Politics

[BlackPeter]

He sums it up and it ant pretty...  Herald poll of polls paints a grim outlook for the Labby dogs,,,,

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/focus-david-seymour-responds-to-todays-prefu/4KT77EZBO2X726LSPAFSSYL2WI/

He does.

However not sure, what he was smoking when he (earlier) threatened to support National just on Confidence (not Supply). The result would be a government not more reliable than the Labour/Green/Maori bunch on the left side.

How much better could he possibly support Labour other than by supporting their argument that a National/ACT government (hopefully without Winnie thrown in for good measure) would be as unreliable and unstable than the alternative Labour/Green/Maori coalition?

[Waltzing]

Yes some times he a bit all over the place but if Winston makes it watch out ... very unstable ... and what ever in their minds when they bounce out of bed or creak ...

[KW]

So crime is currently out of control as criminals are free to run amok, but in the PREFU Labour stated the budget was being CUT for Police, down from $2.5B a year to $2.3B a year.  Woohoo, lets DEFUND THE POLICE!  But wait, havent Labour promised an extra 335 police officers???  God, they lie through their teeth that lot.  

Found this out by reading The Australian.  I havent seen the NZ media pick up on this.  
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/nz-a-model-of-fiscal-rectitude-go-figure/news-story/b28245aa71832b8984378cd9c38bacd3?amp

"Despite rising crime, police apparently will be cut from $NZ2.5bn this financial year to $NZ2.3bn in 2026-27. With record numbers of Kiwis seeking housing assistance, Labour claims spending on housing and community development will fall from $NZ2.9bn to $NZ2.1bn across the same period. Spending on education and defence will remain static despite widespread concerns about collapsing standards and last month's National Security Strategy demanding new investments in equipment and personnel. Labour also claims it will slash nearly $NZ2bn out of the Wellington bureaucracy.
Despite these cuts, Treasury forecasts another $NZ12bn of borrowing across the next four years, on top of the $NZ30bn Labour admitted in its budget in May. The forecasts also rely on enormous net immigration across just four years. After accounting for New Zealanders expected to leave, Treasury predicts net inward migration of 250,000, mainly from India and China.
The immigration floodgates are already open, with nearly 100,000 net arrivals in the past 12 months. That has pushed per-capita GDP down by nearly 2 per cent across the same period."

[BlackPeter]

So crime is currently out of control as criminals are free to run amok, but in the PREFU Labour stated the budget was being CUT for Police, down from $2.5B a year to $2.3B a year.  Woohoo, lets DEFUND THE POLICE!  But wait, havent Labour promised an extra 335 police officers???  God, they lie through their teeth that lot. 

Found this out by reading The Australian.  I havent seen the NZ media pick up on this. 
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/nz-a-model-of-fiscal-rectitude-go-figure/news-story/b28245aa71832b8984378cd9c38bacd3?amp

"Despite rising crime, police apparently will be cut from $NZ2.5bn this financial year to $NZ2.3bn in 2026-27. With record numbers of Kiwis seeking housing assistance, Labour claims spending on housing and community development will fall from $NZ2.9bn to $NZ2.1bn across the same period. Spending on education and defence will remain static despite widespread concerns about collapsing standards and last month's National Security Strategy demanding new investments in equipment and personnel. Labour also claims it will slash nearly $NZ2bn out of the Wellington bureaucracy.
Despite these cuts, Treasury forecasts another $NZ12bn of borrowing across the next four years, on top of the $NZ30bn Labour admitted in its budget in May. The forecasts also rely on enormous net immigration across just four years. After accounting for New Zealanders expected to leave, Treasury predicts net inward migration of 250,000, mainly from India and China.
The immigration floodgates are already open, with nearly 100,000 net arrivals in the past 12 months. That has pushed per-capita GDP down by nearly 2 per cent across the same period."

And don't forget that National is lying as well with their tax plans ... well, so far their funding seems to involve a lot of fairy dust. But maybe they just live in an alternative reality, do they?

Looks like the NZ voter gets to choose between Incompetence and lying ... though I suppose both political camps have a bit of everything.

