LINDSAY MITCHELL: National are not promising you anything except other people's money
- Administrator
- Jul 27
- 2 min read
National are not promising you anything except other people's money.
The latest example, having historically opposed Paid Parental Leave, they are now promising to extend it further. This is what they famously did with the Clark government's Working for Families which sealed the 2005 election for Labour. Remember John Key and his scathing comment about 'communism by stealth'? He had three terms to repeal but it is still with us. In this term National have increased payments.
This is what National does, over and over. They opposed most of the Ardern/Sepuloni welfare reforms like the Best Start payment, removing the requirement to name fathers and no longer using child support to offset the Sole Parent benefit. Come to power and they are silent.
They repeatedly cave in, which earns them a justifiable reputation as 'Labour lite'.
That drags the political centre to the left. That forces the parties on the left to push the boat out even further, and what was radical becomes palatable and then acceptable.
That's the story of the last 35 years.
Returning to National's latest about-face, it is embarrassingly obvious that National is hunting the female vote. Women vote left in larger numbers than men. So to keep their jobs National need to be woman-friendly.
But who are they doing a disservice to in the process?
By dragging us left each time they gets their hands on the reins (while all the time promising to save us from the left) they enable more redistribution of taxes. There are now new taxes being proposed at this campaign like capital gains, asset, inheritance and land tax.
National doesn't save us from 'communism by stealth'. It enables it.
Only principled opposition, with enough power to be effective, will lead us back towards personal responsibility and prosperity.
Probably it's too late as even ACT - ridiculously labelled 'far right' - seems to suffer from a milder form of the same syndrome. Yes, I understand there is a generational influence at play. Yes, politics is the art of the possible.
But while entitlement only ever seems to expand, its capacity to do so is limited.
Winston Churchill said it best:
"For a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
The stated goals in ACT's constitution are to reduce the size, cost and role of central government and promote the ownership and self determination of citizens' lives. Those are also the basic concepts from the Age of Enlightenment that were the basis for the the success of western culture and civilization. The people we call the government have an important role to play in managing some basic things like law and order, protection of our borders and sovereignty and infrastructure. They should perform those duties responsibly, accountably and affordably for the benefit of all citizens.
They should not impose too much regulation and control on the Natural Rights of individuals who are not causing material harm to others or the property of others. They…
New Zealand is on a very slippery slope to woke socialism. Our so called left and right parties march to the same drum.
Out of desperation I promote an ACT and NZF coalition with National as a minor member.
I have doubts about ACT because of supporting the India FTA and appointing questionable Maori Waitangi policy supporting candidates. I also have doubts with NZF because of changes in allegiances depending on being a king maker.
What a sorry basis to vote on in an election.
It seems there is a global attack on western democracy supported by those employed under its jurisdiction.
An even more appropriate Churchill quote would be ""The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."
National want to be everyone's mate, not recognising they're losing lots of mates... they need to appoint a leader who knows how to use an axe...
As Richard Prebble said “you can never outspend socialists”