Not really. Are you?
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Solid economic progress including substantial rises in the standard of living, are not made by dramatic "step changes".
They are made by the cumulative power of compound interest economic growth in a free market.
Socialist, interventionist "step changes" a la Venezuela, Cuba result in beggaring a country as the instigators understand nothing of competition, economics, enterprise, technological progress and think "they can pick winners" which any amount of history has shown they can't. The marketplace and consumers are the only ones who can pick winners.
The National Goverments of Holyoake through to Muldoon were genuine “ centre-right ” with their policies. Following National governments have moved more to the right with the Key lead present lot implementing Act policies while pretending to be more centre. ( less income tax, a determined reduction in Govt. services and more reliance on private benevolence to support the disadvantaged.)
The sale of State housing being a prime example. Also it has become more and more obvious that
there is a determined and organised assault on the oppostion, an example being the continual attacks on the personalities of Labour leaders, (Clarke, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, and now Little ) as an example the Press on Saturday devoted a full page to 2 articles on the short- comings of Little.
It is ok to have lobby groups representing farming, business etc. but any worker organistion must be strongly resisted as counter productive.
Surprisingly, I am not really a Labour supporter, but the pendulum has swung too far to the right and
hard won working conditions have been eroded. Pendulums however swing bothways.
Though the far right must be still be smiling. The workers even elected Trump in the US.!
westerly
Good to see Paula Bennett going for deputy to English. That combination would work well, especially at election time.
An interesting mix there, obviously a centre-right person. Some things I agreed on, some I didn't like the sound of. I don't mind the State getting involved in stuff sometimes, as they get the tax back on the work, so they can do it the cheapest. And, it employs people, trains them up. Those employees then keep city centres and regions vibrant, for example. Labour grew the economy when they were in, that graph on GDP showed it. National's graph looks pathetic by comparison.
Cassandra was also very wrong about iPredict - like John Key - VicLink decided to end the operation. Whatever they say, they were happy to end it, they always had choices. There's at least $20k flooding out of there every day at the moment. Whoever MBW is, with $26k odd, that money is still there. Could be the National Party's No.15 account. They probably had a few.
Big loss to Labour party.
Their musical talent,, David Shearer, is leaving. They will need a new xocalist/guitarist.