Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 29th, 2008 - 110 comments
Categories: crime, same old national, spin -
Tags: crime, same old national, spin
So this is John Key’s ambition: throwing troubled teens in boot camp, beating up on beneficiaries and criminalising our children. I’ve only had a quick read through the speech in my lunch break so it’s possible I’ve got this wrong, but I get the distinct impression that Key has made a major strategic error here.
When I first heard murmurings about Key planning a ‘state of the nation’ speech I assumed he’d be running another policy-light pitch at middle New Zealand, big on aspirational rhetoric and with just enough vague policy detail to keep the critics happy. Housing affordability was an obvious topic that came to mind.
That he instead chose the risky (and I’d argue strategically pointless) option of pandering to the base with National’s traditional tough on crime message is puzzling. Sure, it’ll get the talkback crowd going, rile up the Kiwiblog Right and possibly even convince a few blue collar workers to vote against their economic interests, but it won’t go down well at all with the moderate centrists that Key has worked so hard to woo over the last year.
Women in particular will be turned off by coverage like this:
Because couched behind this morning’s strategically leaked proposals about education and training National has revealed its hard right core for all to see. As No Right Turn points out:
this is the same old National Party: divisive, punitive, vicious, and bullying those unable to defend themselves. And I’m glad Key has finally made it clear to the public.
This is precisely the face National has been trying so hard to hide from the public over the last year, and so far the centrist game seems to have worked for them. My opinion? John should have stuck with the smile and the nice haircut.
UPDATE: Kiwiblogblog has done a good analysis of the speech here.
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I’d add that the worst case kids I’ve run across these days (from my small sampling) have actually come out of dysfunctional two parent families. The DPB reduced a source of a major conflict between separated parents – it reduced the money issues as a cause of friction between them.
Kids with separated parents tend to move back and forth between parents, living at different households at different times, usually with their parents respective new partners. Must help with socialization. Thats not to say they’re without issues – but I find them less screwed up on average
Now that we have more detail of the shootings in Auckland, it is safe to say that it is indeed safer to not live in a Labour electorate.
I’ve had a look through the two speeches. It is a pretty characteristic difference between the two major parties in my opinion. Both are looking at pretty much the same problem.
National – short term, no real vision, and looking for a quick fix to a current symptom. Definitely a populist move as it gives people someone else to look down on. Doesn’t really think about the true costs – it is under-budgeted, and under detailed. The military (rightly) would hate to do this and would drag the chain – doesn’t fit their mission. Same as work for the dole didn’t think about allocating enough of a budget to make it more than a putative exercise.
Labour – longer term, and has a chance of fixing an underlying problem of generational transmission of lack of skills. Does have a more realistic budget. But is definitely not orientated to pandering to the moment. You can see why Labour is disliked by the main stream media – they don’t produce headlines that sell newspapers or get people to read ads.
Obviously, I prefer labour’s approach. I’m really only interested in long term fixes.
in the event keys speech was more political pandering to a slavering electorates need for emotional outlet besides teev and tmops. theright wing mantra of 1984 was ‘ideas have consequences’ which means in NZ terms that the burbs have been abandoned while ‘civil society’ has an ongoing reality show to brighten up their lives in their sterile enclaves and gated communities…just another show and tell labouring under the twin fallacies of composition and divison and solipsistic infantilisation of the population at large
The site provides information regarding speech on troubled teens. This speech explains the blunder related to troubled teens. Speech explains that there is special boot camp also available for criminals.
http://www.ala4christ.com/