Another day in a lie of the National Party

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= That Was Then =

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"National’s rebalancing of the tax system is self-funding and requires no cuts to public services or additional borrowing." - http://www.national.org.nz/files/2008/ECONOMY/Tax_Policy_Paper.pdf

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"This makes it absolutely clear that to fund National’s tax package there is no requirement for additional borrowing and there is no requirement to cut public services." - http://www.national.org.nz/files/2008/ECONOMY/Tax_Policy_Paper.pdf

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"If National is elected to lead the next government, I personally guarantee that we will...
...Ensure government spending is focused on frontline services such as health and education by capping the number of bureacrats and putting real discipline around government spending." - http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0810/9610985fe02ddcb32279.jpeg

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= This Was Before=

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Of course, the “cap” soon turned into cuts. Two thousand five hundred cuts.

It’s not very  fashionable to say it these days – but these were 2,500 hard working, dedicated, state sector workers who made sure that the wheels of government moved efficiently. They made sure police got their cars, radios, and tasers. They made sure doctors got their hi-tech machines-that-went-*ping*  and medicines.  They made sure schools were resourced (as much as penny-pinching politicians might permit).

And all the other jobs that are quietly done, out of sight, and which make our society function. John Key said pretty much the same thing in a speech, in March 2008.

Key was also adamant that National would not cut front-line staff, and instead would re-direct resources to where it was needed,

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"We are not going to reduce the number of front-line staff. Let me make this absolutely clear – under National the numbers of doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, police and other front-line staff will grow.
In addition, we are not going to radically reorganise the structure of the state sector. Our focus will be on delivering services. Just as Labour has done, we will take opportunities to make changes to some agencies as part of the usual business of government. However, there will be no wholesale reorganisation or restructuring across the state sector." - http://www.johnkey.co.nz/index.php?/archives/335-SPEECH-Focusing-on-the-Front-Line.html

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Both Key and English repeated the mantra; “no cuts to frontline staff, no cuts to frontline staff, no cuts to frontline staff, no cuts to frontline staff...”

The public came to believe Dear Leader and Little Leader.

Until the day of reckoning, and the lie was exposed…

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= This Was Before=

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The first lie was that there would be a cap on the state sector.

The second lie was that there would be not cuts.

The third lie was that cuts would be made on the “backroom bureacracy”  (whatever that is), and not on the front line.

All  lies.

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Full Story

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Does anyone know if, or when  John Key, Bill English, aren’t telling lies?

This blogger has been politically involved since his late teens.  I have lived through the Muldoon regime; the Lange/Douglas “reforms”; the cock-ups of the Bolger/Richardson/Birch/Shipley circus; and the safer, more steady stewardship of Clark and Cullen.

I can tell the reader one thing: of all the governments we have had since the 1970s, the two most mendacious; dishonest; deceptive and manipulative ones have been;

*drumrolllllll*
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May we have the envelope please.

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And the winners are…

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#1. Key & English
#2. Lange & Douglas

No need to clap.

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Even Bolger – to his credit – kept to his word on most of his policies and pledges.

To my fellow New Zealanders – even to you folk who naively voted for National last November – I offer you this prediction; by the time the next election rolls around, you will be climbing over each other to cast your ballots, and to vote to throw out this shabby, dishonest, visionless ratbag regime.

You will have had a gutsful of Key’s empty promises and National’s shady dealings with casinos and other corporate interests.

You will have had enough of the relentless bad news; the growing inequality; the lack of jobs and spreading poverty; and losing more of your friends and family to Australia.

You may not even be here in New Zealand by the next election.

But I hope you still vote. We will need it.

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= fs =