If National wins ...

[fungus pudding]

"On the other side of the House, Act Party leader David Seymour immediately labelled the Working For Families increases as "communism by stealth" - echoing former Prime Minister John Key's description of the policy when Labour first introduced it in 2004."

Shows how desperate for power National is; Working for Families has now become mainstream policy,
The unions will be back in favour soon.

westerly

I join with you in your concerns Westerly, but don't worry too much, cos they won't.

[elZorro]

Could happen

Shaw is slowing growing on me but he lacks real charisma to make a difference in the polls .....now if the Greens had a really charismatic leader like Trudeau or that Dutch guy whose name I cant recall just now then things would get interesting

Alas not this time around

Jessie Klaver was it, W69?

Does Shaw have to be charismatic as well as right most of the time?

[westerly]

I join with you in your concerns Westerly, but don't worry too much, cos they won't.

Ah but I am. Jeremy Corbin has cut Teresa's lead to just 5 points

westerly

[winner69]

Jessie Klaver was it, W69?

Does Shaw have to be charismatic as well as right most of the time?

Whether it's charisma or not they need something that resonates with the populus.

Even though things on the surface look pretty good I do believe there is an ever increasing number of discontented voters waiting for somebody to come along and sweep then up .....but alas that person doesn't exist among the leaders of our current opposition party

[fungus pudding]

Ah but I am. Jeremy Corbin has cut Teresa's lead to just 5 points

westerly

What on earth is the relevance of that?

[elZorro]

This budget confirms National as the middle of the road and dominant mainstream party in NZ, supported by nearly 1 in 2 voters. Even EZ can´t find anything wrong except climate change policies. Great.

Oh, and complaining about infrastructure projects in Hamilton that apparently is not growing. Well, I moved from Hamilton 15 odd years ago EZ. I lived in Chedworth and had a farm next door. I was there 3 weeks ago and drove around all the new suburbs and areas in the north and northeast of the city. My ex wife and daughters still live in the same house in Chedworth and are now basically in town. How can you credibly state that Hamilton is not bigger than it was ? The Express Way is great for Waikato, BOP and Auckland

But between 2006 and 2013 Hamilton grew by an average population increase of just 2,000 a year, or 1.4% or so.

http://www.hamilton.govt.nz/our-coun...May%202014.PDF

That growth is quite a bit smaller than Auckland's increase in numbers, with most of the 70,000 net immigrants turning up there.
As for the new suburbs in Flagstaff etc, yes they are there all right, but it takes 800x 700m2 sections and houses at 2.5 people each to accommodate the small annual net increase in Hamilton.

I'm all for well paid jobs, meaningful employment. I'm not so sure on the idea of population growth just for the sake of it. There are probably already twice as many humans on the planet than is sustainable, even in the short-medium term. I see new motorways as a really big indicator of unhindered population growth, and I don't think that's something politicians should be encouraging.

[winner69]

What on earth is the relevance of that?

......for some hoping there will be a wave of support for Labourlike parties to topple encumbent governing parties.

[GTM 3442]

What on earth is the relevance of that?

It gives people a shot of hope or fear (delete one) that a tidal wave of resurgent socialism is about to arise and sweep across the world, carrying all before it to the sunny uplands of permanent egalitarian prosperity.

[fungus pudding]

It gives people a shot of hope or fear (delete one) that a tidal wave of resurgent socialism is about to arise and sweep across the world, carrying all before it to the sunny uplands of permanent egalitarian prosperity.

Ah yes. Egalitarain bliss. Since it's not possible to make everyone rich, best to make everyone poor.

[craic]

Ah Yes! Divide the total cash and assets of the NZ population equally between the population. What would happen the next day? The speed with which the new rich would get poor and the new poor would get rich would leave the Americas Cup for dead as an example of power and corruption hiding behind a veil of sportsmanship.