I am developing a strong respect for Grant Robertson. I never rated him much as a finance minister, simply because he has no background in finance or economics, but clearly Grant is one of the very few ministers who has worked hard to get on top of his portfolio. While
Finance Minister Grant Robertson was interviewed by Mike Hosking on 31st of March. When asked about the effects of the Coronavirus on the New Zealand economy he was frank. “Generations will be paying for it,” he said. But should they? Should we? The devastation that was caused by the Coronavirus
Berating Bauer Media for reacting to the government’s inability to think of unintended consequences of its actions really is inappropriate. You’d need to have been living in another galaxy to not be aware of the struggles of print media over the past few years. Bauer is just one.
The main thing that saved us from a total economic meltdown in 2008 was a very robust banking system. Amid all the silliness going on in the rest of the world, our banks still insisted on 20% deposits for home buyers (smaller deposits were allowed but in restricted numbers), giving
Every time we go into recession, it is a bolt from the blue. Remember in 1987, and indeed in 2008, times were good, everyone was employed, the economy was strong… and then BANG – it all fell apart within weeks. And so it is again. At the end of last year,
Today’s face of the day NZ First leader Winston Peters has some positive things to say about New Zealand post the lockdown. "We can come out of this far more superior…" #Covid_19nz #COVID19 #NewZealand @winstonpeters speaks to @MagicTalkRadio pic.twitter.com/nWp0k3egeM — New Zealand First (@NZFirstNews)
Here we all are in week two of an event that is unprecedented in our lifetimes. Our country closed down by the Government and everyone quarantined at home. While the Prime Minister claims that putting us under an effective state of house arrest is the only way to stop the
Press Release: ACT Party “The Finance Minister must commit, as far as is possible, to returning New Zealand to pre-COVID-19 economic settings, rather than using the current crisis to make permanent ideological changes”, says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Grant Robertson told the Epidemic Response Committee yesterday morning he’s reconsidering
Press Release: New Conservative This is the question burning in most New Zealanders’ minds: What are the key indicators for decision making? How many new cases are required for the lockdown to continue? How many deaths? What is the plan when the lockdown ends? We understand that the government is
How much should less well-off young people be expected to pay, to shield wealthy oldies from a new disease? Put like that, it may seem coldly utilitarian, but that is the stark reality being imposed on a generation of young citizens. COVID-19 is a disease which disproportionately threatens the over-70s.
One of the major reasons the political and media establishment in Australia hate Pauline Hanson so much is that she has a habit of saying what the rest of Australia is thinking. And the rest of Australia frequently thinks things that establishment cannot and will not tolerate. When Hanson wore
Mark Much comment has been made about the mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak by China and rightly so. It needs to be made crystal clear that our beef is absolutely not with the people of China. It is with the leadership of China. The people of China are suffering even
Press release: ACT Party “As the COVID-19 lockdown evolves, the Government must walk back its restriction on bakeries, butchers and fruit and vegetable stores”, says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The Government has effectively given supermarkets a monopoly on food, but it seems surprised that prices have risen. In some areas,
