Posts by DexterX
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Hard News: The Political Lie, in reply to Steve Barnes,
You won't hear that Helen Clark lied so it’s ok for us to do it.”. ? from me but I do have concerns about it neeedless to say she and it is history and in any case Simon Mitchell bought it and burnt it so we won't ever know.
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I guess there are passive and active political lies - a passive political lie in our democratic political system is a result of the manner by which the government is evaluated in response to questions and problems.
The role of the opposition and the media is to call the government to account and then measure the government responses and actions or omissions against the “truth of the matter”.
Where there is a failing to bring the government to account due to a weak opposition or a witless media and there is no calling into account or measure then the truth does not matter and there is no consequence for the lie.
A prime example of a passive political lie would be the present governments waltz through its first term largely unchallenged by the imploding opposition and the media.
An active political lie is one promoted directly by the someone or some organization, or group that hold influence and power, they promote the lie or untruth and then it is supported and enabled by other aligned or associated organization or individuals that hold or exercise similar positions of influence – these others are enablers..
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big issue – it may be say Auckland City issuing bus lane fines for the 50 metre limit when there was no actual 50 metre limit at law until several years after the policy had been in force that the law was passed or say a Union boss reaching a deal with an employer without consulting the membership and lining the boats up to see that it goes through and those boats could include the CTU, the union delegates, officials from other union and the media.
What I find disturbing is that the promoters of political lies and the enablers work hand in hand – the govt’s budget and the growth forecasts from treasury.
A government’s active political lie is often left to stand and not dismantled or deconstructed as to be shown as bullshit; the interests of providing balance seem to outweigh the relevance of truth – so to recite the political lie and run and opposition response it is considered adequate and providing balance – the lie stands in the interests of balance.
I would have thought a suitable front-page headline in response to the budget based on the treasury forecasts would have been “THIS IS BULLSHIT”.
In response to my three year old providing an answer to my questioning her behaviour.
Me - "That not the right answer"
Her - "I know, but it's still a good one".
Her response seems to be good enough in today’s political environment though dishonesty is not good enough for me and in the long run won’t be good for her.
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Hard News: The Political Lie, in reply to Bart Janssen,
I have to agree - neither party has made any real effort as regards fostering a growth economy.
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The problem is essentially that in NZ, we, as a whole take a lot more out of the economy more out of the economy than it is prepared to put into it and we vote for governments that provide for us on that basis.
A budget based on optimistic forecasts is a ploy to get re-elected, it won’t bring the government books into balance, when we are still borrowing to save (subsidise Kiwi Saver) and fund tax cuts – however it is a ploy that will likely work.
The Nats have waited on a recovery – yet have shown little interest in fostering one - and as a result it hasn't happened, that is three years of hope, which is pretty hopeless.
The GST increase kicked it in the guts just as it was starting to stand up.
The present solution, under this current budget, is to tinker a bit and hope more earnestly and get re-elected on this basis.
Relying on the Chch rebuild and the Rugby World Cup, if this is what treasury forecasts are based on, is a little like playing pin the tail on the Donkey - you get spun around and don't know where you end up.
Selling stuff off so you can spend more is insane.
A recovery will need to involve trading and engaging with the rest of the world whilst also smartening up every phase of the chain of business/production locally makes sense to me but these aren't budget considerations.
Lets see if they can foster that after 2012, it doesn’t seem they are planning to do much else before then except watch the RWC and get re elected.
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Trust me the and live in hope that the recovery is just around the corner; the budget is a work of optimism largely in response to voter research and polling. The end result will be that National retains the treasury benches.
Hooray for them and Hooray for us.
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Key strategy - Grin and Spin
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I don't really care about primates bearing their teeth and grinning.
Key smiles so much because the management of the economy is a joke and he gets it - after all it isn't his money - and he is laughing at his own joke.
The latest joke is that based on Treasury forecast wages are going to increase rapidly – treasury really know and their the growth forecasts are so right you can bank on them.
They are expecting the public sector to show restraint but they all appear to have their snots in the public trough and swilling back hard.
I consider the government are borrowing more than they actually need, more than they are spending. The deficit in tandem with the level of govt indebtedness (which is in part being increased cynically in my view) will be used to justify privatisation of power generation (even though the govt earns more from power generation than the cost of borrowing) and PPP in a range of things.
Key’s Diplomatic Protection Squad overspend ($800,000) and Wellington Residence makeover ($275,000) has accounted for $1 million in two foul swoops. To put it in perspective - if someone earning say $40,000 pays approx $7,200 in tax then you need 112 of them to cover the Diplomatic protection Squad over spend.
So I see this National government as presently taking the effort of working people and slapping them in the face with it - the irony is that the last election was a race to see who could bribe the best. This upcoming election may be about the definition of who is and who isn’t rich and deserving of Family Support & PPPs.
I find it interesting that Infratil has bought Shell (they have made so much out of Public Transport in NZ - just as Stagecoach did prior to them - that they are rolling in it) – and I don't think it is a coincidence we have the "Zed" advertisements (on TV showing us all walking hand in hand to a better tomorrow - hurl) leading up to a budget (the election precursor) that will have an emphasis on PPP as the only way for infrastructure development.
The returns that private enterprise are going to want from PPP are going to be around 20% and climbing - I note that since it was formed Infratil in 1994 has delivered returns from infrastructure investment that average around 18% pa.
The upside for “infrastructure developers” is that they are playing with safe money and won’t get into difficulty if there is a crisis or downturn in the banking sector or financial markets – their bulk funding source (the govt) is invulnerable and the excessive returns are guaranteed by the tax payers who will pay the prices for power, roads, schools, communications etc that will deliver the likely 20% plus returns.
I can only see the government changing if the Greens and Mana do really, really well - The answers by way of a Mana, Greens, Labour coalition will be interesting.
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I responded in Bomber's blog about some of the things he is saying re the Hobbitt and RB which I know to be wrong - and as it so happens these responses along with those of others remain hidden.
I consider the purpose of reading, following and posting a blog is to expose oneself to a range of ideas and viewpoints that are not your own, and to share and then modify your own ideas.
It is a pretty dull world (blog) where one has to present as always right, where mostly everyone else is always wrong and one has to resort to censorship to maintain that illusion.
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Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to tussock,
Ok - actually found it:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/key-stands-some-poor-make-poor-choices-foodbank-comment-nn-86501After his poor showing on Hard Talk - Key seems to see life as a game of Monopoly, he wins you lose.
Two weeks ago in response to, was it, the Master Builders concerns about skill shortages in the trades and building industry - his response was we will get "it" from offshore. IMHO - likely China.
National and Labour make Muldoon look like a socialist.
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Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to tussock,
Did Key actually make the statment that , "people choose to be poor"? Can you link to it?