Elections are coming up. What are we thinking?

[Pussy]

And in fact, like a few others with a functioning memory I'm still pissed that labour presided over the largest economic boom in living memory, taxed the fuck out of us right through it and blew the lot on social welfare, leaving us with fuck all fat to weather the GFC.

The hand wringing and foaming at the mouth lefties generally conveniently forget about this....

[gjm]

Uncle Bob didn't actually offer an alternative, though. Just a 'she'll be a-right'.

Well, he's worth a bit. Which makes his somewhat of an expert opinion wrt economists.

I'd kinda hoped there would be a bit more than he came up with. Massive debt but no tenable way or plan to repay, is surely a concern, and not something to ignore because it'll just go away?

Economics is just a part of the election. National keep trotting out the 'Labour will borrow $18bn.' National borrowed $30bn to cover costs incurred by the Chch earthquake, and have only spent $15bn in Chch since then. Where's the rest? What happened to the funds saved for such an eventuality, and the money paid by insurance companies?

Source?

From Deloittes (author Brett Chambers): "The Government has shown its steadfast commitment to the rebuilding of Christchurch, one of its top four priorities for this term, announcing a further $2.1 billion of operating and capital spending in Budget 2013. The Crown’s total contribution to earthquake recovery is now estimated at a total of $15.2 billion."
And from 3News (May 2013) "With the estimated total cost for Christchurch earthquake recovery ballooning to $40 billion, the Government has increased its contribution by $2.1 billion. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed the increase today as part of the Government's Budget 2013, bringing its total contribution to $15 billion."

Which covers what they have, or are expected to, spend. I apologise - I cannot now find any details of how much has been borrowed specifically to cover earthquake costs, but clearly recall having read that figure, backed up by (among other things) an increase in week-on-week borrowing. (Which is apparently now down to 'just' $75m a week.) Other sources for this revenue came from cuts in public spending and other areas.

And in fact, like a few others with a functioning memory I'm still pissed that labour presided over the largest economic boom in living memory, taxed the fuck out of us right through it and blew the lot on social welfare, leaving us with fuck all fat to weather the GFC.

The same GFC that had started when National gained power on the back of their promises of tax cuts?

I can't comment on what Labour did, but am happy to learn. It's from before the time when I had any interest in Kiwi economics.

Regardless of National's performance, I do wonder what Labour would have done had they retained a majority in the last election. I'd hope their austerity would have tempered, but history may be a better indicator of whether that would have happened.

[Ocean1]

I'd kinda hoped there would be a bit more than he came up with. Massive debt but no tenable way or plan to repay, is surely a concern, and not something to ignore because it'll just go away?




From Deloittes (author Brett Chambers): "The Government has shown its steadfast commitment to the rebuilding of Christchurch, one of its top four priorities for this term, announcing a further $2.1 billion of operating and capital spending in Budget 2013. The Crown’s total contribution to earthquake recovery is now estimated at a total of $15.2 billion."
And from 3News (May 2013) "With the estimated total cost for Christchurch earthquake recovery ballooning to $40 billion, the Government has increased its contribution by $2.1 billion. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed the increase today as part of the Government's Budget 2013, bringing its total contribution to $15 billion."

Which covers what they have, or are expected to, spend. I apologise - I cannot now find any details of how much has been borrowed specifically to cover earthquake costs, but clearly recall having read that figure, backed up by (among other things) an increase in week-on-week borrowing. (Which is apparently now down to 'just' $75m a week.) Other sources for this revenue came from cuts in public spending and other areas.


The same GFC that had started when National gained power on the back of their promises of tax cuts?

I can't comment on what Labour did, but am happy to learn. It's from before the time when I had any interest in Kiwi economics.

Regardless of National's performance, I do wonder what Labour would have done had they retained a majority in the last election. I'd hope their austerity would have tempered, but history may be a better indicator of whether that would have happened.

Bob's fortune was from property speculation, not what I'd consider actual productive enterprise. And our public debt is fuck all compared to most countries, in spite of the constant bleating from the more socialist elements about "austerity" measures. God knows what they'd have thought of any policy requiring us to actually live within our means let alone pay down debt.

