Luxon to attack in speech

[Lilith7]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...-tax-hikes

A 'big speech' which presumably means lengthy. Oh joy - just what we need in the middle of a pandemic!


"National Party leader Christopher Luxon is poised to use the first big speech of his leadership to launch a full-frontal attack on the Government's tax, cost-of-living and welfare dependency record.

On Sunday Luxon is giving a “state of the nation” address in Auckland, and it is understood that he will use the speech to announce that National will repeal every extra tax hike or effective tax increases the Government has imposed since Labour came to office in late 2017.
Luxon is expected to also use the speech to outline how the National Party’s centre-right principles can guide New Zealand through a post-Covid world. This is understood to include a continued focus on welfare dependency – especially at a time of low unemployment – that the centre-right leader has made since Parliament returned last month."


I think most of us can remember the past attention to 'welfare dependency' from National in the past - 'the mother of all budgets' might ring a few bells. And the removal of a training allowance.


And you have to wonder exactly how any National govt would function if it removes that taxation. It does so far, sound rather like more of the same - the wealthy telling those struggling how to live.
Humans are slow learners.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I can't remember where I picked up this thought, it definitely isn't original, but our political system is still wealthy, pre millennial, white, older male, aggression focused. Dominance rules.

I long for the day when we redesign our system to be more Aoteraroan. Because that simply isn't the way most of us operate these days.

[Wainuiguy]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...-tax-hikes

A 'big speech' which presumably means lengthy. Oh joy - just what we need in the middle of a pandemic!


"National Party leader Christopher Luxon is poised to use the first big speech of his leadership to launch a full-frontal attack on the Government's tax, cost-of-living and welfare dependency record.

On Sunday Luxon is giving a “state of the nation” address in Auckland, and it is understood that he will use the speech to announce that National will repeal every extra tax hike or effective tax increases the Government has imposed since Labour came to office in late 2017.
Luxon is expected to also use the speech to outline how the National Party’s centre-right principles can guide New Zealand through a post-Covid world. This is understood to include a continued focus on welfare dependency – especially at a time of low unemployment – that the centre-right leader has made since Parliament returned last month."


I think most of us can remember the past attention to 'welfare dependency' from National in the past - 'the mother of all budgets' might ring a few bells. And the removal of a training allowance.


And you have to wonder exactly how any National govt would function if it removes that taxation. It does so far, sound rather like more of the same - the wealthy telling those struggling how to live.
Humans are slow learners.

Ah yes nothing like reviewing something before seeing or hearing it based on your personal bias.

[Magoo]

...the first big speech of his leadership to launch a full-frontal lobotomy on the Government's tax, cost-of-living and welfare dependency record.

[Praktica]

Luxon promising to cut taxes for the rich, and those that own multiple houses, without telling us what cuts he would make to government spending.

[Magoo]

I can't remember where I picked up this thought, it definitely isn't original, but our political system is still wealthy, pre millennial, white, older male, aggression focused. Dominance rules.

I long for the day when we redesign our system to be more Aoteraroan. Because that simply isn't the way most of us operate these days.

but those stale old white guys stepped up to our governance to make this country what it is.
these men sought to forment and effect real change, creating the opportunities we all enjoy today, men and women.
they built our universities and librarys, so that future generations could better themselves and some day look down their well fed, well educated noses at the generations who provided those benefits selflessly for the generations to come, certainly it wasnt for their own aggrandisement. 

im sure many of them would rather have been sitting at home by the fire instead of undertaking civil responsibilities and working towards a better society. but if not them then who? no one else stepped up.

dominance and aggression arent endemic to politics, they are part of our psyche, the human condition.
dominance is the cornerstone of democracy, the majority dominating the minority. when this balance is upset, bad things happen. undemocratic things. like being excluded because youre old, white and stale

[Praktica]

You don't have to be stale, just because you're old and white.

[Magoo]

sometimes im made to feel like i have to apologise for being an old white guy, it shouldnt be like that.
all ive ever done is contribute

[Lilith7]

I can't remember where I picked up this thought, it definitely isn't original, but our political system is still wealthy, pre millennial, white, older male, aggression focused. Dominance rules.

