The One News poll was only slightly better for National. Maiki Sherman, who managed to turn a news item on it into something resembling a documentary, once again had the government gone. She brought up some good points but, when talking to them, destroyed them by lacing them with dollops of intended bias. Her efforts only served to illustrate why so many have given up watching the news as objectivity is nowhere to be seen.
The main takeaway from recent polling is the low level of support for the National Party. As I pointed out in my last piece this is reflected in comments made by Good Oilers that show people on this site are pretty much on the ball. I have been of the opinion that the main reason for the angst against National was their opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill, but the polls show this not to be the case.
The polls show treaty matters are not of great concern to the majority of voters, but they should be. Recent comments from the Māori Party make a coalition of the left a terrifying thought. It is the cost of living and the economy that are the most important to voters. Progress in these areas has been slow but in National’s defence an economy doesn’t turn around overnight. Having said that I do think National’s modus operandi needs a rethink and rejig.
We have had a lot of announcements from National on the economic front but little action or progress on what has been talked about. Interest rates are falling and the tax cuts have left a little more money in people’s pockets but there is an inertia about how the government is going about its business.
I know I bang on a lot about Trump but there is daylight between what he has achieved in a few weeks and what our government has achieved since coming to power. As Mike Hosking on ZB said to Christopher Luxon the other week, “Just get on with it.” Here’s the difference, Trump realises he has only four years to turn things around and has had the foot on the accelerator from day one. Luxon needs to follow his lead: actions speak louder than words.
We know that the way our political system works is different and Trump can do a lot off his own bat through executive orders but that alone does not explain the difference in the speed at which each government is working. It is also the breadth and depth of Trump’s actions that are causing people to sit up and take notice. Making it simpler is the fact he is dealing with just one party meaning there is no need for drawn out negotiations. Again, I am not offering that as an excuse.
Trump has a party fully committed to his agenda, barring a couple of outliers. Our government, once negotiations were concluded, presumably had everything in place on major policy issues. Therefore it is mystifying why things haven’t moved faster. The ministers who have stood out to me as wanting to get things done are Simeon Brown, Shane Jones and Erica Stanford. I do think Christopher Luxon and Todd McCLay have done good work on matters pertaining to trade and Winston is to be commended for his work in the area of foreign affairs. It’s the broader picture that is of concern.
There has been a lot of talk from Chris Bishop concerning housing and Nicola Willis on growing the economy, but what is frustrating many is that we are not seeing enough implementation of policy and action. Shane Jones talks a lot about the benefits of the fast-track legislation but beyond receiving expressions of interest what is happening? Have any been given a green light to proceed? Dig baby dig is great, but when?
So why can’t the government get out of first gear? The systems in place seem slow and laborious. Select committees seem to take an age. Surely there is a way of speeding things up so the government can move faster on things it wants to accomplish. We are in a three-year election cycle and time is of the essence I would have thought.
Being lumbered with all the Treaty of Waitangi nonsense is perhaps the greatest impediment to getting on with the job. It is difficult to grow the economy when you are constantly being forced to consider issues of race before making every decision. Luxon’s idea of dealing with these issues on each individual piece of legislation is tantamount to driving with the handbrake on. He needs a rethink on this. Overseas investors could well be put off by having to deal with this sort of rubbish.
It might also help if we adopted a ‘charity begins at home’ approach like Trump has done and stop giving billions to lost causes like the Paris Accord and the WHO. ‘New Zealand First’ (not the party) should be the premise on which taxpayers’ money is allocated. Also, more money would be saved if we appointed an Elon Musk type to go through government departments’ setups, spending methods and accountability.
Musk has just cancelled 900,000,000 dollars’ worth of contracts from the Department of Education. It takes little imagination to think what types of programmes this money would be funding.
At election time we look at what three years has achieved, often not much, and we are bombarded with another load of promises. There needs to be action happening at a faster pace and with a dedication and enthusiasm that takes the people along with them, as is the case in America. The polls are telling a story and the government has to start reading the room.
CBS, a left-wing media outlet, has released its poll showing Trump’s approval rating is at 53 per cent (some polls have it as high as 70 per cent) and most people say he is doing more than they anticipated and they like what they see. Seventy per cent say he is doing what he promised in his campaign. However 66 per cent say he is not doing enough to lower prices. Like here, the cost of living is a major issue.
Having said all of the above, whatever happens, we cannot allow the other side to get near the levers of power, especially after the comments from the Māori Party that they want to effectively destroy democracy. Hipkins is indicating he won’t support their wishes even though they have said it is a bottom line in any negotiation. That remains to be seen. The Māori Party, probably without realising it, are providing Luxon with the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card he may very well need.
