While the election isn’t until next year, the electioneering has already begun. Labour is promising to open up the taxpayers’ chequebook with a $12 billion spending spree using borrowed money – reminiscent of the spend big strategy of Rob Muldoon.
Infrastructure spending will obviously be a key election platform. It may be smart politics but it’s reckless economics to increase the country’s debt. Clearly Labour wants to turn attention away from its legacy of policy failure – including failed promises to get rid of poverty, improve wellbeing, deliver Kiwbuild, and introduce a capital gain tax.
In fact, it’s quite on the cards that Labour will promote – as their own – some of the infrastructure projects that National had promised before the last election.
Meanwhile Treasury’s Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows the economy is now slowing, in spite of the fact that two years ago Labour inherited a buoyant economy that was being described as a ‘rock star’.
In those two years, Labour’s agenda has undermined progress. They have failed to recognise that what makes economies strong is the energy and passion of wealth creators freely pursuing their hopes and aspirations. They are the ones who take the risks, and by using their skills and initiative, create jobs and pay taxes to help keep the country running.
But instead of encouraging enterprise, all Labour has done since the election is penalise the business sector. It’s no wonder they’ve put away their cheque books and shelved their big ideas.
In spite of all of this, as things stand at the moment, the 2020 election looks like it could be a re-run of 2017 with Winston Peters having the power to appoint the Prime Minister. Since that’s not likely to be Simon Bridges, if National wants to gain the Treasury benches, perhaps they need to take a leaf out of Boris Johnson’s book and have the courage to stand up for principles that matter to the common people. In the UK it was Brexit that was dividing the country, and the Conservatives successfully campaigned for national sovereignty and unity.
In New Zealand it is the pursuit of race-based power and privilege that is dividing the country – and, like Brexit in the UK, deep concerns span across the political divide.
Will National have the courage to campaign for unity in 2020?