Auckland Mayoral Election

[morepork]

What next? I'm not sure the government has too many other tools in the box. There are only so many tourism and catering degrees you can offer paying foreign students at imitation tertiary institutions. Manufacturing is pretty much dead. It's quite a stark illustration of how exposed we are following 3 decades of mad economic policy. The TPP was the bestest thing EVA. What will be the spin now?

I hope to baby jebus that the upcoming NZ election goes for the longer view before the incumbents get their hands on super funds and remaining public assets. There's a tipping point coming up.

What would you like to see happen? Manufacturing is in decline all over the Western world - pretty hard to turn that around.

I'd probably put the brakes on selling everything off right now and think about dialing down the outsourcing of raw commodity to overseas. Right now fishing quotas, most of forestry, dairy, meat, and land are totally at the mercy of foreign market whim. Just look at this election result for a start. We've gone from needing a free trade agreement to being resigned to not getting one literally overnight. That's one manic fucking swing. What is plan B? It's the Warren Gatland of economic policy.

Oh yeah, and stop arseing around with the infrastructure budget to look like there is a surplus and using it for tax cuts.

[jared_7]

Bumping this thread to note that I got my "Vote for Chloe" t-shirt. It's nice, and it comes with a handwritten thank you note. Bless her socks.

She's just joined the Green Party for next years elections. Where will she stand and does she have a shot? Is this a good move for her?

[Spy]

John Key resigns: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=11760717

[morepork]

I just saw this. A lot of heat over social services and fake education and dodgy VISAS, but maybe some daily issues? Maybe the mandated free trade deals dying like an asthmatic pig did it. Here comes Judith?

[Spy]

We've actually got a very good ratio of debt to GDP, one of the best in the OECD. I think the both Key Nat Govt and the Clark Labour Govt ran pretty good ships, and as a consequence the NZ economy is doing a lot better than most.

It does throw open the election next year. National looked well on course for a fourth term, but without Key, the Oppostion parties will fancy their chances. English didn't have a happy time as Nat leader last time around, and it's far from certain he'll connect with the electorate this time either, despite his very good record as finance minister.

Interesting times. An unexpected development, that's for sure.

[Spy]

They also had a global recession to deal with. A little from column A, a little from column B.

[Spy]

Cullen deserves plenty of credit for his work in the Clark government, but the Key government deserves credit also. I also appreciate your concern about National Standards, which is shared by a couple of teachers in my family & a couple of friends. National also could have taken the Auckland house price situation more seriously earlier.

One thing with governments and politicians generally, IMO, is that we give them to much credit when things go well, and perhaps judge them too harshly when things go badly. It's easy to be highly regarded in NZ when dairy prices are high and the All Blacks are winning. Sometimes things just go in your favour and anyone could make a decent fist of running the show, and sometimes uncontrollable headwinds make it impossible for Abe Lincoln and Otto von Bismark's lovechild to get things working. Best not to take anything too seriously and wed yourself to one party or another. They're not really all that different in NZ, as far as I can tell.

[morepork]

Spy, you are dreaming man. Tertiary education has been gutted to accommodate predatory private bodies that international criminals can launder money through, an insane policy of promoting mass immigration to keep wages down weighs down an infrastructure guided by a blind public-private mantra that leeches resources, a complete F-you to locals on the housing front, and a scorching of the earth to sell off rights, land, and commodities to overseas hedge funds. Roger Douglas must be wanching himself with glee. The upcoming generation is farked. I hope no one in his family is ill, but I'd say Key is off to the IMF thanks to his good buddy Obama. A reward for his tireless selling out that will come with some cushy board positions on some of parasitic bodies that actually dictate policies in NZ just like all of our politicians have got for the last 35 years.


On a slightly related note, are they all going to jump ship before anything resembling an independent body gets a look at the abuse of kids under state care for the last 40 years?

[morepork]

What cunts.

[jared_7]

We've actually got a very good ratio of debt to GDP, one of the best in the OECD. I think the both Key Nat Govt and the Clark Labour Govt ran pretty good ships, and as a consequence the NZ economy is doing a lot better than most.

