Friday, November 07, 2008
Same old National, same old shit
Well, I can't ignore the obvious. This morning's polls vary between very bad for Labour, and absolutely appallingly atrocious.
At this point a 10-point loss is probably the best we on the left can hope for. While there's life there's hope (perhaps these polls will scare a few?), but to be honest there's precious little life left in the Labour government. Although neither I nor Mrs_Red have been polled, and we're both voting Labour, so perhaps there's some systematic undersampling of folks like us? Or perhaps not...
Where I disagree with Yamis is that National will govern as Labour Lite. I agree they're campaigning as Labour Lite, for the very good reason that Labour's policies have been popular, and the country in 2008 is infinitely preferable to the one Labour inherited in 1999, but there's no way in fuck someone joins the Natioanl Party, let alone becomes a National MP, to preserve Labour's social and eocnomic policies.
Mark my words: National will interpret it's whopping great victory as a mandate for radical neoliberalism, just as they did in 1990. This will be rendered easier by its minor ally, ACT, and by the fact that the National front bench consists largely of nasty 90s neoliberals, plus a hectoring conservative in the form of Judith Collins standing in for Jenny Shipley. I bet Tony Ryall, for example, just can't wait to re-Uptonize the health sector: CHEs competing for patients, $50/night hospital charges. Then Williamson or his replacement will talk about selling the roads to competing companies. And Yamis' school will be compelled to adopt some renamed version of Bulk Funding. Universities will be starved of cash, and become even less internationally competitive than they are now, and there will be a return to the redundancies and austerity of the 90s.
The revolution resumes the minute National gets its greasy hands on the instruments of power. And New Zealand will have thrown away 9 years of progress, and a great Prime Minister, for nothing.
Postscript: Labour's post-election analysis. 1/ Shouldn't have touched the Bradford anti-smacking bill with a fucking barge poll. It was the right thing in principle, but it was electoral poison. 2/ Shouldn't have scrapped the three-years-in-the-making tax bracket adjustments in April 2008.
At this point a 10-point loss is probably the best we on the left can hope for. While there's life there's hope (perhaps these polls will scare a few?), but to be honest there's precious little life left in the Labour government. Although neither I nor Mrs_Red have been polled, and we're both voting Labour, so perhaps there's some systematic undersampling of folks like us? Or perhaps not...
Where I disagree with Yamis is that National will govern as Labour Lite. I agree they're campaigning as Labour Lite, for the very good reason that Labour's policies have been popular, and the country in 2008 is infinitely preferable to the one Labour inherited in 1999, but there's no way in fuck someone joins the Natioanl Party, let alone becomes a National MP, to preserve Labour's social and eocnomic policies.
Mark my words: National will interpret it's whopping great victory as a mandate for radical neoliberalism, just as they did in 1990. This will be rendered easier by its minor ally, ACT, and by the fact that the National front bench consists largely of nasty 90s neoliberals, plus a hectoring conservative in the form of Judith Collins standing in for Jenny Shipley. I bet Tony Ryall, for example, just can't wait to re-Uptonize the health sector: CHEs competing for patients, $50/night hospital charges. Then Williamson or his replacement will talk about selling the roads to competing companies. And Yamis' school will be compelled to adopt some renamed version of Bulk Funding. Universities will be starved of cash, and become even less internationally competitive than they are now, and there will be a return to the redundancies and austerity of the 90s.
The revolution resumes the minute National gets its greasy hands on the instruments of power. And New Zealand will have thrown away 9 years of progress, and a great Prime Minister, for nothing.
Postscript: Labour's post-election analysis. 1/ Shouldn't have touched the Bradford anti-smacking bill with a fucking barge poll. It was the right thing in principle, but it was electoral poison. 2/ Shouldn't have scrapped the three-years-in-the-making tax bracket adjustments in April 2008.
Labels: labour, mark my words, nineties all over again, NZ election 2008
Comments:
Yamis is right.
They’ve moved to the centre significantly since last time around.
BTW, not sure Williamson will get such a great portfolio.
And NZ stopped having a great Prime Minister about a year ago.
