Open mike 25/10/2023

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 52 comments
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52 comments on “Open mike 25/10/2023”

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  2. 2

    Bemusing to hear Luxon on RNZ patronising the reporter that essentially every part of government formation will be conducted in silence for as long as they feel like it, and they're not answerable to anyone.

    All he could provide as a timetable was that MPs will be called back from leave early to start implementing the 100 day plan.

    Luxon has already started treating us like a company, not a country.

    2. 2.2

      Luxon kept repeating 'Strong. Stable Government' like it was a sacred mantra and if he said it often enough it would magically happen. Is this how his religion works?

    3. 2.3

      Luxon's genius must be left to run free – immortal, invisible, forged in the fire of business, the still point of the turning world. Anything else is wet and whiny.

      1. 2.3.1

        smileysmiley…nice AB…..it would only take a small swing and for Winston to retire to see the Left back… I don't think this will happen in 3 years if Hipkins is in charge though

        1. 2.4.1.1

          You mean like:

          Labour left everything in such a shocking mess, it is going to take us at least three years to sort it out. Once we get the country back on a stable footing we will be able to move forward at great speed blah, blah, blah etc…. 🙄

    5. 2.5

      IIRC – there were no media briefings from any of the parties involved about the negotiation specifics in 2017. Until the end – when Winston announced his decision on National TV – without even informing Ardern, first.

      Of course, it didn't stop the endless media speculation about what might be being discussed. And the ill-informed 'reckons' of ex-politicians.

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/live-updates-following-winston-peters-negotiations.html

      1. 3.1.1

        Yep. Since 2008 they have had Phil Goff, David Shearer, David Cunliffe, David Parker, Andrew Little, Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins …. oh wait …. that wasnt them was it.

          2. 3.1.1.1.2

            Parker was leader for a couple of months. He, having been the deputy to Cunliffe, became the interim leader when Cunliffe resigned and was the leader until Little was elected a couple of months later.

            Parker did run for the leadership in that election but came third to Little and Robertson.

            1. 3.1.1.1.2.1

              Fair point Alwyn, but in the context and sense of Leb's comment he was never truly the leader.

              For what it’s worth, I think Robertson has earned a shot at the top job, with Hipkins still in the shadow cabinet hopefully.

    1. 4.1

      Inevitable fall out from the Michael Wood saga.

      For those with Ministerial ambitions, and small shareholdings – selling out the shares is the obvious alternative (cf Chris Bishop selling his 500 brewery shares)

      And is highly unlikely to have any impact at all on the stock market.

      Those with larger shareholdings, will almost certainly hold them, and manage the conflict.

      1. 4.1.1

        The hypocrisy and economic failure behind it is the wider point.

        We persecute those who have shares and allow those who have property to award themselves more wealth and pretend this is a fulfilled ethical stance.

  5. 5

    Luxon repeats mantras believing if he wants it enough it will happen.

    Many people operate in this fashion, stating goals so they recognise things which impede those goals.

    (Unions Collectives Co-operatives Community are impediments according to this belief system).imo.

    He is stroking his "supporters" saying what they want to hear. "Strong and stable Government", meaning he will underpin the goal of money making and wealth accumulation.

    Now, that is fine if you belong to the 5% / 10% who live that way, but it takes away from the common pot of support for the rest of us. imo.

    We need different taxes which avoid this imbalance. imo.

    Community goals are often those things which feed the spirit, Cultural experiences Art Music Cycling Community Gardening Walking Dance Sport and common interest groups, Work place friendships shared experiences and goals which connect us etc.

    Then you get folk who say "There is no such thing as "Society" We are all "individuals" perhaps because that suits their belief agenda. I think Luxon is in that group, and that is why he said "We don't want bottom feeders".

    1. 5.1

      I think you are misunderstanding the purpose of branding and slogans. They are to outline your point of difference, to be memorable, and to (subtly or otherwise) shaft the opposition.

      Repeating them is how you embed them into public consciousness.

      Remember "Team of 5 million" "Nine years of neglect" – examples showing that Ardern (who after all has a degree in communications) understood the principle and used it effectively.

      You can disagree as much as you please with the truth of the statement – and your slogan can come back to bite you (what do you think the Opposition will do if Luxon's government *isn't* stable?) – as Ardern's 'Team of 5 million' did, when it became clear that a large chunk of the 5 million were not on the 'team')

      His 'supporters' (if you include ACT and NZF) – are the majority of voters who elected him. He's telling them what they need/want to hear. That he can form a stable government, staying true to the principles he outlined in the campaign.

      Whether he can, or not, is another matter – and we'll see when the government forms.

      The country had the chance to vote for a different tax regime. They didn't take it.

