Originally Posted by
elZorro
In answer to your post, I knew the article was an old one, but it was the first to pop up when I went looking for data on vastly increased rail passenger trips in Auckland. Kickstarted while Labour were in last time, likely to get a new big boost soon.
Did the Clark/Cullen govt trash the country? Very low unemployment, they had a dream run economically and used it to pay off almost all old Crown debt. All the while the Nats were screaming for tax refunds in the house. After the GFC hit and the voting public predictably looked for change, the Nats used up that Crown credit plus a lot more, pushing a serious taxable debt and interest costs onto the next generation of earners. They also progressively sacked a lot of crown and SOE staff, which encouraged the private sector to do the same. The Nats also stopped paying into the Cullen Fund, at precisely the time when they should have done the opposite, forgoing billions in profit for taxpayers. All this data is on the public record.
Helen Clark didn't flee the country, she applied for a very high office in the UN, and got the job. She is/was one of the world's most powerful women.
So what if there are a few strikes now and then - these are legitimate calls for a catch-up in pay rates, and any seriously useful business can afford to pay staff above the cost of living. The vast majority of changes this government has made, are in the right direction as far as I am concerned.