Well, PM Key said it : Pete Bethune is “downright ungrateful” for the support he had from NZ when he was locked up in a Japanese jail.
That’s a question that has already been hotly debated on Red Alert. But it set me thinking, especially after a day out in the community (that’s Key’s, McCully’s, Coleman’s, Mapp’s and Lockie’s (electorate) community) about what we should be downright ungrateful for:
- We should be downright ungrateful for having a PM that no-one challenges (much) because he smiles and waves and everyone forgets to ask the hard questions;
- We should be downright ungrateful for having a government that is attacking ACC, but hardly anyone notices, because after all, we’re just talking about the injured, the sexually damaged and older people;
- We should be downright ungrateful that our older people have had their home care and/or their meals on wheels cut, even although it meant they could continue to live at home, rather than costing a fortune elsewhere;
- We should be downright ungrateful for Anne Tolley, who is the worst Education Minister ever, and who has left the early childhood education sector completely bemused about why her government thinks it’s more important to spend money on prisons than our children;
- We should be downright ungrateful for the PM’s exhortation that we should all learn Mandarin, even although his government has cut Adult and Community Education – and there’s now no chance to learn anything, let alone Mandarin;
- We should be downright ungrateful for the vehicle regos going up on 1 July, the increase in ACC levies and power and petrol prices on the up and up, and that’s before we factor in the GST increase coming our way;
- And we should be really ungrateful that most middle and lower income people won’t get tax cuts that go anywhere compensating for all of the cost increases either here or ahead of us.
I don’t want anyone to get the wrong message. There’s a lot I am grateful for, but that’s nothing to do with John Key and his NAct government.
How about you? Are you an ungrateful b*st*rd too?
(PS, glad Pete’s home safe).
This morning I am a very ungrateful b*st*rd indeed. National has stood by and watched as the chinese come closer and closer to taking our farms as landcorp is declared to have lost.
Good, meaty post over at The Standard on the subject of Bethune, Key and McCully titled “Fat little lapdog” with a photo of McCully below the title.
Did repeat some of it here earlier but it disappeared into outer space. Never mind. Recommend a read. Shows Key for the snake in the grass that he is.
Well, I guess I am one of the ‘ungrateful baskets’ the PM mentions.
BUT, I am grateful for the following:
- an education profession finally getting the kahunas to unite against unresearched and untrialled policy that will cause untold damage to our education system
- a protestor that has the kahunas to do what all of us wish (deep down – even those of you who claim they hate him) we had the passion and courage to do – stand up for what is wrong and what we believe in. (at this point I am grateful to those who fought so hard for the community of Aorangi) Very few people have that kind of vision – but because we are blind followers we string him up to protect our exports etc… (how proud are we of our tall poppy syndrome now?) How many of you out there can honestly say you would fight so hard for something you are passionate about? Not many I would say.
(rights or wrongs of the argument, I am grateful there are people who will do this – despite the efforts of the Nact govt to shut them all down – too many examples to list sorry)
- I am grateful for those people who (like the MPs on this blog) highlight the issues that the media is too hamstrung to bother reporting – without this information the public continue to blindly swallow the bull
- I am grateful for the country itself (it really is a stunning place to live) – and I live in hope that the great people of NZ will finally wake up – I have faith that not all kiwis will keep believing the bull and will at some stage realise that under the glitter all is not as it is painted
Finally, I am grateful that at places such as this both sides can attempt to air what it is they believe – sometimes I am enlightened – other times I dispair. At least democracy seems to be evident here.
ps for the record – ‘fat little lapdog’ was a great description lol
Darien – nice that you are talking to National Voters – surely they must have given a lot of positives as well. I suggest that if the discomfort level was such as you preach (Push polling?) then the Nats would not be at 53% vs Labour 29%.
I am sure that all of the tories you spoke to would have been very grateful not to have Labour as a 4th term government together with Winston Peters and the Greenines lending (blackmailing) support.
What are Labour offering that the public do not want to know about? and why are we all so ungrateful for what Labour delivered during the Clark years?
Monty, it’s worth remembering that even 53% is only a smidge more than half New Zealanders.
And only of those who were polled!
Hope all you guys and dolls have read Kiwiblog this morning.
It’s funny how you read things, because I see the argument he makes with respect to bethune BUT that document from McCully could also been seen to support Bethune’s opinion that McCully is a lap dog to the Japanese.
I know, you’re probably talking about the leadership blog…
I would be grateful for any MP to get their hands dirty and really start to listen what is important. re North and South 08 re the hardships that were being expereinced by families and how they were having to make end meat e.g. dairy prices increaseing. Lab in 07/08 telling us that GSt would not be considered being removed off food.
I am grateful for OCr in 08 being 8.25% and no empathy with the voter by the Lab govt.
I am grateful that my tax cuts going into my right pocket being taken out a day or 2 later by other increases.
I am gratefult that Lab and Nat are to take even more of my money regarding ETS, just as well that real incomes are only decreasing at a mild rate !!!
