Cam Slater: More Cheek than a Fat Lady’s Bum

You have to give it to the opposition, not only are they trying to gaslight us all into believing they were sound economic managers but now they are hypocritically talking about smoke and mirrors for the up-coming budget.

Labour finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds says she isn’t convinced the Government will fulfil its promise to provide tax cuts in the Budget without increasing debt or worsening inflation.

It comes as Edmonds uses her first pre-Budget speech to warn New Zealanders of the “smoke and mirrors” the coalition Government might employ in its attempt to address long-standing issues such as homelessness, and the quality of health and education infrastructure.

“What you will see on Budget day are big numbers. But I ask you to be aware of the smoke and mirrors,” she said.

“Is it really a meaningful budget increase or just what was set aside by the previous Labour Government bundled together to make it look big, plus a little bit more that doesn’t even meet inflation?”

NZ Herald

More front than a department store, right there. Labour can hardly talk about inflationary spending when they spent like drunken sailors on a bender.

But to then talk about homelessness when all of their shenanigans inside Kainga Ora is being revealed this week is just rank hypocrisy.

And don’t even get me started on the health sector which they crippled with their unnecessary restructure to pander to Maori interests.

For Labour to be talking about smoke and mirrors when their very own economic conjurer used plenty of both as he delivered his crazy budgets is just getting beyond the pale.

Three words regarding smoke and mirrors…”well being budget”.

Speaking at the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, Edmonds was critical of the Government’s proposed public service spending cut of between 6.5 and 7.5 per cent, which had led to about 4500 job losses so far.

“In Government, we knew that there were efficiencies to be made to the public service post our Covid-19 response, and a pathway back to black.

“[Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson] had already asked departments to find 2 per cent savings which is a sensible first sweep.

“These current cuts go too deep, too fast and we are seeing the repercussions already.”

NZ Herald

And yet most Kiwi voters think the Government has been too timid with state sector sackings.

Arguably she might be more qualified than Nicola Willis to be Finance Minister, but she won’t get far when all she has in her kit bag is gaslighting, hypocrisy and more cheek than a fat lady’s bum.

Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the BFD - where this article was sourced.