Economy
Level 2 Lockdown Madness
I have fared pretty well during Levels 3 and 4, leaving home infrequently, only to make trips to the supermarket where, after one or two teething issues with keeping my distance from other shoppers, I encountered no real problems. Being in lockdown in a town with no reported cases, the
Will New Zealand’s $50 Billion Budget Boost Jacinda Ardern’s Chance of Being RE-elected?
Grant Duncan Massey University New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has won global admiration for her personal style. But how will Kiwis judge her government’s performance at the ballot-box in September? A major factor in that decision will be how well today’s budget is received – and how well
“Know Us by Our Deeds”
Fine rhetoric from our PM does not allay my fears that this government will introduce new taxes to pay for their gargantuan 50 billion dollar loan. “Know us by our deeds”? What rhetorical codswallop. The entranced media, like possums stuck in the headlights, print her responses but do not challenge
NZ Will Never Be The Same
George According to some we are entering a new beginning where all the wrongs of our past can be rectified. They claim “it will never be the same”. Or in other words, for the betterment of mankind, let’s prepare society to embrace a new ideology which, through targeted social
Madness
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com The NZ Herald recently highlighted the suicide of a young self-employed butcher who saw his life’s work go down the drain by the utterly insane edict that meat could only be purchased at supermarkets. The farcical rule was subsequently wiped but here’s the
A Huge Debt- but Not of Gratitude
An article in a weekend newspaper featuring Grant Robertson talking about his $50 billion dollar bill showed just how little understanding he has of what is needed to get out of the canyon he has put us in. Referring to last week’s article by Audrey Young, it was stated
Lockdowns Are Hurting the World’s Poorest Workers
As Eric D. July observed at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdowns, “folks with guaranteed jobs are telling people that can’t work they have to be imprisoned in their houses for an indefinite amount of time”. Not one of the people mandating lockdowns and at the stroke of a
A Barnum and Bailey Budget
Ardern and Robertson are running a circus. I leave it to you to work out who is the ringmaster and who is the clown. Ardern warned beforehand to prepare for pain. She, of course, didn’t divulge just how much. As it turned out, for obvious reasons. If I’d
The Politics of Fear
Dr Muriel Newman nzcpr.com In her pre-budget speech, the Prime Minister said, “There is no playbook for the recovery we are about to embark on. But nor do we need one. When it has come to COVID-19 we have carved a path based on our people, our health system,
Borrowing Forever
I am still reeling from the numbers in the “Rebuilding Together” budget. It reminds me of Hillary Clinton‘s campaign slogan in 2016, and we all know how that ended up. All I can do is hope fervently that this government ends up the same way – on the scrapheap, with
Cancelling the Rent Won’t Help Anyone
The Xi Plague is perhaps the deepest challenge the world has faced since WWII. It didn’t have to be, of course: as evidence, opposed to dodgy modelling, mounts, the virus is turning out to be a lot less scary than it was made out to be. As it turns