Good one Bill II

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 19th, 2008 - 35 comments
Categories: bill english, economy - Tags:

It’s good to see Bill English acknowledge the last government has left New Zealand in a good position to face the economic crisis.

The only shame is that he’s using that position to throw money at people who are more likely to pay down debt and increase savings than engage in stimulatory spending.

35 comments on “Good one Bill II ”

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  1. Bill 1
    19 December 2008 at 8:26 am

    And he stated that the government ‘wouldn’t let’ debt escalate to 30 odd % of gdp. Can that mean anything other than asset sales and ‘user pays’ policies? Just asking.

  2. vto 2
    19 December 2008 at 8:29 am

    I have a terrible sense of foreboding…

    What’s the bet that in six months these books will be another factor worse again.

    what a fukka

  3. Ray 3
    19 December 2008 at 8:44 am

    So, are the rumours true!!
    Or is there an innocent explanation

    [lprent: What are you talking about? That Bill is screwing the economy because of his bosses promises? Some clarity in your writing would help]

  4. George 4
    19 December 2008 at 9:02 am

    [lprent: pathetic threadjacking]

  5. higherstandard 5
    19 December 2008 at 9:19 am

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  6. ieuan 6
    19 December 2008 at 9:19 am

    I can’t believe that you wrote:

    ‘The only shame is that he’s using that position to throw money at people who are more likely to pay down debt and increase savings than engage in stimulatory spending.’

    What planet are you on?? Not paying off debt and saving is how the US (and the rest of the world) got into this financial mess to start with!

    And the money that he is ‘throwing’ is actually the money of the people to start with (assuming that you are talking about tax cuts) the government is just taking a little less of it.

  7. George 7
    19 December 2008 at 9:23 am

    Ummmm not really, it was just some subtle humour. you shouldn’t be so quick to swing the banhammer. it makes it look like there is something funny going on.

    [Tane: No George, we’re just sick of having half a dozen Kiwiblog trolls trying to jack every thread accusing us of stealing wine.]

  8. IrishBill 8
    19 December 2008 at 9:37 am

    ieuan, National are claiming the cuts are stimulatory. They will be, but a lot less so than a differently weighted tax package would be.

    However, paying off debt and saving is a good idea. We should have been doing it during the boom. As Cullen did. But a recession is no time to tighten the belt.

  9. George 9
    19 December 2008 at 9:47 am

    who said you stole the wine Tane? i never accused you, or any other blogger on this site personally? i named the guy, and made a joke about it.

    [Tane: Other commenters have. Perhaps you were reasonably innocent and got caught in the crossfire, but I’m not going to put with threadjacking and false accusations.]

  10. Chris S 10
    19 December 2008 at 10:10 am

    ieuan, simply, the credit crunch “caused” the current economic problems.

    Credit is freeing up and banks are being propped up to eat the bad debt, now we are dealing with the fact that most major countries are in, or heading towards, a recession.

    National’s tax cuts are an example in trickle-down (get the rich spending and the working class will do better due to economy stimulation) theory that’s failed so many times before. The expectation that the tax-cuts will be spent is quite possibly wrong, as people pay off their mortgage or credit card instead.

    Some will be spent or invested, sure, but as much that would otherwise be spent by the government? Probably not.

  11. Django 11
    19 December 2008 at 10:17 am

    Tane you have to admit that not posting to the theft topic that is pervading the media appears strange at least and partisan at worst.

    Try having a go, break with Standard tradition and mention the elephant in the room. 😉

  12. Chris S 12
    19 December 2008 at 10:24 am

    Django, a few staffers for the Labour MPs got caught pinching booze. What the hell do you want him to say? “Stealing is bad”?

    What does that have to do with a blog that concerns itself with the labour movement?

    Not a lot.

  13. ieuan 13
    19 December 2008 at 11:05 am

    Chris S: I agree that the trickle down theory does not work however it is a stretch to call the tax-cuts for the ‘rich’.

    The tax cuts are across the board with a great chunk of the cuts aimed at middle income earners, they are hardly just for the ‘rich’ (of course that depends on your definition of ‘rich’ which on this site seems be anyone earning over $20K per year).

    You also fail to mention the other major stimulus that is being applied to the economy which is lower interest rates. This has a major effect on stimulating the housing market with flow on jobs in the building sector as well as freeing up money as people re-fix their mortgages. For those who do not own property there will be less pressure on rent rises as the cost of the property has reduced, again easing the burden a little and freeing up a little more money to help stimulate the economy.

  14. Tane 14
    19 December 2008 at 11:13 am

    Django, I don’t usually indulge trolls, but Chris S got me thinking. How’s this:

    “Stealing is bad. While there are sometimes circumstances where stealing can be defended, nicking wine from the press gallery after they’ve thrown you a party is not one of them. It was also incredibly politically stupid. The Standard does not condone stealing, particularly when it involves the theft of press gallery wine by Labour staffers.”

    Right, now that’s sorted and the Kiwiblog trolls hopefully satisfied, let’s get away from the beltway gossip and onto some topics of substance.

  15. gingercrush 15
    19 December 2008 at 11:20 am

    Topics of substance in the silly season? No way.

  16. Chris S 16
    19 December 2008 at 11:26 am

    As you well know, interest rates are not a matter of the governments fiscal policy.

