Joined the big red ‘Axe the Tax’ bus in Westport yesterday morning. Headed down the cost via Reefton, Blackball and Greymouth before heading over to Christchurch. We were very warmly received all the way down the coast. Nobody wants to see GST increased.
Spoke to quite a few retailers who are concerned an increase in GST will act like a ‘double whammy’ by forcing them to up their prices while also reducing the amount of ‘discretionary’ spending money people have left over after they’ve paid for the essentials.
Funny moment at the Bearded Mining Company in Reefton where they handed us a hunk of lead that had been spray-painted gold – they call it National Party gold. Lots of disappointment with the Nats; Auchinvole will be a one-term MP.
Yee haa!
Looks a pretty good bus to me! Colin Espiner called it ‘clapped out!’
Whoa – not only is that inaccurate, but it’s deliberately trying to make Labour look bad.
again – why wont you guys come clean and state if you are going to “axe the tax” if you get back in?
It screams of propaganda when you wont commit to doing it yourself.
BTW – I head to blackball often. Talking to the locals there they are not happy with labour – One commented that they only leave the “united we stand” flag there for history’s sake and that they feel labour went a long way to killing their community.
Must be the feral and in-bread west-coasters huh?
@Biker Kiwi: Labour did do some deals way back to stop logging of native timber on the West Coast that felt like a betrayal.
The comment about being feral hurt, and still does, but that is how the rest of the country tends to treat coasters.
Labour will always be at odds when it comes to conservation and locking away forests. Locals are even looking forward to some mining in National Parks.
But Labour will alsways be the party of choice here. Coasters are generous, friendly, help out those in need, work hard no matter what they do and these ideals dont realy mesh with the rights individualist approach.
If you go to Blackball often Biker Kiwi, you are a coaster at heart and will know what i mean.
@ Chris, would have loved to get there to meet you all, had to work though.
If National do raise GST it will be a nightmare when you get back in to change it again, and a huge cost on business. It would be better if they didnt raise it in the first place.
Very bad spelling and off thread Deleted Trevor
So we can assume Labour (if elected) will lower the rate from 15 to 12.5 or 12.5 back to 10 or remove GST altogether?
Am off to a family 60th birthday in Westport in about a month. I know they (the family) spoke of “hating” Helen Clark when I was last down there Nov 2008. They are friendly people, salt of the earth and like a big family. They are struggling to see beyond their historical place as foresters and miners (my own link first entry to this country is via The Baxter Bros , of sawmilling fame on the Westcoast. Kokiri and the like.
I gently suggested that mining is NOT the job creator it used to be…
Otherwise I don’t challenge cos they are in-laws and it’s not polite (wink).
I was in the Greymouth pub when Pike River had just made a big announcement, the roof came down… I’ll find out how many they know employed there when I return.
“Very bad spelling and off thread Deleted Trevor”
Indeed – I am sorry for the spelling – I blame my schooling.
Ironically (and this is true) I was going thru school whilst you were Minister of Education.
Will Labour axe GST if elected? Or trim it back to 10%? Or are they misleading the public?
Mmm… could these be the same Coasters that Aunty Helen called feral? And inbred, if I recall correctly? Or is it a different group of New Zealanders?
1. Did you fly to Westport Mr Hipkins?
2. How many others “joined the bus” in Westport Mr Hipkins?
3. What is the average mileage spent “on the bus” by each MP Mr Hipkins?
4. Do you “shout” for the locals when you stop at a pub Mr Hipkins?
5. Have you given away all the balloons yet Mr Hipkins
6. How many staffers on the PS payroll are travelling on the bus Mr Hipkins?
Lots more questions but these will do for a start.
I have one.
1, Are you passing by Dipton Mr Hipkins?
2, Will you shout poor Blinglish a beer Mr Hipkins?
3, Will you be taking Mr English on your bus Mr Hipkins?
4, Will you also take the DPS Mr Hipkins?
5, Are there any disabled parks outside the pub Mr Hipkins?
6, Will you and Blinglish actually be disabled after a few rounds and use that to justify afterwards Mr Hipkins?
Fascinating to watch the tories under real pressure over their ‘Robin Hood in reverse’ tax changes. Anything to divert attention from their own policy melt-down. Funny how a ‘fiscally neutral’ tax change that will see ‘everyone better off’ will cost $2 billion to reverse? Maybe they’re using the same calculator they used to add up all their perks and rorts?
One month holiday for boring reptition. If you put it on kiwiblog don’t repeat here. Trevor
thousands turned away I see
@DavidW: is that you ‘Mr’ Tim Ellis or have you been cloned? The more our elected representatives have to do with voters, such as this ‘roadie’, the better I say. Look the people in the eye, talk straight, and listen, is hard to beat.
