A: No. On every fundamental point of policy, you could hardly slide a sheet of blue policy paper between their respective positions. See.
Q: So why does everyone get so excited when National goes up in the polls?
A: Because after six years of her bossing around the sheeple, a lot of people have had enough of Madame Helen.
Q: But voting her out won't fundamentally change anything policy-wise?
A: No, it won't. People generally vote to get governments out, rather than to put new governments in. That doesn't stop new governments thinking they have a 'mandate' of course. And it doesn't stop people exciting themselves over the prospect of seeing new faces in the same old offices, even if they are doing pretty much the same old things.
Q: You don 't sound very excited at the prospect yourself .
A: Well spotted youngster.
Cartoon by Richard McGrail, courtesy The Free Radical
[NOTE: Clicking onthe cartoon will open a legible versi0n thereof. :-) ]
3 comments:
Blimey, I agree with James. Almost.
I have few problems with your comments on Dr Don, as I've said before my problems are with 1) the rest of his caucus, and 2) the lack of any fundamental policy difference to Hard Labour.
Given the lack of decent caucus support for anything that might frighten the horses -- anything in other words that might threaten them keeping their jobs for three more years -- I strongly suspect that Brash in government would be more Hubbard than Thatcher. Sadly.
"I think practically the difference could be huge. A labour-led government will be significantly more willing to reduce our freedoms - hence our prosperity. This matters to me."
The difference is *not* huge. The NZ economy is one of the most deregulated and prosperous in the Western World. NZX up 70% in 18 months, no property market implosion, no bear coming out of hiding as been touted continuously by bloggers with a political axe to grind (Bhatnagar springs to mine - now even he has shut up).
Rather than repeating mindless brainless mantras you need to look for signs that mean something e.g. widespread and continuing falls in company profits, a credit squeeze, a collapsing NZ dollar, low or negative economic growth, bad words from the RBNZ. In the meantime I've made more money in the past 3 years than at any other time in my life.
Sorry if you don't understand me again folks.
I meant 'mind' and 'as *has* been touted'. *
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