      1. 5.1.1

        You may think what you like about my opinion, that does not mean I have "misunderstood" except in your opinion.

        Propaganda is what it is..

        Truth, now that is subjective, and often massaged.

      2. 5.1.2

        That he can form a stable government

        More of an affirmation or possibly an upper floor prayer to the almighty I'm picking.

  7. 7

    From Nick Rockel

    https://nickrockel.substack.com/p/taxing-the-super-rich

    Makes a lot of sense.

    "I think Labour and the Greens should release a joint tax plan within the next year. This should include a wealth tax, a drop in the lowest tax rate or a tax free threshold, an increase to the top rate of income tax, and minimum tax rates for companies based on their revenue in this country.

    Long term it’s not a viable position for the major party of the left to oppose a more progressive tax system. In doing so they are effectively enabling the rich to protect their exorbitant wealth and avoid paying their fair share.

    That cannot be the position of the major party of the left in the future. Or they will struggle to remain as the major party of the left, with others willing to stand up for a fairer system that enables our society to pay for the things that everyone needs."

  9. 9

    Somebody tell Luxon that the election campaign is over and he can stop sloganeering. They should also whisper in his ear(piece) that he’s no longer managing an airline but about to govern this country for all New Zealanders.

    “Prime ministers are always going to set rules for their engagement with the media. But there's no law that says the Press Gallery has to follow them. I think (Luxon) has unrealistic ideas about how government formation talks work, because he talks about them as if they were a merger or acquisition. They're not,” he [Richard Harman] said.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018911843/take-me-to-your-leader [by Colin Peacock]

      1. 9.1.1

        Where? I’d like to read that.

        Ah on the NZ Herald – explains why I haven’t seen it.

        Asked for one piece of advice for Luxon, English said it was to remember the Government was not a business.

        “It’s not a business okay,” he said, going on to say that Luxon appeared to have already learned this lesson.

        “What I really like about Chris Luxon is how quickly he’s learned that. He’s only had the shortest time ever to learn it,” English said.

        English had other advice for the incoming government, including to remember that the “customer” for a minister’s work is not an official in a ministry, but the wider public. He warned against being captured by the public service.

        He said the new government should challenge the way the public service works.

        The problem with that is the position of all three coalition parties. Act wants to cut deeply into muscle in the public service. National wants to finance unrealistic tax cuts and will cut muscle to do so. And NZ First just wants to cut whoever offended them recently in the public service – probably starting with Jack Tame.

        The nett effect will be to strip the effective members of the public service and to promote the ineffective sycophant brown nose. Apart from Peters, there isn’t much competent experience in any of the parties to be able to judge public service competence. Plus they will get an opportunity to fill in the position of Public Service Commissioner. That decision will be interesting to watch.

  10. 10

    Labour’s failures may make things tricky for Luxon. A good Tory PM essentially wants to do nothing while wondering if we should change the flag or watching the rugby.

    Usually this means keeping all the necessary reforms Labour made to areas of society or country in need. The problem this time might be that the new government may have to deal head on with climate change. They’ve already indicated that the housing crisis will continue and get worse. Infrastructure from transport to water to electricity needs bold market intervention.

    Long story short doing a few things that achieve little up front like boot camps and then sitting tight may really not be an option.

  11. 11

    "The country's population grew by 105,900 people in the 12 months to June 2023, according to new estimates from Statistics NZ. Auckland led the growth, fuelled by migration.

    Stats NZ estimates the population at 5.223 million as of June 30. The population of the North Island is now just short of 4 million.

    The 105,900 extra people in the whole country in the 12 months to June 2023 represented 2.1% growth.

    "The population grew in all 16 regions of New Zealand in the year ended June 2023, according to provisional estimates," Stats NZ said."

    https://www.interest.co.nz/economy/124923/stats-nz-says-countrys-population-grew-105900-people-year-june-aucklands-population

    What housing crisis and infrastructure deficit?

    2. 11.2

      How many are returning NZers? Are they counted as immigrants, I was under the impression Kiwis who had been away for a while were counted as such.

      1. 11.2.1

        How many are returning citizens I cannot say though if they were resident previously in another country and are relocating long term here then they will be counted in the migration statistics.

        1. 11.2.2.1

          Thank you….I had looked but obviously not in the correct place.

          "The net migration loss of 34,800 New Zealand citizens in the June 2023 year compares with a net migration loss of 12,400 in the June 2022 year. "

          Your link. 

  13. 13

    While the world reminds Israel about article 4 of the Geneva Convention (and maybe article 15 of the Human Rights Declaration), parties in our parliament will also have to remind the incoming NACT government about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights …

    articles that come to mind are …

    8

    https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/articles-1-15.html

    22-26

    https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/articles-16-30.html

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