I am grateful that there are so many grandparents willing to take up the slack that has arisen by Nat & Lab playing politics and enabling the increased difficultity to susbtain a family.
I am grateful that pollys have been getting pay increases over twice what the worker gets and still displays no empathy.
And finally I am so grateful that NZ still plods on inspite of the barriers that Nat and Lab have placed infront of this country, and that we only have 2 main parties to play games with us.
Tracey, I enjoyed your reply.
“Good, meaty post over at The Standard on the subject of Bethune, Key and McCully titled “Fat little lapdog” with a photo of McCully below the title.
Did repeat some of it here earlier but it disappeared into outer space. Never mind. Recommend a read. Shows Key for the snake in the grass that he is.”
Anne the most disturbing line is the very first line calling Pete deleted a New Zealand hero.
Pete is a New Zealand hero yee haa!
Our hero is home
Anne, here is more truth about Pete Bethune, probably not the truth you want to hear.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2010/07/the_whining_bethune.html
Tracey said, “Monty, it’s worth remembering that even 53% is only a smidge more than half New Zealanders.” Well Tracey it is aslo worth remembering that 29% is only a smidge less than 1/3 of New Zealanders.
@ Tracey, word on the street is that the ‘don’t knows’ are running at historical highs in the big polls, around 30 percent. Most of these people will likely vote, and make up their minds much closer to the day.
true blue, you need to try and find a neutral person to support your argument. For example, as mentioned above, I can take that letter signed by Murray McCully and show that he has long been a lapdog to Japan, whereas Farrar says it shows Murray has been open and honest about Bethune.
trueblue
of course 29% is a smidge under one third, my point is so many talk about national as though the vast majority of NZers agree with them. I accept they have significant support, according to polls and anecdotes but let’s not get carried away that they have some kind of irrefutable “mandate.”
You hardly expect Farrar to be on the anti-whaling side, did you? great at how that letter fell so conveniently into his hands though.
Keep clutching at those straws Jen. They may stop your drowning a little longer.
I would call 29% a smidge more than a quarter of all voters. New Zealanders know a good government when they see one and that is why such a majority continue to give their strong support to the National Government. Labour did so much wrong – espcially in their final term. In the meantime the issues that Darien has raised do not really count with voters. They consider (correctly) Peter Bethune a criminal and can see through his nonsense.
I think Labour has to seriously consider what they ware now doing that has the country so turned off them. Here is a hint – I watched “that song” on youtube last night – you know the one – recorded at the conference – I am very grateful for that.
Want to repeat here that the people I talked to yesterday were (former) National voters. They’re dismayed about the issues I raised in this post; they are their comments, not mine. Yes, the polls look a bit glum and Monty and others are beside themselves with joy, but out there in the back blocks, it’s a different story. Try talking to them sometime soon.
@Monty : “Labour did much wrong” – you must be really upset that it was so wrong, National’s not undoing a lot of it. And you must be really upset that Labour kept surpluses all of those years, because if we hadn’t, we’d been in the same situation as Greece, the UK, Spain and all the others who didn’t.
@Richard – no drowning that I can see.
@Monty – I don’t know anyone who considers the cool, brave, protest dude a criminal!
Polls always narrow closer to the actual election date… The RWC is the big monkey wrench in this election…
A hero? Are you sure about that? Do you really want to place this man on the same level as other NZ heroes, say Captain Charles Upham VC & Bar and Ed Hillary for example?
Darien, The Nats have undone quite a bit – some stuff becomes too entrenched and is near impossible to undo – such as Working for Families – but there are ways of minimising the damage. A slow steady plan will continue to see the worst of Labour’s policies undone by stealth and without frightening the horses. It is not like they have been sitting on their butt since winning the 2008 election – but they have dealt with a recession and a terrible set of books inhherited from Cullen, they have reversed the envy tax introduced in 1999, and National have focused on delivering the mandate given to them in 2001.
And of course the dreadful Electoral Finance Act was repealed and excellent progress is being made of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation. They are great starts in de-constructing Labour Legacy. I would love to see National go much further – but wisely John Key wants his government to win the next few elections and to do this he has to be careful not to scare the horses.
Helen Clark wanted to ensure National won the 2008 election and that is why she decided to fight the election on Trust. John Key is delivering and the country do trust him.
I am Grateful for that – although I suggest as you sit seething in the opposition benches, you are downright ungrateful we have such a popular and extraordinary Prime Minister – one even Mr Goff can’t help but strongly admire.
It’s good to see that the National Party are so active on this blog. It keeps them pre-occupied.
Wasn’t Pete Bethune a hero who NZder’s cheered, even TVNZ, when he sailed around the world in his environmentally friendly boat?
Just let the Japanese Whalers deliberately ram and sink his boat and he turns to a criminal!
