January 28, 2015
Key’s state house privatisation vs Little’s Jobs. Jobs. Jobs
Key's state house privatisation vs Little's Jobs. Jobs. Jobs
MARTYN BRADBURY
29 January 2015
Both leaders of the two largest political parties released their State of the Nation addresses this week. Labour desperately trying to reconnect with the middle voter by chanting Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and National clearly surprised with their landslide victory last year deciding to go hard right and privatise another public asset.
Labour's leader Andrew Little was light on actual solutions but his mantra of Jobs. Jobs. Jobs was aimed at an Auckland Business meeting where Labour are hoping to make inroads with the self employed and small to medium business owners. It wasn't much to get excited about, but being dull and beige right now is probably a smart move. When the NZ electorate shrug off Dirty Politics and the appalling abuses of power within the SIS to smear Phil Goff months out from the 2011 election, what on earth can an Opposition actually do?
NZ crucified Helen Clark for signing a painting she didn't paint, yet seemed to have rallied to John Key despite his office colluding with the State Spies to smear a political opponent. Overcoming a political double standard like that requires lots of none judgemental cuddles for the middle.
Key on the other hand wasn't wooing the middle, he was playing to the angry National Party rump who detest Maori rights, women's rights and beneficiary rights. Punishing lazy state house bludgers by throwing them onto the streets of market rentals will be too kind for the average National Party voter and Key knows he needs to give his rump voters some raw meat policy after his astounding win at the ballot box. Privatising state housing and farming Government's social obligations out to religious charities is an appalling abdication of responsibility while also being a gift to landlords and property speculators.
We have seen this tactic time and time again from Key. He subsidises the rich with borrowed tax cuts, to buy public assets and then passes that money along to Dairy interests who want money for irrigation. Here Key will sell state houses off to speculators and a few charities while increasing those who will gain a subsidy which is just more money into the pockets of landlords.
The actual problem is that poverty and inequality are so intense, we simply don't have enough state housing to meet the need. We require more state houses to be built, but Labour has a difficult job suggesting they will build any more state houses and not get painted by National as helping bludgers.
National excel at privatising public assets for their wealthy mates while pretending the entire project is designed to help those it is causing the most suffering to.
Based on these two speeches today, the State of our Nation is divided into two very different worlds – those who have the power and those who do not.
Martyn Bradbury
Editor – TheDailyBlog.co.nz
Citizen A – Face TV Sky 83
Facebook/CitizenBomber
twitter.com/CitizenBomber
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com