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
The main takeaway from recent polling is the low level of support for the National Party. As I pointed out in my last piece this is reflected in comments made by Good Oilers that show people on this site are pretty much on the ball. I have been of the opinion that the main reason for the angst against National was their opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill, but the polls show this not to be the case.
The polls show treaty matters are not of great concern to the majority of voters, but they should be. Recent comments from the Māori Party make a coalition of the left a terrifying thought. It is the cost of living and the economy that are the most important to voters. Progress in these areas has been slow but in National’s defence an economy doesn’t turn around overnight. Having said that I do think National’s modus operandi needs a rethink and rejig.
We have had a lot of announcements from National on the economic front but little action or progress on what has been talked about. Interest rates are falling and the tax cuts have left a little more money in people’s pockets but there is an inertia about how the government is going about its business.
I know I bang on a lot about Trump but there is daylight between what he has achieved in a few weeks and what our government has achieved since coming to power. As Mike Hosking on ZB said to Christopher Luxon the other week, “Just get on with it.” Here’s the difference, Trump realises he has only four years to turn things around and has had the foot on the accelerator from day one. Luxon needs to follow his lead: actions speak louder than words.
We know that the way our political system works is different and Trump can do a lot off his own bat through executive orders but that alone does not explain the difference in the speed at which each government is working. It is also the breadth and depth of Trump’s actions that are causing people to sit up and take notice. Making it simpler is the fact he is dealing with just one party meaning there is no need for drawn out negotiations. Again, I am not offering that as an excuse.
Trump has a party fully committed to his agenda, barring a couple of outliers. Our government, once negotiations were concluded, presumably had everything in place on major policy issues. Therefore it is mystifying why things haven’t moved faster. The ministers who have stood out to me as wanting to get things done are Simeon Brown, Shane Jones and Erica Stanford. I do think Christopher Luxon and Todd McCLay have done good work on matters pertaining to trade and Winston is to be commended for his work in the area of foreign affairs. It’s the broader picture that is of concern.
There has been a lot of talk from Chris Bishop concerning housing and Nicola Willis on growing the economy, but what is frustrating many is that we are not seeing enough implementation of policy and action. Shane Jones talks a lot about the benefits of the fast-track legislation but beyond receiving expressions of interest what is happening? Have any been given a green light to proceed? Dig baby dig is great, but when?
So why can’t the government get out of first gear? The systems in place seem slow and laborious. Select committees seem to take an age. Surely there is a way of speeding things up so the government can move faster on things it wants to accomplish. We are in a three-year election cycle and time is of the essence I would have thought.
Being lumbered with all the Treaty of Waitangi nonsense is perhaps the greatest impediment to getting on with the job. It is difficult to grow the economy when you are constantly being forced to consider issues of race before making every decision. Luxon’s idea of dealing with these issues on each individual piece of legislation is tantamount to driving with the handbrake on. He needs a rethink on this. Overseas investors could well be put off by having to deal with this sort of rubbish.
It might also help if we adopted a ‘charity begins at home’ approach like Trump has done and stop giving billions to lost causes like the Paris Accord and the WHO. ‘New Zealand First’ (not the party) should be the premise on which taxpayers’ money is allocated. Also, more money would be saved if we appointed an Elon Musk type to go through government departments’ setups, spending methods and accountability.
Musk has just cancelled 900,000,000 dollars’ worth of contracts from the Department of Education. It takes little imagination to think what types of programmes this money would be funding.
At election time we look at what three years has achieved, often not much, and we are bombarded with another load of promises. There needs to be action happening at a faster pace and with a dedication and enthusiasm that takes the people along with them, as is the case in America. The polls are telling a story and the government has to start reading the room.
CBS, a left-wing media outlet, has released its poll showing Trump’s approval rating is at 53 per cent (some polls have it as high as 70 per cent) and most people say he is doing more than they anticipated and they like what they see. Seventy per cent say he is doing what he promised in his campaign. However 66 per cent say he is not doing enough to lower prices. Like here, the cost of living is a major issue.
Having said all of the above, whatever happens, we cannot allow the other side to get near the levers of power, especially after the comments from the Māori Party that they want to effectively destroy democracy. Hipkins is indicating he won’t support their wishes even though they have said it is a bottom line in any negotiation. That remains to be seen. The Māori Party, probably without realising it, are providing Luxon with the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card he may very well need.
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
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