A banquet for the elite, crumbs for the poor

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, May 16th, 2013 - 26 comments
Categories: class war, poverty - Tags:

“When National is not selling something like Mighty River Power, it is busy selling out to the likes of SkyCity” – John Armstrong. He could have added ‘or defending the elite’s rentier profits’. To fudge the fact that National works for the elite, there”ll be crumbs for the poor in this budget. Something’s better than nothing but, unless it matches the $2b tax cuts for the rich, it’s just window-dressing.

26 comments on “A banquet for the elite, crumbs for the poor ”

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  1. infused 1
    16 May 2013 at 11:12 am

    umad?

    • fender 1.1
      16 May 2013 at 11:15 am

      Many are mad with National.

      Infused however loves their crazy work.

    • Colonial Viper 1.2
      16 May 2013 at 11:16 am

      Make a point infused or butt out.

      • infused 1.2.1
        16 May 2013 at 11:51 am

        It’s such a silly post you don’t need to.

        • DR 1.2.1.1
          16 May 2013 at 1:48 pm

          if it’s silly, why did you make the first comment, you silly knucklehead?

        • georgecom 1.2.1.2
          16 May 2013 at 9:03 pm

          Yeah,…..nah. Its actually an important point. The Nats are now starting to piss off significant chunks of the voting population. That spells bad news for the Nats re-election chances. Key et al have realised they have gone too far trickeling wealth upwards and the middle down are getting angry about that as well as the manner in which it is done. The budget is an attempt to butter up the voting populace, dangle a few baubles and hope people look the other way. Armstrong is fairly on the money with his comment about perceptions of ‘selling assets or selling out to the likes of SkyCity’.

          The worrying news for national is what seems to be a very lukewarm response to the budget, and, the open talk about the baubles being an attempt to distract the populace from the things they are seeing and not liking. I would guess English et al don’t want the budget framed in that manner.

          The only thing worse in peoples minds than a niggardly penny pinching budget is a cynical attempt to treat people like fools budget. English is in danger of the latter framing becoming widespread.

  2. Craig Glen Eden 2
    16 May 2013 at 11:45 am

    The fact that these Executives are getting paid bonuses in the form of Shares is outrageous.It was these same executives who took the unusual steps to come out against the Labour and Greens electricity policies. now we know why I bet none of them disclosed to the papers who published their press releases that they had a major financial conflict of interest. When will this corrupt behaviour stop?

  3. tracey 3
    16 May 2013 at 11:46 am

    I see the directors of MRP get bonuses by way of shares… Bonuses for getting fewer new investor and mum and dad sign sup than expected? Interesting performance indicators.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 3.1
      16 May 2013 at 1:53 pm

      Thats executives who get bonus shares. The directors just get more money

  4. tracey 4
    16 May 2013 at 11:54 am

    Does national accept there are poor people in NZ now? have they finally sorted out defintions for poor and pverty which Ms Bennett has repeatedly told us is too difficult? If they haven’t they are being quite lolly scramble-ish if they are just giving away our money for political advantage only?

  5. yeshe 5
    16 May 2013 at 11:56 am

    Many of the comments under John Armstrong’s article claim to be from those who used to vote Nat but never will again … an interesting read on this budget day .. an example … link is above in intro …

    ” ‘They may still vote for that party if they respect what it is doing.’

    Ha,ha, you mean constantly lying, brain fades, the Dotcom debacle, doing dirty deals with a casino, ignoring changes to MMP, not supplying the 170’000 jobs they promised, not closing the wage gap with Aus as promised, not stopping the huge exodus of people going to Aus, changing laws overnight to suit themselves, keeping John Banks as a bed fellow, raising GST when they said they wouldn’t… I could go on.

    Forget the budget, at this stage it means nothing! This is the most incompetent, nasty and deceitful govt this country has ever had. I voted for John Key in 2008 but NEVER again: roll on 2014.”

    May there be thousdands more like this one.

    • infused 5.1
      16 May 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Why would someone vote National and not expect this? That’s retarded.

      • tracey 5.1.1
        16 May 2013 at 12:28 pm

        Yes, they should never have taken national at its word…

        • infused 5.1.1.1
          16 May 2013 at 12:29 pm

          I wasn’t specifically meaning that comment. More of what they stand for.

