Charismatic

Date: Saturday, 23rd of September.

No one really asked them but they're off it seems, National planning to announce an infrastructure program that will raise spending from $12bn to $23bn between now and 2020 (I suppose it sounds better if you aggregate promises over future years? )

“Steven Joyce has belatedly come to the realization that everyone else has a long time ago, that this country needs an urgent and enormous catch-up from nine years of under investment by this government,” said Grant Robertson, finance spokesman for the opposition Labour Party.

At this point it looks like everyone is plumbing for a much higher level of investment this election cycle.

Obviously we've seen a little bit on housing, Labour wanting strong intervention to create supply and National abandoning their previous "market forces will create supply..." line which had been a staple of the John Key government and spinning their own Labour housing policy-lite type plan.

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ng-like-sydney

Polling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinio...election,_2017

Charismatic

Good to see Jenny Shipley's time as a highly remunerated board member at an SOE has kept her blissfully out of touch and unaware of ordinary peoples everyday lives. Publicity Labour thought they could only dream about:
The 9th Floor: Jenny Shipley, New Zealands first woman Prime Minister | Stuff.co.nz

LoCarb

Haven't listened yet but she was a bitch

I watched the Bolger (aka Spud) interview.
He did well considering he left school at 15.

Obviously regretting the austerity he introduced, considering he campaigned on the "Decent Society".

To be fair, he was lied to by Treasury about NZ being broke when he took over.
An impossibility in a sovereign currency issuing country!

Our MP's really need to get their heads around macroeconomics instead of being manipulated by subversive officials in Treasury.

chocolate cake

I'd have a tad more confidence on economic matters in Treasury officials than a bunch of MPs!

LoCarb

This is the problem Chocolate. Mainstream economists like the ones that work in Treasury pedal fake knowledge.

It's well know among central bank officialdom (and other enlightened economists), that the macroeconomics espoused by the mainstream is bollocks.

But they claim that if the truth be told, politicians would start: quote "spending like drunken sailors".

The fact that Treasury told Bolger the NZ Government was "broke" (a lie) was because Treasury had become full of internationally trained Monetarists who were employed to shift NZ away from social democracy to the arms of a worldwide plutocracy. And they've pretty well succeeded.

LoCarb

For anyone who hasn't seen this documentary (I have posted it before), this is how New Zealand was sold down the Swanee.

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/in-...of-plenty-2002

Celticprince_86

Not sure if I should vote in this election. I'm leaving NZ in November, so I don't think it's fair that my vote may effect the future of a country I won't be living in.

BEVS

You should vote. You are a citizen of New Zealand and your vote counts, especially if you have a view and opinion of what will make NZ a better place for everyone now and in the future.

Vote . It matters.

Charismatic

Agreed, you might be back again in future.

Charismatic

So has the budget tax bribe promised for next year changed your voting intentions?

LoCarb

Tweedledum & Tweedledee

Charismatic

Looks like the budget may have given National a 3-5% boost in polling. Not sure if it'll be sustained, lots of talk about housing by the current government but nothing shovel ready of note. That said productivity isn't picking up, mortgage rates are rising and the wider economy has stalled (GDP per capita fell over the last quarter according to Statistics NZ.) There has already been a small amount of easing in the housing market.

BEVS

Erm. Nopes.
That has never ever worked for me.

I prefer my eyes ahead ,not into the ground. Being here will never change that for me.

LoCarb

Polling...ah the curse of the British election.
Here in NZ, they only pole Remuera

Charismatic

SitRep: Meh.

Except for Todd Barclay who, in a remarkable display of poor judgement, opted to self-destruct by covertly recording one of his staff he suspected of being critical of him...so ensuring the rest of society would now be critical of him on a much more permanent basis.

Very safe National seat however, could stick a blue rosette on any weirdo and they would get voted in.