@ Tracy: I was appalled in the years leading up to the last election the way people talked about Helen Clark, if you had talked in a similar offensive manner about these peoples daughters, mothers or wives their reaction would not have been fun.I did not remain appalled though, I challenged the gutless bastards there and then regardless of their size or relationship to me, though luckily none of my family members were of the hate Helen persuasion. Silence is often taken as condoning.
oh and jennifer who says Tory? I’ve never heard it used outside a handful of labour people living in the 1950’s
I actually do not think that many people are really concerned about the minor rise in GST – There are few letters to the editor in the newspapers, and talkback radio rarely has a discussion on it.
Latest polling conducted since the opening of parliament seems to indicate that National are retaining their support and that Labour are remaining a constant 20 odd % points behind the Nats. Not sure of West Coast polling but I would suggest that there is very little evidence to suggest that Labour have any opportunity to retake the West Coast in the next election – Hell I would suggest that National will increase their majority at the next election.
Ah the good old south where they couldn’t wait to get rid of Helen Clark’s positive interactive state and now here we are:
If they don’t deal to their rabbits with a plan!!! backed up by action, they could face up to 7 years in jail, with some southern gen’lman moaning about all this paperwork and bureaucrats on Radio NZ this morning.
Better a positive state than an undemocratic, negative, aggressive dictatorship, I say to him, with a snigger. Did he vote for National? Surely, he’ll be happy to abide by all their new ‘rules’, (no, we need a word with a bit of hair on its chest,) ‘directives’ and not by ‘bureaucrats’ I hasten to add, but by ‘advisers.’ I do hope the gen’lman will be fairly relaxed about that.
Love the picture. Love the Blackball Hilton. Mixed feelings about Blackball.
Tiger Mountain. I prefer to challenge gently, my experience has taught me if you leap in an loudly or strongly oppose someones firmly held belief they cling to it harder and longer. If you are more gentle they will ponder…
Monty “I actually do not think that many people are really concerned about the minor rise in GST – There are few letters to the editor in the newspapers, and talkback radio rarely has a discussion on it.”
Do you really base this on what Garth George chooses for the editorial section? I have never had a single letter to the herald published on any topic. Talkback radio discussion is based on what the hosts want to talk about. I’m not sure what exactly talkback is reflective on.
What I know anecdotedly is that no one I have spoken to, from the left or right of the political preference is supportive of GST, either they dont want it, or they see it as the Govt not having the balls to really address the problems with the tax system as they see it. not sure who you spend your time with.
Hi Tiger Mountain
Richard McGrath says: “And inbred, if I recall correctly?”
You don’t recall correctly, Richard. To date no-one has found any record of Helen Clark saying any such thing. It’s just one of those lines that got repeated on the blogs so many times people just assumed it had some factual basis.
(It’s also worth noting that the “feral” remark referred to a fairly specific group of people btw.)
You could prove me wrong of course but I won’t be holding my breath.
DavidW & Spud – are you going to set those lyrics to a tune?
Yes
I am sure the Coasters will be thrilled to know that Labour will be axing the tax – giving them more money in their back pickets…
Yeah right. Somebody really should have been fired for thinking of that campaign name as when it comes to the business side of the elections it is going to be gold for the Nats etc.
@ Clint. “Back pickets” Is this a union term for dealing with back-sliders?
Yes, I must admit I was a bit surprised when I saw the bus at the Newtown Festival. The “Axe the Tax” slogan plastered along the side does insinuate that Labour want to remove GST.
If only that were true.
@Tiger Mountain – who is Tim Ellis?
@Bea – would if I could but music is not my strong point and besides it would have to have visual effects of Spud’s smiley/sad/angry/ecstatic faces floating around which would rather distract from the point which was …. dah dah to (perhaps too subtly for some) point out that Phil’s $33,000 was but a drop in the ocean compared to the costs of continually filling and emptying the bus of MPs who populate it on some sort of roster basis not to mention the staffers who usually tag along to make coffee and wipe noses. No doubt those costs would be excused because MPs are always flying somewhere or other (just check with Chris Carter for example) and the staffer’s salaries are already paid by PS so they don’t count
Try booking a flight to Westport from pretty much anywhere and see for yourself.(www.airnz.co.nz would be a good place to start)
@Felix
The “feral” comment, unfortunately for Helen Clark, seems to have stuck in the public consciousness and probably didn’t help Labour’s cause on the West Coast. The “inbred” bit I accept may not have been said in public by HC but is mentioned on many websites.
Aw, Dave,
We could’ve made it a duet. 
@
Richard McGrath says:
March 11, 2010 at 9:59 am
I’ve mentioned a couple of times a newspaper cutting of either John Carter (or David Carter) calling DPB mothers prostitutes for being on a benefit (yes I still have the cutting). Everybody’s ‘playing dead’ on that. It seems to be fine to be nasty to Helen Clark but not to John Carter.
Prostitutes !
How dare they want to feed their children and ask for help! 
Won’t comment further could get ugly especially since I’m drunk! 