    Lowering interest rates will gradually affect the economy as people have their mortgages re-fixed.

  17. Django 17
    19 December 2008 at 11:28 am

    Chris S.

    I would have thought that to mention this event of Labour party staffers was appropriate – even if it was simply to inject humour or balance.

    TheStandard could always try something that is sorrily missing from this blog. Humour. There is nothing like a bit of self-deprecation, if they tried it they would how us they are beginning to mature both as bloggers and as human beings

  18. Django 18
    19 December 2008 at 11:30 am

    Tane,

    Blogged above before I saw your response.

    Fair enough commentary – but it deserved it’s own thread. Getting in first is always a good look.

  19. ieuan 19
    19 December 2008 at 11:40 am

    Your right Django, humour is sadly lacking on this site. I imagine that Tane, SP, Iprent, IrishBill etc do know how to have the occasional laugh.

    Imagine Christmas at your average hard left unionists house, everyone would swap one of those ‘give a goat’ presents from Oxfam followed by a lecture on the evils of capitalism.

  20. George 20
    19 December 2008 at 11:57 am

    Thanks Tane, good post, even if stealing in my view is never defensible. but anyway.

    ieuan, thats classic.

  21. Tane 21
    19 December 2008 at 12:04 pm

    George, I was thinking more ‘starving man taking bread for his family’. But that’s a debate for another time.

  22. Tane 22
    19 December 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Django, we write on a voluntary basis on issues we feel like if and when we have the time. And as it turns out SP mentioned it in his press gallery party post anyway. There’s plenty of self-deprecating humour on this site if you pay attention, but we have a very low tolerance for people falsely accusing us of committing crimes.

  23. Django 23
    19 December 2008 at 12:10 pm

    Fair enough, but any blog that promotes Labour must make sure it tries to be even-handed on issues that involve criminal activity. A lot of sensitivity out there over the whole sneaking around and stealing emails, spying etc under Labour’s reign.

  24. Tane 24
    19 December 2008 at 12:12 pm

    Django, we stand for the values of the broad labour movement (notice the small l). Many of us don’t even vote Labour. It’s not up to us to defend the actions of Labour or its staffers, and nor should we have to tolerate potentially defamatory accusations from the Kiwiblog Right.

    [lprent: If they are too idiotic to bother reading the About before slinging accusations, then just ban them for Darwinian reasons (it improves the population)]

  25. George 25
    19 December 2008 at 12:17 pm

    Ahh, Biblical Tane. I would have to agree with you as long as it’s last resort, but your right, another time. Django has a good point though, stealing was condoned by the left when the end result was good for them. we didn’t see too much condemnation from the broad labour movement on that issue. and if im wrong please prove me so.

  26. Django 26
    19 December 2008 at 12:28 pm

    Right, we’ve cleared that up then you stand for labour not the Labour Party of New Zealand.

    I’ll be calling you on that just so as you know. 🙂

  27. Tane 27
    19 December 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Bro, it’s in the About. We’ve frequently been critical of Labour over labour issues.

  28. Tane 28
    19 December 2008 at 12:34 pm

    George, I don’t know what theft you’re talking about. If you’re referring to the pledge card issue, which ensnared nearly every party in Parliament including National then you’ll find there was indeed criticism of Labour from the labour movement.

  29. Django 29
    19 December 2008 at 12:42 pm

    maybe George is thinking about the non-investigation of the theft of Dr Brash’s emails Tane. You know the edited and non-contextual private correspondence that was turned into a book, a play and a movie, and are still much quoted by the small “l” labour movement in all it’s guises. You know the those stolen emails that were ‘received’ by Clark (the famous Labourite with a large “l”) and her mate Peters the collaborator with a big “C”.

  30. Tane 30
    19 December 2008 at 12:50 pm

    As I understand it Django the police found no evidence of theft. Occam’s razor says it was an inside job. God knows they have enough leaks.

  31. Pascal's bookie 31
    19 December 2008 at 12:56 pm

    Maybe Dj was using that self depreciating humour he tells us he’s fond of Tane…

    though it’s hard to tell when righties are being deliberatly funny

  32. George 32
    19 December 2008 at 1:16 pm

    Thanks Django, I wasn’t referring to the pledgecard episode, which will forever remain one of the darkest moments in NZ political history as it sparked of the fiasco that is the EFA.

    i was referring to emails stolen from Dr Brash, and also of course the $1000 a month that the Hon. Roger Douglas found had been pinched from the average NZ household over the last nine years.

    [lprent: The DisHon Roger surely? ]

  33. Ianmac 33
    19 December 2008 at 1:51 pm

    George, Django: Always enjoy your satirical comments. Laugh out loud!!! Real hoot. Sort of comments I would hear from Fred Dagg.
    “Ah gidday. Just thought I would mention some real dark stuff. My mate Trev, ah are you there Trev? My mate Trev found some sheep dung scattered on the ground near the farm gate and hello says Trev. A serious crime has been committed here……”

  34. George 34
    19 December 2008 at 3:11 pm

    Lprent, no the Honourable. He is a member of parliament and we must respect that, i would do the same for Dr. Cullen or (shudder) Sue Bradford.

    Ianmac, while i don’t know what on earth your trying to insinuate, im glad you find my comments amusing.