[Onemootpoint]

No significant donations to the Labour Party from businesses in over two years

"Not a single business has made a substantial donation to the Labour Party since the start of 2021.
During the same period, National received $1.1 million from businesses. ACT received $375,000 and the Green Party $100,000.
According to donation returns published by the Electoral Commission, Labour received no business donations over $15,000 during 2021 or 2022 and no donations over $20,000 in 2023.

The last time businesses donated to the Labour Party was 2020."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300970685/no-significant-donations-to-the-labour-party-from-businesses-in-over-two-years

[Minimoke]

No significant donations to the Labour Party from businesses in over two years

"Not a single business has made a substantial donation to the Labour Party since the start of 2021.
During the same period, National received $1.1 million from businesses. ACT received $375,000 and the Green Party $100,000.
According to donation returns published by the Electoral Commission, Labour received no business donations over $15,000 during 2021 or 2022 and no donations over $20,000 in 2023.

The last time businesses donated to the Labour Party was 2020."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300970685/no-significant-donations-to-the-labour-party-from-businesses-in-over-two-years

Nonsense. Several excellent business have donated $50,000 each to Labour. Theres the Rail and Maritime Trans Port Union and the Maritime Union of NZ (Trevor Mallards old haunt - I bet he is still carrying his Card). Plus $35,000 from Meat Workers Union and $90,000 from E Tu union. Good to know Union Members get paid so much they can pay subs that fund such generous donation.

[Waltzing]

Business gave nothing much? thats why JC left... no money coming in...

and those others probably had to pay up or else...

Who care if the NATS tax policy doesnt add up.. LX will simple do what any CEO does to balance the books and take the knife to something...

[Ferg]

Who care if the NATS tax policy doesnt add up..

Meanwhile Labour are borrowing how many hundreds of millions every week to fill their fiscal hole?  And they plus the media want to criticise others for not balancing their books?  Give me a break....and their PREFU has nothing in there for Auckland light rail....risible!

[BlackPeter]

Business gave nothing much? thats why JC left... no money coming in...

and those others probably had to pay up or else...

Who care if the NATS tax policy doesnt add up.. LX will simple do what any CEO does to balance the books and take the knife to something...

I guess the question is not whether he can make it work somewhow, but why he decided to bust his credibility already before the election. Why not just tell the people what he plans to cut? This would be a refreshing change from the least transparent government ever ...

Clearly - the tax cut as they promised it is not workable (well, not funded - anyway). Which means they are just a similar bunch of liars than the other side.

I'd prefer to have an honest politician running the show, but maybe that (honest politician) is an oxymoron - though both ACT as well as Green seem to be better in that regard than National or Labour. I like some of their policies (yes, from both of them), I dislike some of their policies (yes, from both), but I think they both basically tell us what we are going to get from them.

Problem is just - ACT is dependent on a lot of weirdos I would not want to have any influence on politics (like various conspiracy theorists including  antivaxers and the gun lobby ... and the Greenies are dependant on another group of weirdos (ex-communist party) I would not like to have any impact on politics either.

Sigh - they make it this time really tough to pick the smaller evil. Only problem is - passing the election is not an option.

[Waltzing]

ACT has indeed said what it intends to do...

LX... they made us do it ... running a company is keep your options open and he may say they gave it a go but the world is a spinning rock and some bit flew out of our control...

its obvious they are going to take the knife to stuff... he doesnt want to scare the ponies...

[Waltzing]

"Meanwhile Labour are borrowing how many hundreds of millions "

actually is it a devaluation coming from the markets when it figures its a "land of the long white clouds and no silver lining?"

Now if your busy with the grand world wide reopening and your busy figuring out when and where your off to in the next 2 years you probably wont be turning on Kiwi TV ... listen to Pie tasting from the HUT and musings from X CEO's or Winston telling you your a Wokie Donkie Donkey...

is there anything to consider except you want a change?

[blackcap]

Problem is just - ACT is dependent on a lot of weirdos I would not want to have any influence on politics (like various conspiracy theorists including  antivaxers and the gun lobby ... and the Greenies are dependant on another group of weirdos (ex-communist party) I would not like to have any impact on politics either.

