cost of living

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So what’s changed?

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, April 22nd, 2011 - 64 comments

In 2008 John Key attacked the Labour government on high prices and low wages.

In 2011 he’s telling us the government can’t help.

So what’s changed?

ECE costs increasing

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, April 21st, 2011 - 19 comments

The Nats’ attack on early childhood education (ECE) is starting to bite.  As surely as night follows day, the cuts in funding for childcare centres are showing up as increased costs for parents.

Can’t help won’t help

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 20th, 2011 - 108 comments

John Key says that the government can’t help Kiwis who are struggling with rapidly rising costs.  Rubbish.  There’s plenty that they could be doing.  If they wanted to…

Inflation credit and blame

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, April 18th, 2011 - 11 comments

Back in October last year the Nats, in a sea of bad news on the economy, latched on to the low inflation rate as something that they could claim “credit” for.  No doubt they will now be just as ready to accept blame for the worst inflation rate in 20 years.  Almost half of this figure is driven by the Nats’ GST increase…

Beware of politicians brandishing statistics

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 pm, April 16th, 2011 - 9 comments

John Key wants to talk about how average after tax wages have gone up since he became Prime Minister. But as Brian Fallow says in today’s Herald: Averages are all well and good. If John Key walks into a room the average net worth of the people in the room shoots up, but the rest […]

How to tell you have a Tory govt

Written By: - Date published: 5:01 pm, April 16th, 2011 - 7 comments

Brian Fallow is one of the Heralds more understated columnists. Brian and I probably vote differently, but I find his articles usually worth the read. But there is understatement, and then there is deliberate obfuscation. His column today starts out workmanlike enough, repeating the PM’s case how average wages/salaries have increased in real terms around […]

John Key: let me eat cake

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 68 comments

Labour’s candidate for Wairarapa, Michael Bott, on this out of touch government: “John Key smiles and waves for the cameras in Christchurch then jumps on a plane to Cape Kidnappers to spend the equivalent of a pensioner’s yearly income on one-off novelty dining with his wife – you can’t get more different than that.”

High quality government spending

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 6th, 2011 - 55 comments

Shivering in your earthquake-damaged home, wondering how you’ll come up with $190 a week for a campervan after your emergency benefit ends? Living on cat food because GST and price hikes put real food out of reach? Don’t worry, Pita Sharples to the rescue: he’s gifting 1.9 million taxpayer dollars to a hapu in his electorate to build an inflatable, plastic waka.

They just waste it on booze & smokes

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, April 6th, 2011 - 246 comments

John Key says the thousands of Kiwi families turning to foodbanks to get by are made ‘poor choices’. Among the ‘poor choices’ that poor people allegedly make according to righties is spending all their money on alcohol and cigarettes, rather than on food. As with most ‘truths’ that underpin rightwing prejudice, the facts don’t back this up.

Some free advice for National

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, March 9th, 2011 - 20 comments

Hey National – stop lying and inventing dodgy stats to try  and prove that we’re all better off.  The tax cut received by most people was derisory, and the cost of living is shooting up fast.  Even the Kiwiblog heartland isn’t buying the lies.  If you can’t convince them, you can’t convince anyone…

I See Red

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, March 7th, 2011 - 62 comments

The government has a fair bit on its plate right now, like the  Christchurch quake, and  the hammering that ordinary folk are getting from the cost of living.  So its reassuring to know that the PM’s office has its eye on the ball.  It’s all over the “important issues”…