Standard Scoop: Key gives poor another booting
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2:35 pm, October 9th, 2008 - 24 comments
Categories: election 2008, flip-flop, housing, john key, uncategorized -
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No, I’m not talking about National’s tax cuts, which would hit the poorest Kiwis in the pocket – John Key doesn’t seem to be content at just that. We have received an exclusive audio recording of Mr Key’s performance at the Helensville debate on Monday.
When housing was an all-important issue earlier this year Mr Key told us he supported the Hobsonville development, despite previously calling it ‘economic vandalism’. But now state house grown John Key has turned his back on the poorest, and most vulnerable in society, in order to satisfy his wealthy upper-middle class Helensville electors. Here’s what Mr Key said:
“I don’t intend to let them turn Helensville into a guinea pig subdivision If we become the government in 33 days time, we are stopping building the state houses there” (listen here)
Putting a roof over a poor family’s head isn’t valuable enough for Mr Key and the wealthy of Helensville. It’s disturbing and makes you wonder: how far will Mr Key go in kicking poor Kiwis in the guts? He’s cut down Hobsonville, he’s cut down KiwiSaver, he’s cut down the working person’s tax cut. What’s next?
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How many houses had to be demolished or moved so that Key Castle along with its tennis court could be built in St Stephens Ave ?
Wasnt it 3.
Im not sure north west auckland is a good place for new houses, as there is not enough jobs in the west auckland or north shore. These two areas have a huge outflow of commuters each day to the central and south which leads to additional roads or harbour tunnels.
The area from Whenuapai to Hobsonville should be zone for commercial/industrial to support new jobs not houses.
After nine years of utopian Labour government I am startled to hear that there are any “poor” Kiwis left in New Zealand. Didn’t the Labour party raise them all out of poverty with their massive spending?
I could barely hear Key’s whiny little voice – did he say where he would build them?
radar the massive spending is to keep wall st afloat.!!
the very low unemploment rates here have decreased poverty.
Labour inherited 7% from national after their nine years.
radar. state housing on income-related rents has been a major factor in decreasing poverty in this country. Hundreds of thousands fewer Kiwis live in poverty now than they did in when Labour came to power. incomes in each decile have risen under labour, whereas income for the bottom 50% fell under National.
Fact’s they is informative.
Dom- no, he must have forgotten to mention that.
State housing is great. Although when they put them all in one place, they risk becoming a ghetto, with all the attendant problems. More equitable for the state to rent privately owned housing, so the tenants are more evenly distributed among the broader population.
Oh dear. This is not a good look. John Key appears to be another NIMBY. He reminds me very much of the time Helen Clark opposed the conversion of a boarding house to house a group of low-income people in her Mt Albert electorate.
SP
I thought you Greens were all in favour of the original “pepper potting” concept for state housing. Still, you can’t miss a bash JK opportunity I suppose.
Captcha: ended operagoers. Helen? Judith?
[Key is against pepper-potting. He’s saying no to all state housing in Hobsonville. Sp]
Steve P.
Is Helen Clark renting out her 5 spare houses for below market rent? Perhaps she could gift them to the poor – what do you think?
John Key is trying to help the poor… today he is demanding the reserve bank drop interest rates right away. That’s leadership for you.
Imagine the wailing if Cullen started telling Bollard how to run the reserve bank…
[lprent: Just shows John Key’s lack of experience. The last time we had a National leader doing that kind of thing (muldoon) we racked up 30 years of debt. That is why there is a clear separation between the roles of the government and the reserve bank. It is usually honored by the major parties.]
burt. I would support that.
I was at the candidates meeting with John Key on Monday night with a hostile crowd of anti state housers, along with other more reasonable people. I was disgusted at John Key’s comments. I have walked the Hobsonville site (and at least I live in the area, unlike John Key!) and it is a fantastic and unique opportunity to create a mixed community with 500 State Houses, 500 Affordable Homes and 2000 other homes, along with industry, jobs, schools and recreational and waterfront areas for the whole community. My question to Key was – where will the workers live? Hobsonville will need retail workers, teachers, nurses, health workers, cleaners, food workers and others… but it seems like they should just go somewhere else.
Appalling.
cheers Darien. keep fighting the good fight up there
Darien, with the state of the housing market soon the workers will have affordable homes. Without the need for Govt intervention.
Ms Fenton (or anyone else who knows the answer),
Just out of curiosity, what size are/were the lots for these state houses going to be?
coge – what do you call “affordable”? When you’re working 30 hours a week in a low-paid retail job, even a cheap $200,000-$250,000 house is going to be light years away from being affordable.
I thought the hallmark of a central bank was its indpendence. If Keys is putting demands on the rbnz then he has definitely gone over the bounds of all constitutional arrangments in New ZEaland and the corruption of the democratic process is unconscionable.
Central Banks are not independent of the ruling class as recent events prove.
Key is just issuing orders to big note himself as messenger of Wall St and the City and protect his own shares in the global casino.
Since the ruling class is getting away with this giant scam, his level of arrogance has got a boost, and he and English are strutting around as if they are the government already. They miscalculated the reaction to junking Kiwisaver badly.
TV 3 tonight gave them a rev up for a change.
More leaks from English on ‘winning at all costs’.
Hey Clint, broken the EFA lately?
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2008/10/four_more_decisions_from_the_electoral_commission.html
Interesting how National has yet to be ruled against and Labour has broken the law several times…
[no, I was found not to have breached the EFA. SP]
Hey is this tape the tape that TV3 and other media have?
Well Darien, if Key’s comments are so bad and so unpopular with the Electorate then you will be winning in a landslide. No doubt all those people that supported Mr Key last time are complete morons and will be supporting you this time. How much do u think u will be winning by? I would ahve thought under your brilliant economic management there would be no need for state houses or are you suggesting you hvae failed to bring prosperity to the people of this electorate?
If people are rewarded for being poor, they will stay poor.
“to satisfy his wealthy upper-middle class Helensville elector”
Demonising an out group?
“Phantom enemies or out-groups are externalised as impediments to achieving a harmonious or better society. Appeals are made to deep-seated prejudices; scapegoats are identified and held responsible for slow progress. The majority is pitted against minority groups, or perhaps social cleavages are exploited to create a new majority usually by exploiting a perceived grievance or by making a coded appeal to ignorance or worse, to prejudice and hatred ” from Jon Johansson rhetoric article posted on another thread.