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1.1
            16 May 2013 at 6:44 pm

            National stands for lies, deceit and the rich. That’s it and, yes, people should fully understand that after 70+ years of them lying to NZ.

      • DR 5.1.2
        16 May 2013 at 1:51 pm

        No it’s not retarded. No one expects promises to be broken. If they do, then that’s the time you can call them retards.

      • Murray Olsen 5.1.3
        17 May 2013 at 2:30 am

        Voting National is conclusive evidence of retardation, yes. Voting National and spending all your time on an opposition website is proof beyond a shadow of a doubt.

    • Murray Olsen 5.2
      17 May 2013 at 2:28 am

      Their plan for stopping the exodus to Australia is to arrest student loan debtors at the airport. Yeah, that’ll work.

  6. aerobubble 6
    16 May 2013 at 1:24 pm

    Just wondering if conference and gambling interest have a right to sue the government as they were not allowed to compete for the tender, and SkyCity will now draw conference and gambling income away from them? Free Trade agreement have a clause in them for the crap National are planning with SkyCity.

    Also should a single issue Christian party run on banning all gambling would SkyCity get a dime of pay out when there could be no gambling in the country?

  7. tracey 7
    16 May 2013 at 2:45 pm

    ACT is a single issue christian party

  8. Xtasy 8
    16 May 2013 at 4:46 pm

    Zetetic – excuse me, what exactly are you saying? I know Armstrong is rather pro Nats and so, but you are basically repeating Shearer’s desperate effort to present criticism to the present NatACT government, and to try and present an alternative.

    Sadly Shearer did during today’s Budget debate perform so damned dismally, although he did try. His so frequent looks or glances up to the gallery showed that he was so damned uncertain, himself not quite convinced of, re what he actually said and spoke about.

    Yes, the budget is rather catering more for the Key and English mates circles, we all know that, and nothing else was expected. A few bits here for more apprenticeships for Maori and Pacifica, a reduction of ACC levies for employers and workers, some housing offers, but low interest rates for poor and having housing rights assessed by WINZ, housing services by Housing NZ reduced, outsourcing of housing services to NGOs and spending over a 100 million on incentives to employers to hire sick and disabled on benefits, is a mixed bag at best, yes not a game changer for sure.

    I am disillusioned, disheartened, and disappointed, as the Labour Party, being the main opposition party, have not delivered the opposition and resolute speeches I expected. I am disappointed about NZ and especially the people living here, resigning so largely and wide-spread to what is going on, being disconnected, apparently not caring, being so divided and self focused, there is NO unity and decisive opposition I see and hear about .

    I certainly have expressed my views and opposition and will continue to do so. Why are so many out there so passive, resigned, let bull shit media misinform them, and why is “the left” not doing more to get the message out there and across, when a Labour Party seems to rather compete for the complicit voters, who may otherwise vote National.

    NZ is to me becoming a “lost cause” almost.

    I am despairing, and I see so much indifference, ignorance and cowardice, this is worse than anything I ever expected. Gallipoli at least was fought for, but this is not even bothering with fighting, what I see.

    Time to get out of here, for good, as NZ has NO FUTURE! That is for “ordinary” folk.

  9. xtasy 9
    16 May 2013 at 6:10 pm

    So really, Len Brown did today get his wings clipped, or maybe had his libido removed, castration or whatever you may call it.

    The budget announcement to have the central government take over consent decision making – if a council fails to allow consent to special housing areas agreed to in AN “accord” like agreed to in Auckland, that means that the councils all over NZ now, have to concede powers to central government, and that is under this government. I thought I mention it, as it appears to have gone unnoticed.

    Len Brown is now a LAME DUCK!

  10. weka 10
    16 May 2013 at 6:33 pm

    What are the crumbs? I read the roundup thread and couldn’t see any. Just curious.

  11. kiwicommie 11
    16 May 2013 at 7:10 pm

    New Zealand three years from 2014 (if National gets back in), look at all those lovely slums: http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Third_Party_Photo/2009/02/27/dubrowin__1235790410_3360.jpg

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