JohnKey Python’s Flying Circus?

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And the election gets sillier by the day…

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Full Story

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John Key says,

“We’ve created 5000 extra jobs in the last quarter. What it shows is that slightly more people are looking for work … And what that indicates is there is more confidence coming back into the economy for people to start looking for work.”  Source

What the f—?!

I’m sorry, Dear Leader, but what does “confidence in the economy” have to do with people looking for work? The unemployed are not there by choice, Dear Leader, they are there because a global banking crisis and following recession threw millions of people out of work; bankrupted companies; and brought entire nations to their economic knees.

And let me remind you, Dear Leader, that of the 154,000 New Zealanders currently jobless, you personally made about 2,000 of them redundant by cutting back on government workers despite your promise to cap the civil service – not cut it.

This is the sort of gormless, vacant optimism and spin-doctoring that has been the “signature” of this government. The fact that Prime Minister John Key is so unfeasibly popular with the punters is the only reason he can make such bizarre utterances – and not be laughed out of Parliament.

Mind you, Key’s comments were perhaps equalled by right-wing blogger and National Party apparatchik,  David Farrar, in his regular NZ Herald column,

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Farrar was attempting to explain-away the Dear Leader’s broken promise of not raising gst.  Key made this promise to the people of New Zealand in 2008,

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On 1 October 2010, Key’s government raised GST from 12.5 to 15%. This despite Dear Leader stating,

“National is not going to be raising GST. National wants to cut taxes not raise taxes. We acknowledge the point [made], which is that there is a decade of deficits facing New Zealand. But that comes back to our core point …the fastest way to eliminate those deficits and get New Zealand back into surplus is to get New Zealand growing again.”  Source

So what did Farrar – who has worked for the National Party, and still conducts polling for them – have to say about John Key’s broken committment?  In his blog today (4 November), Farrar stated,

“Now some may say what about John Key on GST. Did he not change his position? Well, yes he did. And I would never argue that MPs should never change a position. But Key’s change of stance was on the back of an independent report that recommended reducing income tax and lifting GST so that there are greater incentives to work and save. That allowed the public to understand the change of stance (if they had not, then Key would not have remained so popular).”  Source

Whoa, there, National Boy! Back up that blue pony of yours and let’s go over that again?

“And I would never argue that MPs should never change a position“

David – there is a Big Difference between “changing a position”, say, pre-election, as Goff did on the issue of raising the eligibility age for superannuation (from 65 to 67) – and making a committment pre-election and changing it post-election.

If Labour had done that, “son”, you and every right wing blogger in the Universe would be  burning electrons to post screeds of Righteous Wrath on your websites, in utter condemnation of such a betrayal.

But you haven’t. And you won’t.

Next,

“But Key’s change of stance was on the back of an independent report that recommended reducing income tax and lifting GST…“

What? An “independent report” you say? Oh, well, that’s different then, in’it? I mean, really, if a politician can fall back on an “Independent Report” – then that makes it just bloody hunky-dory.  No problemo.

One question, but.

Does that same pretext work for left-wing governments?

Or is the rule only for governments of a right-wing flavour?

We just need to know what the “rules” are – ‘cos, y’know,  it seems to be a “dynamic situation”…

And following on (and I personally love this bit),

“…reducing income tax and lifting GST so that there are greater incentives to work and save.”

Really?! Well bugger-me-with-a-boy-scout-brigade, but I thought my “incentives to work and save” were to (a) pay the mortgage so my very nice Bank Manager doesn’t throw me and my family out of my home and I end up living under a bridge (b) pay the bills that seem to drop into my letter box on an hourly basis and (c) buy food, which is kinda traditional, if you want to stay alive.

So in other words,  if our Masters on the Ninth Floor want to “incentivise” us to work harder, raising taxes on our Goods and Services is the way to go about it?

Right.

Got it.

So if we set GST at 99%, we should be working like demons, I guess?

And lastly, Farrar finishes of with this comment, which is gaspingly patronising, to put it mildly,

“That allowed the public to understand the change of stance (if they had not, then Key would not have remained so popular.”

Oh, thank you, master. May we serfs roll around in your mud, a wee bit longer?

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