Bent Bill

• Bunji
• 10 years ago
• Categories: bill english, equality, poverty

What do you call someone who knowingly relies on false information to defend his case?

Bill English.

The OECD pointed out before Christmas that Treasury data was wrong, double-counting the accommodation supplement, and was presenting people to be doing better than they are.

This year, English was challenged repeatedly by David Parker in the House on rising inequality in New Zealand under the National Government.  He denied it, constantly referring to the one report that could somewhat justify his claim that inequality was static.

That report – the Perry report – we now know used the fallacious Treasury data, which “lifted” 20,000 children out of poverty.

National’s record for those in poverty, and on inequality, is dire, and we now know that the one wooden leg that National was trying to stand on is full of borer.

But English knew that last year.

So what do you call someone who uses known false information?  And how much do you trust them?

–

Note: I’ve just discovered our Gini (inequality measure) numbers don’t include Capital Gains as income – a large source of income for some of our wealthiest (particularly those avoiding tax).  This means that our real Gini numbers are even worse than thought…