It does throw open the election next year. National looked well on course for a fourth term, but without Key, the Oppostion parties will fancy their chances. English didn't have a happy time as Nat leader last time around, and it's far from certain he'll connect with the electorate this time either, despite his very good record as finance minister.

Interesting times. An unexpected development, that's for sure.

How much of the NZ economy is propped up by an overinflated property market and foreign ownership?

It seems to me as though Key drew a line in the sand between homeowners and the rest and basically organised policy around strengthening asset prices. Where you view him likely largely depends on which one of those groups you fall in. A brief look online shows our education rankings have fallen, health fallen, poverty rates increased, although correct me if I'm wrong. There wasn't people living in cars when I left.

Do any of you in NZ seriously believe the next generation is better off than you are?

[morepork]

He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....

[canta_brian]

Do we have any nz based posters under the age of 30 on here. I would like to hear their thoughts if there are.

[morepork]

On the mental health services in Chch....they had their resources trimmed like a porn stars genitals just when they needed them most. Facilities are staffed by hopelessly out of their depth part time volunteers that cannot provide the requisite expertise to people that have been waiting over 5 years for insurance claims to be resolved. It's fucking medieval. Education is another massive diseased cock waiting to penetrate the upcoming generation. The shit that the GCSB fiasco swept under the rug is just astounding in an apparently functioning democracy. Even Uncle Sam with all his radioactive liberty freedom eagle patriotic bluster got held to task over that sort of surveillance. In Gnu Zulland......just whatevs. I have seen my beloved South Island communities overtaken by cooperatives and agricultural intensification that has literally shit on the environment. Some of the effluent flowing out to the sea in Canterbury and on the West Coast as imported slave labour dumps it daily is sickening. When you get a snapshot once a year of the changes there over the last 10 years, it is grimly stark. Meanwhile, the NZ press offers golf claps and cake and biscuits for the announcement of the Merril Lynch exit strategy. I mean, just fuck.I hope the young folks have water wings.

[morepork]

Mike Hosking....sweet jesus...

[Eugene Wrayburn]

He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....

I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".

[zer0]

Glad to see someone finally fall on their sword for that Chicago debacle.

[jared_7]

So all round pretty positive for Key on here, then?

Why do people think we are so at odds with the rest of the country? As Morepork mentioned, I do find it quite enlightening only coming back every 18 months or so, changes are more pronounced. I sort of get why those sitting on million dollar homes probably feel Key has done a good job, like Cantab I would be interested to know the feeling among those under 30/non home owners.

[morepork]

He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....

I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".

It was designed by US multinationals for US multinationals. A small group of people would have made a killing selling commodities and intellectual property to them.

[J Dory]

So three in the running, who do you fancy, Collins, English or Coleman?

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political ... priorities

[jared_7]

Collins is diabolical.

For me probably Coleman, doesn't seem as entrenched as the other two.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....

I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".

It was designed by US multinationals for US multinationals. A small group of people would have made a killing selling commodities and intellectual property to them.

Regardless of who designed it, am I right that it's still alive?

[morepork]

Collins is diabolical.

For me probably Coleman, doesn't seem as entrenched as the other two.

Coleman is very susceptible to lobbyists.

[Spy]

So three in the running, who do you fancy, Collins, English or Coleman?

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political ... priorities

I heard English & Coleman in that interview. I don't know a lot about Coleman, but it was good to hear him prioritise health & education ahead of tax cuts. Voted against gay marriage bill, which may be a pointer that he's not as liberal as Key on social issues. English ran the solid and dependable line, which is fair enough. I missed Collins, but she would be a disaster for National IMO. More hard right, more nasty.

It would be a surprise if English didn't get the job, I would think.

[J Dory]

English says "There needed to be more focus on getting the benefits of that economic growth spread more broadly around communities, Mr English said".

Does anyone believe him? Serious question, I'm out of the loop on current NZ politicians credibility wise.

[morepork]

Coleman is likely being groomed by Crosby Textor. He has consistently blocked any sort of regulation of public health that conflicts with industry aims (e.g. coca cola, Catherine Rich, etc). Education and social services have been effectively handed over (we really should have seen that coming: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10421543), and health is the next big thing to be "outsourced".

English is the worlds dullest accountant and Collins should probably be in prison.