She said: "Simplistic responses trying to defend land tax, higher income tax, job cuts in the public sector. Fantasy posing as policy."
Now, if you haven't seen the interview, Helen Clark is right, it was pretty bad. I probably wouldn't go as far as saying it was train-wreck bad but it was far from good.
The leader, Qiulae Wong, was flippant about people being as much as $17,000 worse off in extra tax under her policies. She basically said they just need to look at the bigger picture.
And she didn't know that the party's governing board has the power to veto caucus decisions, which is quite significant in terms of its impact on democracy.
This is actually shaping up to be one of her problems. She's rubbish at the details of her own policy. She's done the same thing when she's been on Newstalk ZB Drive. She came on to talk about their plan to forgive some of the cost of student loans for Kiwis who come home but she didn't know how much would be forgiven on average and she couldn't remember the total cost of the policy.
She is personable, she's likeable and she's a good talker. But her lack of knowledge about her own policies is going to hurt the party's credibility if this continues.
And this is why I think the Opportunity Party may have peaked too soon with that 8 percent result in one of the 1News polls. Had that come out maybe three or four weeks before an election, it might not have left enough time for people to discover all the details: how much extra tax they would have to pay and how nice but unprepared the leader is.
But this is 11 and a half weeks out. That's a long time for the screws to be tightened on this party and from both sides too: National and Labour, including Labour's Auntie Helen.
I would not be surprised if 8 percent proves to be their peak, especially if the leader doesn't brush up on her own policies.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
Helen Clark involving herself in the fray is revealing - alarm
& even, panic ringing in Labour’s ranks at how TOP is taking votes away from the party. Will voters who are totally disillusioned with Labour (& the Greens) take note of policy specifics and return back to the fold?
Doubt it myself - Labour is offering nothing except the same old tired thoroughly discredited and untrustworthy faces (especially Myocarditis Covid Hipkins) and there is a desire for change.
Roll on Nov!
Aunty Helen is looming large all over the media - presumably because Hipkins ( though dangerous) is so colourless .
There is a video doing the rounds where Q envisions the life her daughters will be living under her political paradise. . Apparently they will be blissfully happy in their modest apartment blocks, where all the neighbours are equally happy. They all contribute to a communal vegetable garden and collect kai from the side of the road.
But here is the reality of what it would be like. Citizens of The Republic of Aotearoa live in UN sanctioned 15 minute cities where her government, affectionately known as BB for Big Brother keeps a friendly watchful eye on everyone, and records when they leave, when they return and who they talk to. The citizens don't mind because BB pays them their citizens allowance of $19k per year. They do endure the odd lockdown for the health of the country. If anyone leaves their apartments during lockdown, BB takes their allowance away. In schools they learn how their grandparents struggled under the evils of capitalism and freedom.
Much of the 'support' for TOP in polls is probably finger-wagging at the established parties. People tend to use polls to send a warning to the govt: "Go on as you are and we'll vote for someone else." But come polling day many to most faithfully return to their old voting patterns.
With parties from both sides of the aisle now refusing to contemplate land tax, and by definition the Universal Basic Income it would pay for, TOP are nothing but an empty shell. However if you put it to your ear it still whispers ‘Freeee Moneyyy” to those who want to hear it.
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