Why is the gun lobby a weirdo?

Thats like saying you are a weirdo?

That is just your opinion. 15% plus NZers would disagree with you. Thats a large chunk. I am a firearm's license holder. I support the right of citizens to have guns. Does that make me a weirdo? In your book maybe. In mine not.

[BlackPeter]

Why is the gun lobby a weirdo?

Thats like saying you are a weirdo?

That is just your opinion. 15% plus NZers would disagree with you. Thats a large chunk. I am a firearm's license holder. I support the right of citizens to have guns. Does that make me a weirdo? In your book maybe. In mine not.

OK - Lets talk guns, shall we.

Allow me to point you to an essential mistake in you quite short (and quiet weird, if I may say so) post. You talk about the "right of citizens to have guns". Wrong. There is no such right in our society and neither in any international agreement we signed up to. People do have in all decent societies a right to some basic human rights (including the right to live, the right of free speech, the right of free association,  the right of free movement and the right to live in some dignity). There is however no right to wear arms in any society I consider as decent.

Before you mention the US - a society which puts a "right" to wear arms above the right of their children to live is neither decent nor civilised. Bunch of weirdos who accept tens of thousands of dead people every year just to satisfy some sick loonies and to make the weapons lobby still richer. Sad.

So, after we have established that - in some societies it is still a privilege (not a right!) to allow citicens to possess and wear arms for hobby purposes. Fine with me, as long as the process ensures that these weapons don't get used to infringe on other peoples essential rights (like their right to live and not to be harmed by others).

The New Zealand gun lobby clearly is not able to control that, and they still fight a weapons register and ask for semiautomatic weapons to be reintroduced to allow the next sicko to kill tens of innocent people while worshipping.

It is sad that ACT sold out their soul (and yes, they used to have one, but it appears they discovered a market niche for more votes which was more important for them than basic decency) when they moved from being the "Association of Consumers and Taxpayers" to pushing the interests of the gun lobby just to pop up their votes.

Actually - I used to vote for them several times in the past couple of decades, but they certainly lost my vote when they embrazed the gunholders. I prefer to live in a country where it is the role of the police to remove bad people with guns from the road.

[Waltzing]

Its very difficult to find a party to vote for isnt it...

Not happy to vote for parties taxing so called wealth... hard to vote for a green party that has more stuff that looks like communism... hard to vote for any party when you think about it...

national a middle of the road do nothing radical...

Labor  red party ... color of death...every party will have something a person doesnt like..

small parties should stick to a small set of policies that reflect their main objectives...

But then they would not be able to expand the voting base...

not happy about guns but ...

[KW]

OK - Lets talk guns, shall we.

Before you mention the US - a society which puts a "right" to wear arms above the right of their children to live is neither decent nor civilised. Bunch of weirdos who accept tens of thousands of dead people every year just to satisfy some sick loonies and to make the weapons lobby still richer. Sad.

Even in the US assault rifles barely register in gun crime - the majority is committed with hand guns.
https://www.criminalattorneycolumbus.com/which-weapons-are-most-commonly-used-for-homicides/

You might also be interested to know that in New York State only 1.7% of shooters were white. 
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/analysis_and_planning/year-end-2021-enforcement-report.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3ojf17tvEC3HHHldn3b3KkBmtbDrdRBHZys61i8BDPkMqnfAv7yQq6Weo

So the vast majority of gun owners are law abiding, non murdering, non weirdos.  Like NZ with Maori gangs committing most of the gun crime here, the US gun crime is mostly gang related and committed by blacks and hispanics, and making more guns illegal does nothing to change their access to them because the legal market simply becomes an illegal black market and gives gangs another source of income alongside their drug activity.  So if you have access to a gang member, you have access to a gun.

As for the sickos who want to kill people, they will still find a way.  Simply driving a truck through a mall can do more damage than a gun - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Nice_truck_attack (86 dead, 434 injured).  Do we ban trucks?

While I dont own a gun, I know people who do.  None of which are weirdos.  They do like to hunt however, and in the event of a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion, I know exactly who I will be moving in with.  The rest of you can fend for yourselves lol