Posts Tagged ‘underclass’

The politics of poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, October 2nd, 2014 - 86 comments

Every election Key is confronted with the issue of poverty. His response is always pure politics with no effective action, and this election has been no different. We will be here again in 2017.

The working poor

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, September 13th, 2014 - 46 comments

National is not interested in doing anything about poverty in NZ. They won’t even officially measure poverty, because they don’t want to know.

Poverty a National disgrace

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, September 10th, 2014 - 82 comments

Advocacy groups are calling for action. People are marching for action. The parties of the left are ready to take action. Only National stands in the way.

Hide confused on underclass

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, March 17th, 2013 - 61 comments

Remember the “underclass”? John Key pretended to be concerned about them for a while as a gimmick for the 2008 election. Thanks to Matt McCarten, Rodney Hide has been reminded of their existence. He then goes on to diagnose the wrong problems and the wrong solutions (of course). I’m sure that Standardistas can do better…

Nats “help” with more cuts

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, October 18th, 2011 - 23 comments

Amidst growing evidence of yet another broken 2008 election promise, John Key has nothing to offer except tired excuses and attacks on the poor.

Chose a brighter future?

Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, September 6th, 2011 - 63 comments

Once again recent headlines prompt me to ask if in 2008 we really chose a brighter future after all.

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…

Chose a brighter future?

Written By: - Date published: 7:27 am, April 4th, 2011 - 100 comments

With news now that a starving boy was found eating cockroaches, and that impoverished elderly are eating catfood, the plight of the underclass is getting nothing but worse.  Is this the “brighter future” that National promised?…

As much as possible for the underclass

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, February 9th, 2011 - 8 comments

The PM has obviously been stung by the surge of negative publicity generated by the TV3 piece on the residents of McGehan Close. The revival of this particular piece of exploitative hypocrisy risks tarnishing the sacred Key brand.  Can’t have that.  So Key is trying to convince us that the Nats have done “as much as possible” for the underclass…

No Aroha for Key

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 27 comments

Tomorrow is the first day of Parliament for the year, so I’m picking we’ll see John Key’s annual passing mention of the ‘underclass’. You remember Key’s promise to make lifting the underclass his priority, eh? Well, Key doesn’t. He has abandoned Aroha Nathan after using her for PR and now says he can’t do anything for the poor.

The underclass

Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, July 26th, 2010 - 16 comments

Remember when John Key used to talk about the “underclass”. Much recently of course John Key’s policy direction has been more about pandering to the wealthy elite, so you don’t hear so much from John Key about his concerns for the underclass anymore. But worries about the underclass still concern some people.

Sticking it to the underclass

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 7th, 2010 - 39 comments

Remember “the underclass”? They were briefly fashionable in National circles in 2007. Now that they are the government National’s policies for the underclass seem to involve a good deal of beneficiary bashing. Invalids are being thrown off their benefit before the new legislation is even in effect. Election promises are being broken to remove the carrot and wield the stick. How will this help the underclass?

John remembers his underclass, briefly

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 12th, 2010 - 15 comments

The other day I wrote: I reckon we probably will see a passing reference to the ‘underclass’ for appearance’s sake [in John Key’s statement to Parliament] but I’m just as sure that his government will continue to fail the most vulnerable members of our society. Well whatdaya know? There it is: I have said it […]

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