of the UK. The world does not come to an end, trust me, NZ has been doing its own thing for over 170 years.

Talking of downunder, the PM's of Australia and NZ must have been talking on the phone, as they've both introduced immigration reforms at about the same time. They're both thinking of the electorate. NZ PM Simon English has been even more cynical in also raising pay rates for women working in the care industry. It's an election year bribe, if the National Party wins, they'll take the pay increase away with tax hikes next year, maybe putting GST up.

NZ School Funding: Predictive Risk Modelling

New Zealand society is about to change forever, it will mean an end to the 'give everyone a fair go' Kiwi concept and a new darker future where Kiwis will be ranked according to their familial surroundings and social status. What I'm talking about is Predictive Risk Modelling and linking that to funding of NZ schools. >>Link explaining the issue here<<

Why is this a bad idea? It stigmatises. Consider a child with no criminal record, doing okay at school, well behaved, gets along with others. But she comes from a broken home, father is in jail and a brother in jail as well. Mother was raped in the past, sister the victim of sex abuse. That child who is doing okay will be tagged a risk. Extra funding is made available to any school that takes her. The child carries a code that attracts funding and extra attention. But why?  She is not a victim apart from being in a difficult family, and has committed no crime.

The incompetent Prime Minister of NZ, Simon English is behind this. He hates the poor and wants to see all disadvantaged persecuted. NZ is on a very slippery slope, one where some will be tagged for life, while others receive a free pass. It is a very dangerous precedent.

Stop obsessing over whether NZ has surpluses and instead work toward fully funding all schools in NZ, so parents don't have to put their hands in their pockets. That'd solve the issue. Educate, educate and then educate some more. Stop with this find someone to blame nonsense and rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

The Retirement Income Problem

Once again New Zealand is being subjected to more lies, damn lies and statistics. I've listened to the barrage of propaganda that NZ's universal form of superannuation is unaffordable and most of what I've heard is untrue or skewed toward an agenda.

That agenda is to raise the age of entitlement to national superannuation. Superannuation started out at age 60, then it was raised to 65, now NZ's incompetent Prime Minister, Simon "Bill" English, wants to kick-start another 'debate' on the issue. That's a coded message for lifting the age of entitlement to 67 or even 68.

Winston Peters, leader of NZ First opposes the move and good for him. He's said he won't allow any coalition involving NZ First to countenance such a move.

New Zealand superannuation is not a large sum of money for each person who qualifies, but it is paid twice monthly for their entire life from age 65 and even if they work fulltime and no matter how rich they are.

What New Zealanders are told when this debate arises, is that the population of those aged over 65 is going to rise to an unsustainable level and will become unaffordable. What is never mentioned is that this is a population bubble and when the cost will begin to fall due to natural attrition. Kiwis are left to imagine the cost remaining high indefinitely.

I've got a few suggestions and these do not involve changing the official retirement age of 65:

1. Allow people to retire earlier but receive less. A sliding scale could be used but anyone choosing the earlier option would not catch up to those retiring at age 65 until they were 70 (for those who chose 60);
2. Currently immigrants need to be resident for 10 years and no less than 5 of those over 50 years of age. Change that to 15 years permanently resident, no less than 7 years of which over the age of 50.
3. Anyone over the age of 65 and in fulltime employment cannot qualify for national superannuation but they can receive a tax credit at 40% of national superannuation (encourages staying in employment).

The following are macro policies the NZ government could employ:

A. Reduce the size of government. Halve it, that's the head count I'm talking about. And sink the cost of departments by moving them to the regions.
B. Own overseas infrastructure. That's right, when a toilet flushes in London, NZ gets paid. Or if goods are put on a train in the US for export, NZ gets paid.
C. Borrow.

Do these things.

[Update: Simon English has quickly followed up his comments by announcing the retirement age will rise to 67 by 2040. National has decided to screw over the young. Never underestimate National's pure greed, they always line their own pockets first. But even this shows English is an idiot, it's more decisions that are not really decisions at all. He did the same thing back when he was Treasurer in the late 90's with his pathetic and microscopic tax cuts (Helen Clark won the next election, everyone went to sleep listening to Simon the Sleep Inducer).

The policy as announced will exacerbate the brain drain as the young won't want to stay around to fund everyone's retirement but them, and student loans on top of that, as well as facing ridiculous house prices created by successive governments unwilling to do anything about it.]