A whole lotta nothing

Marty G
14 years ago
Categories: john key, national/act government

In a speech to National Party members yesterday John Key read out a list of everything the government has done in the last year. Talk about weak, when the public disgruntlement with this do-nothing govenment has reached a level where they’re resorting to ‘not even, we’ve done heaps’. Audrey Young reports the list ran to nine pages but no-one has seen fit to reproduce it. Which makes me suspect it goes something like this:

– passed tax cuts under urgency

– National cycleway from Cape Reinga to the Bluff employing 3,700 people announced

– Richard Worth’s first strike

– Richard Worth’s second strike

– Richard Worth’s third strike

– repealed tax cuts under urgency

– National cycleway now series of ‘great rides’

– Bill English’s first strike

– stand up comedy

– Bill English’s second strike

– $3 million for a 40km cycleway that was being built anyway

Look. The fact is that governments do a hell of a lot all the time. Multitudes of boring technical changes to statutes, regulations, and rules need to be signed off each year. That they could only fill nine pages with that stuff after one year is incredible. It means that Key’s government has only done about 10 things per minister. And the public is clearly not happy, judging by the public response to Key’s piece in the Dompost yesterday (Stuff just let a bunch more comments through moderation – ouch).

Meanwhile, Young notes that Parliament wrapped up at 6pm yesterday. That means another three hours of standard sitting time were lost (but the cost was still incurred) because this shambolic do-nothing government didn’t have any legislation to pass. A similar amount was lost on Wednesday. But don’t worry, they’re going into Urgency (at considerable cost) next week to pass the ETS.