They’ve moved to the centre significantly since last time around.
BTW, not sure Williamson will get such a great portfolio.
And NZ stopped having a great Prime Minister about a year ago.
# posted by 
: 7 November 2008 at 12:32
: 7 November 2008 at 12:32
Well, I wager he's wrong.
This National Government will be the reincarnation of the last one. A pack of neoliberal destroyers sprinkled illiberally with rural troglodytes.
Oh joy...
This National Government will be the reincarnation of the last one. A pack of neoliberal destroyers sprinkled illiberally with rural troglodytes.
Oh joy...
While I think that the crusty brained dickheads that are lining up behind Key would like to do as you say DC, I can't see it happening in their first term (or ever for that matter given they don't work). Key is just too moderate and will struggle to remain in one piece if he's having to front policies he doesn't feel comfortable with time after time.
Plus the public voted out all these crap right wing policies in the 90s and kept them out for 9 years. They will recognise them if they try to sneak them back in and it will be a one term government.
the anti-smacking bill has been a disaster for Labour but I'll be fucking appalled if NZ allows any kind of significant re-write allowing parents to belt their kids.
Talk about a moonwalk back to Jurassic park.
Just smash their play station to pieces with your cricket bat.
Plus the public voted out all these crap right wing policies in the 90s and kept them out for 9 years. They will recognise them if they try to sneak them back in and it will be a one term government.
the anti-smacking bill has been a disaster for Labour but I'll be fucking appalled if NZ allows any kind of significant re-write allowing parents to belt their kids.
Talk about a moonwalk back to Jurassic park.
Just smash their play station to pieces with your cricket bat.
A lot will be revelaed when they announce the cabinet.
If Parata, Groser and Finlayson are in, and Maurice and Lockwood are towards the bottom then Yamis and I are right.
If not, then Dc is right.
If Parata, Groser and Finlayson are in, and Maurice and Lockwood are towards the bottom then Yamis and I are right.
If not, then Dc is right.
# posted by : 8 November 2008 at 09:52
: 8 November 2008 at 09:52
Its been three long years dc_red since your and your mate's sickening left wing rhetoric - more of which in this thread - drove me away from our "friendly" on-line conversations. Suck it up my friend, the lefties have gone big time and the polarising PM probably gone forever. That's the best possible outcome for New Zealand's long term interests. Cry into your beer baby, cry.
Kindest regards etc, wiremu1306
Kindest regards etc, wiremu1306
# posted by : 8 November 2008 at 22:45
: 8 November 2008 at 22:45
Get a life. We're left wingers and we write what we think. If you want right wing rhetoric there's plenty of blogs to choose from.
Your complaint doesn't even make sense. I predicted that National will act like it did in the 1990s - implementing the types of neoliberal policies that remain extremely popular with many/most right wing commentators. Yamis disagreed.
But what's your fucking problem with that? How is it "sickening" to say "right wing party will probably act in right wing way - just like they used to?"
But what's your fucking problem with that? How is it "sickening" to say "right wing party will probably act in right wing way - just like they used to?"
I didn't read you guys again since just before the last election, but did keep in mind that when the inevitable happened and the lefties' wheels fell off I should remark on the joyful occasion to you. Actually I agree with legbreak that National are a center right party and know full well that if they want to stay in office that is the position they will have to occupy. And to answer your question, one of the more egregious Labor policies was extending the net of beneficiaries rather than targeted tax cuts, but they should be, and perhaps have been, punished even more for the wreckage they have done to the economy after - and here I am happy to acknowledge it - having shepherded it so well for maybe 8 of their 9 years in office. And at a somewhat more trite level, the PM's tolerance for Winston's behavior, and her increasing nastiness at a personal level as she became more politically desperate, may well have determined her fate even more than the policies she stood for, which I wager only a small proportion of the population ever really evaluated. Cheerio until 2011, when if National has behaved as you so confidently predict that it will, you may castigate me again.
wiremu1306
wiremu1306
# posted by : 10 November 2008 at 01:09
: 10 November 2008 at 01:09
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