Wave goodbye to National’s last promise

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, June 19th, 2012 - 15 comments
Categories: debt / deficit, Economy - Tags:

The last time Treasury did an economic and fiscal update outside of its use two-per-year schedule, was December 2008, the depth of the recession. So, it’s telling that, just 4 weeks after the Budget, Treasury is looking at doing a revision of its numbers. One thing is certain, National’s last economic (actually, fiscal) promise- surplus in 2014/15 – is out the window. So, what’s National’s goal now?

It’s looking increasingly like they don’t have any. They’re just ‘muddling through’, under-delivering on their growth, jobs, debt promises, and completely failing to close the gap with Australia. Their focus now is on forcing through some more favours for their mates – asset sales, irrigation subsidies, attacks on local democracy – in the two years they have left.

Time for a government with a worthwhile vision and the policies to get us there.

15 comments on “Wave goodbye to National’s last promise ”

  1. Lanthanide 1

    I think I heard something on Morning Report this morning about Key saying that they may just have to accept the fact that they won’t get the surplus in 2014/2015, due to issues outside their control (eg, Europe).

    Shearer was quoted as saying that Key is ‘shifting the goal posts’ on their economic achievements.

  2. So basically Jon Key went to Europe to learn more about the financial situation in Europe but didn’t bother to tell Blinglish that we may as well go on a holiday for the next five years because nobody can afford to buy our shit as it all goes to shit and now that Bollard has come out about shit happening in Europe our bankster PM has to go along but I’m sure he’s OK with that.

  3. I dont know why we have a government. the minister of finance has absolutley no control of finance or our dollar, any excuse to fob off responsibility for phucking the economy . first it was the world finacial recession, then the christchurch earthquakes, now the european bailout(which, like the first excuse was caused by bankers being wankers). key and english will be praying for an invasion by martians as their next excuse for being incompetent.

    • bbfloyd 3.1

      You just need to wait until we have another labour government…..Then, you can be sure it will be their fault for every little thing that goes on around the world…..

      No excuses will be accepted then…. by the “responsible” national opposition, the herald, or television news programs….

      Indeed, the labour party will be responsible for the failure of the current governments policy failures as well….as they weren’t able to save the nats from themselves, which is what any responsible parent should do with off the rails teenagers…

      It’s so obvious, I am surprised we havn’t accepted this “reality” yet……

    • Dr Terry 3.2

      Oh, Paul, nor has Key even yet stopped blaming the last Labour government for everything wrong, that is, four years ago.

  4. Kevin Welsh 4

    But despite all that, it will be business as usual for the failed neo-liberal capitalist experiment.

  5. Newt 5

    “So, what’s National’s goal now?”

    Sell Sell Sell! Everything Must Go! Final Clearance! Huge Discounts to Mates! Law Changes? No Problem! Free Money? Sure thing!

    • bbfloyd 5.1

      What else is there to do once the pretence of being an actual government has started to become transparent?

  6. Dv 6

    From Karl du Fresne
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/karl-du-fresne/7127612/Does-Sunny-John-plan-to-stick-around

    Effective government means making hard decisions that are bound to upset and even disadvantage some people, but this is altogether too brutal for fair-minded New Zealanders to countenance. So nothing happens, except that we continue to lose 40,000 people a year to Australia.

    It has long been apparent that this Government has no compelling philosophical vision. Now it’s becoming obvious it is a poor strategist and political manager too.

    Ouch

    • bbfloyd 6.1

      To be fair… the fourth estate has done a wonderful job of hiding the truth from us……

      Their part in this latest round of asset stripping, and repatriation of money back into the hands of the “rightful” owners has been vital……

      They have done our “betters” proud……knighthoods are on the way boys….

  7. captain hook 7

    treasury has its head right up is jacksy.
    It is populated by people shoulder tapped from uni who only know how to pull their socks up and wear tight underpants.
    They are completely out of touch with anything really.

    • Murray Olsen 7.1

      At least the tight underpants might stop them reproducing. Treasury is a total waste of time – forecasts could be made more accurately by a couple of amateur astrologers.

  8. irascible 8

    KeY is demonstrating the techniques he used as a high stakes gambler when he worked for Merrill Lynch which is to talk up a situation, relying on rumour and speculation among his gambling cronies and the ignorance and cupidity of those they wished to con of their money and resources. Then, after grasping the money, finding an excuse why the failure of the Hedge Fund or other ponzi scheme dreamed up in the back room of the casino didn’t deliver the profits because of factors “beyond his control”.

    As PM he creates a situation, talks up the positives, cons the public then backs out of commitment to them by creating or discovering a reason for the failure of the policy, Watch the old gambling instinct come to the front even more as things go sour for NACT…. league tables for schools, rein in militant Unions, beware of boat people fleeing from (enter name of country here)…. to distract the audience from the realities.

  9. Andrei 9

    where did that mock picture of the billboard go? Would like a copy 🙂

  10. Draco T Bastard 10

    Time for a government with a worthwhile vision and the policies to get us there.

    Yeah, but considering that we don’t have the power of recall, how do we get a new one?

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