I long for the day when we redesign our system to be more Aoteraroan. Because that simply isn't the way most of us operate these days.

Odd you should mention that - I'm reading the first book of Sonja Davie's autobiography & she was coming up against exactly that back then, as were others.

Some things have certainly changed for the better since then but there's still an expectation that politics is a game for older blokes to some extent.

We should surely by now be able to recognise that largely thanks to various past govts both left & right, the egalitarian country most of us knew has all but disappeared under an avalanche of neo liberalism over the past decades, which has widened the gap between rich & poor to an extent possibly not seen here since the 30's depression.
That needs to be addressed before much in the way of progress can be addressed in any other areas, & it really is time for this govt to tackle that - because if Luxon is inclined towards more of the same as seems likely, then voting in his party could be disastrous.

When you get right down to it, what's needed is more fairness rather than a small group of well off people & a larger group struggling to survive. And imo, no person who is extremely wealthy should be  in a position where they have power over other, less fortunate people - in fact I'd prefer to see very wealthy people barred from entering politics, since most have no idea of the day to day reality for most people.

---

I can't remember where I picked up this thought, it definitely isn't original, but our political system is still wealthy, pre millennial, white, older male, aggression focused. Dominance rules.

I long for the day when we redesign our system to be more Aoteraroan. Because that simply isn't the way most of us operate these days.

but those stale old white guys stepped up to our governance to make this country what it is.
these men sought to forment and effect real change, creating the opportunities we all enjoy today, men and women.
they built our universities and librarys, so that future generations could better themselves and some day look down their well fed, well educated noses at the generations who provided those benefits selflessly for the generations to come, certainly it wasnt for their own aggrandisement. 

im sure many of them would rather have been sitting at home by the fire instead of undertaking civil responsibilities and working towards a better society. but if not them then who? no one else stepped up.

dominance and aggression arent endemic to politics, they are part of our psyche, the human condition.
dominance is the cornerstone of democracy, the majority dominating the minority. when this balance is upset, bad things happen. undemocratic things. like being excluded because youre old, white and stale

No one's looking down at their positive achievements. But let's not forget that some of those same people (& sadly, some were women)  did their best to actively prevent women from contributing in various areas.
Not entirely their fault; that was the way things were then, & some just couldn't cope with change.

I think its like any group of people; some will be complete bastards, some will be really good people & most will fall somewhere in the middle.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

You don't have to be stale, just because you're old and white.

Too true.

[king1]

if only there was a way to remove the self-interest component from people in politics

[Lilith7]

if only there was a way to remove the self-interest component from people in politics

Yep, that would make for some changes. Unlikely so many would want to enter politics. Perhaps we may eventually find a way to do something along those lines.

Mind you when it comes to politicians I tend to agree with Mark Twain.



"The desire to become a politician should be sufficient to warrant being banned from ever doing so for life."
Mark Twain



Although, if more politicians were like Jose Mujica the world would be far better off - while he was far from perfect, he was also far better than most politicians.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45195188

"He donated most of his salary as president to charity and the only possession he had when he took office in 2010 was his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle.

The light-blue, beat-up Beetle became so famous he was offered $1m (£780,000) for it in 2014, but turned the offer down because he said he would have no way of transporting his three-legged dog without it."

[Magoo]

myself and my peers have sat thru many a School Trustee meeting, yet another council meeting, yet another Community Trust meeting wishing all the people who worked so hard to gain acceptance and the right to govern would bloody well do so, and give us tired old fucks a night off.

[Praktica]

sometimes im made to feel like i have to apologise for being an old white guy, it shouldnt be like that.
all ive ever done is contribute

I never feel that way.

[Magoo]

sometimes im made to feel like i have to apologise for being an old white guy, it shouldnt be like that.
all ive ever done is contribute

I never feel that way.

youve not been shouted down at a meeting then. youve not been accused of selfishly getting wealthy on other peoples poverty (property owners), have you been told yet that your old racist white arse is responsible for the ills maoridom suffer?
have you not been told that as a boomer you got a free education and a life of white privilege to boot?
have you not noticed the demographic most insults regarding pedophilia are aimed at? i get that every couple of weeks.