Mind National have a vested interested in filling their new industrial estates as filled jails bring work to the community
Thank god we have the foresight of the John Key’s of this world
Bob
Yes
No
Assumption
No
Yes
Cheers
“Labour kept surpluses all of those years”
Yeah they kept it alright. No tax cuts for 9 years and a begrudging but convenient one around election time. Although it probably would have been cancelled like in ‘05.
@Simon – the dude has put his life in danger many times for a cause that most New Zealanders believe in, hell yes he’s a hero!
@Monty #1 – yep, most Labourites saw that coming
!
@Monty #2 – Mr Goff does not admire Key to the best of my knowledge. But since you mention him, I would like to say: What a great candidate Mr Goff is for Prime Minister and I wish him the best of luck.
@Richard – love the interesting quote
I don’t feel grateful for anything, it still feels like a waking nightmare since black Saturday
It should have been cancelled, running projected high 10 figure deficits is not the time to cut taxes – someone tell National…
Apparently it’s ‘revenue neutral’ over three years but who knows how that works.
Monty, care to offer your views on the NZ convicted for killing a man, getting several lines offering help from the PM? have you expressed your distaste for his support of that criminal?
@Monty “A slow steady plan will continue to see the worst of Labour’s policies undone by stealth and without frightening the horses.”
Thanks for the warning.
Hell Im grateful National were immediately proactive on making herceptin available, as a good friend of mine, a mother of 2 daughters 7 @ 10, has her cancer in remission after a course of it. She would be dead otherwise.
Grant don’t be ridiculous there’s a good chance that your friend is going to suffer myocardial damage from the herceptin while being unlikely to benefit from the fractional increase in survival rates.
And then the tax payer will have to pay for her cardiac care as well as the blockbuster drug. What a deal, sucking up health money like a sponge.
So good luck with that buddy, just another example of National caving in to big corporate manipulation.
@G rant – I’m glad your friend got the drug. That aside, I’m really depressed that National are in
“And you must be really upset that Labour kept surpluses all of those years, because if we hadn’t…” so said DF. And we were operating with major current account deficits of 8%
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/economy/2016117/Will-NZ-become-Iceland
And were did this surplus come from, taxes that we your voter base supplied to the govt. So while families, retirees etc struggled to keep our families clothed, fed and housed we saw govt debt decrease from $40b to just under $30b. What price was paid by us for this reduction of debt?
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/keygraphs/fig5.html
When will we see solutions on making living more berable? And i hope it is not reverting back to taxing teachers, police, nurses etc at the highest level possable as happen last time, and allowing the filthy rich loopholes to escape contributing their fair share see below
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10648752
Or loota it could be caving in to popular electorate and media demand. Shame on you for denying someone cancer treatment, I wonder if National withdrew this drug what which side you would be batting for….probably the opposite aye.
Spud, stick your depression. There’s drugs for that too.
In fact Loota with all your online campaigning against National cuts in various areas, don’t you feel it’s quite hypocritical of you to resent National spending money on something that actually benefits some people? Unless of course you are a oncologist with first hand experience of course?
Benefits a few people Simon? Perhaps. Benefits big corporates? Definitely. I don’t find that pointing this out is at all hypocritical. The NNT for the drug is such that a few extra people per hundred might survive to the five year mark. Most people will experience no benefit from long term use of herceptin but more than enough side effects. The drug will put a number of cancer patients in coronary care due to their ventricular output collapsing due to myotoxic effects.
So the only certainty is not the benefit, which may (perhaps) help the few but certainly not the many, it is the multi-million dollar cost to the health system which deprives everyone else.
National caved to big corporate influence (which helped fund well meaning ‘patient movements’), while giving the finger to the clinical experts, Pharmac, on the way.
@Simon – I’m gonna add insomnia to the list
I feel bad writing this because I do like that people with cancer got the drug, but I really saw it as vote buying when they said they would do it. Don’t hate me, I’ve just found out that my sibling has leukemia.
Spud, really soz to hear that mate…
Thanks.
I’m not sure the herceptin was the best use of that amount of money within health. OF COURSE it is for the few who got access… but Government is supposed to take that emotion out of such allocation of health spending. Was a vote for national a vote to divert funds to Herceptin?
herodotus, you make a good point, of course Simon and Grant must be thrilled about Labour’s surpluses because isn’t that partly what allowed people to get certain drugs for so long they otherwise couldn’t afford?
Sorry to hear that Spud, I have heard MANY success stories for people with Leukemia.
Loota, do any companies lobby Labour?
Thanks Tracey.
I don’t know Tracey, but all parties subscribe to pull the emotional strings at some point to push a policy and win votes and it’s these policies that get picked up by the media and win the simpletons.
Benefits big corporates? Well, isn’t that a queue to tackle how our drugs are bought and how much we pay? If you keep throwing money at the problem it’s not going to go away.
imon, I agree, it’s more “hot button” politics, gone are the days of “greater good” thinking. You only have to look at how many queued to become a kidney donor to jonah Lomu, none of which stayed to donate when he went elsewhere. We’re a shallow lot, to our shame.
Sorry to hear that Spud…
Thanks Jeremy.