I'm not confident of those earthquake numbers, but I've got little more solid ones. I have a suspicion that the govt should have done better wrt the rebuild of EQC covered housing but like most emotive topics reported "facts" tend to be unreliable.

And yes, that GFC, talk about a hospital pass. In spite of which they've done far better for us through that period than have most other western economic policy sets. But Labour didn't have a majority in the last election. I assume you meant their last term in office? I can make a good case based on the likelihood of them maintaining a high tax and spend stance far longer than National did, with far less attractive results.

[Madness]

I apologise to those of you who might be eating, or have eaten in the past 24-hours.

[bluninja]

I apologise to those of you who might be eating, or have eaten in the past 24-hours.

Some people can't resist a fat man with a huge weapon At least the trousers are on. Wouldn't want Pseudo Slater's privates stuff leaking on the internet

[oldrider]

I reckon that is bloody funny and clever too!

[Swoop]

The hand wringing and foaming at the mouth lefties generally conveniently forget about this....

Yup. Spending all we had in the bank account (because they knew they were fucked at the next election) on a train set and maori land settlements (to get Cullen employment afterwards) we could have bought at a $1- reserve auction. Fucking lunatic red bastards!

The same GFC that had started when National gained power on the back of their promises of tax cuts?

I can't comment on what Labour did, but am happy to learn. It's from before the time when I had any interest in Kiwi economics.

National promised things before seeing how badly the liarbour cunts had fucked up financially (again), and had to re-jig the budget. Then the chch dodgy-land-fiasco fucked everything up!

[HenryDorsetCase]

I apologise to those of you who might be eating, or have eaten in the past 24-hours.

I came to post that. Isn't it fantastic. I have fapped so many times.

[Brian d marge]

Yup. Spending all we had in the bank account (because they knew they were fucked at the next election) on a train set and maori land settlements (to get Cullen employment afterwards) we could have bought at a $1- reserve auction. Fucking lunatic red bastards!


National promised things before seeing how badly the liarbour cunts had fucked up financially (again), and had to re-jig the budget. Then the chch dodgy-land-fiasco fucked everything up!

Not sure that was actually the case ..... sounds good when ya read it .......

Stephen

[gjm]

Not sure that was actually the case ..... sounds good when ya read it .......

Stephen

I was thinking the same, but can't back it up.
I know National promised year-on-year tax cuts for 3 years in their propaganda/manifesto, and it is widely accepted (from what I have read) that this was a significant contributor to their victory. OK... Let's assume that Labour's figures didn't add up (exactly as National's don't add up this time around!); why did National compound an issue by giving a tax break in year one, another in year two, then backing out in year three citing the GFC as the reason?

On a completely different tangent, I was wondering over the weekend if I would feel quite the same animosity towards National if John Key were not the leader, and if I didn't see his smug and supercilious mugshot everywhere? I've rarely felt that even a politician is trying to deceive and mislead as much as he seems to me to be doing.

[Swoop]

Damn.

Having voted already, I have just seen the Civilian Party advert. I like it!
Doing away with Hamilton makes a lot of sense, but where would the new capital of chlamydia be located?

[puddytat]

Anyone else notice that the usual prolific political posters have gone to ground on KB?

Here we are only a few days away from the election and they are the quietest that one can ever remember!

Maybe they are all anticipating a final onslaught following the fat controllers amazing release on John Key next week!

Good to see your still waffling on....

[oldrider]

Good to see your still waffling on....

Been a bit different this time, be interesting to see stage one result on Saturday night! What do you reckon?

[Brian d marge]

Bbc has an article about the length of term

With a smiling victorious Donkey as a photo

[puddytat]

Been a bit different this time, be interesting to see stage one result on Saturday night! What do you reckon?

Same old Winnie shit......fucking the country around while he grand stands one way or the other, makes a deal with the Natz .
Then another election before the term is completed.
Which wont change anything much as the Corporates will own us in the court rooms legally then with the TPPA, whereas now they just walk in the backdoor of the Beehive with their agendas.
What wont change is that we will all still subsidise those fuckers with our taxes.

Now I wonder how many of the words Ive just written will end up logged.