---

im proud of my ancestry.
we occupied a couple of islands in the north atlantic ocean
we were colonised many times.
the vikings, the normans, the anglo saxons, the norsemen et al all contributed to our make up.

we went on to colonise the world, building an empire so large the sun never set on it.
We were empire builders, we brought the technology and science to change the world.
our intentions were good, our delivery awful

[yousnoozeyoulose]

Luxon promising to cut taxes for the rich, and those that own multiple houses

So Luxon then?

And here I was thinking that maybe they could think of others, but no, it's the usual self-centred bollocks that National have been vomiting up since time immemorial.

[Praktica]

I never feel that way.

youve not been shouted down at a meeting then. youve not been accused of selfishly getting wealthy on other peoples poverty (property owners), have you been told yet that your old racist white arse is responsible for the ills maoridom suffer?
have you not been told that as a boomer you got a free education and a life of white privilege to boot?
have you not noticed the demographic most insults regarding pedophilia are aimed at? i get that every couple of weeks.

---

im proud of my ancestry.
we occupied a couple of islands in the north atlantic ocean
we were colonised many times.
the vikings, the normans, the anglo saxons, the norsemen et al all contributed to our make up.

we went on to colonise the world, building an empire so large the sun never set on it.
We were empire builders, we brought the technology and science to change the world.
our intentions were good, our delivery awful

Yeah, well my ancestors lived on a island near some of yours - they had their land stolen, their religion persecuted and hundreds of thousands died of famine - guess who did that?

[Magoo]

youve not been shouted down at a meeting then. youve not been accused of selfishly getting wealthy on other peoples poverty (property owners), have you been told yet that your old racist white arse is responsible for the ills maoridom suffer?
have you not been told that as a boomer you got a free education and a life of white privilege to boot?
have you not noticed the demographic most insults regarding pedophilia are aimed at? i get that every couple of weeks.

---

im proud of my ancestry.
we occupied a couple of islands in the north atlantic ocean
we were colonised many times.
the vikings, the normans, the anglo saxons, the norsemen et al all contributed to our make up.

we went on to colonise the world, building an empire so large the sun never set on it.
We were empire builders, we brought the technology and science to change the world.
our intentions were good, our delivery awful

Yeah, well my ancestors lived on a island near some of yours - they had their land stolen, their religion persecuted and hundreds of thousands died of famine - guess who did that?

cant deny any of that, but we did much worse shit to much nicer people.
one or two of my ancestors might hail from that island as well. so its kind of an own goal in that regard.
and you cant really blame us for the potato famine thing, we werent UberEats, we had nothing to do with menu planning.
we had our own huddled masses to worry about, which is why were looting other peoples huddled masses.
you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs etc. 
you dont hear us crying about the wicked Gauls, or those hairy thieving vikings or tribal fishing rights or the bloody self absorbed roman invaders. no, we took it on the chin. made lemonade us, embraced it.
took the best bits and conquered the world us.

[Zurdo]

No, I've never had anyone question my colour, my generation...or anything else. I think they were reacting to your attitude, not how you look. Yes, both my sides of the family came here, left their island so they could reclaim their religion, own land and vote...something denied to them by the English.

Anyway, tax cuts by National ? Desperation takes many forms.

[Praktica]

Yeah, well my ancestors lived on a island near some of yours - they had their land stolen, their religion persecuted and hundreds of thousands died of famine - guess who did that?

cant deny any of that, but we did much worse shit to much nicer people.
one or two of my ancestors might hail from that island as well. so its kind of an own goal in that regard.
and you cant really blame us for the potato famine thing, we werent UberEats, we had nothing to do with menu planning.
we had our own huddled masses to worry about, which is why were looting other peoples huddled masses.
you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs etc. 
you dont hear us crying about the wicked Gauls, or those hairy thieving vikings or tribal fishing rights or the bloody self absorbed roman invaders. no, we took it on the chin. made lemonade us, embraced it.
took the best bits and conquered the world us.

Ireland was exporting food, while people were starving.