Yesterday the Government released a list of ten “ambitious targets”, and despite ballooning debt, declining exports and slow job growth, there were no new ideas.
In question time today, Bill English confirmed they have no targets for making superannuation affordable, no targets for wage growth, no targets to grow the economy and no targets to reduce overseas debt.
It is just the latest laundry list of vague ideas with no meaningful milestones or policies to achieve real outcomes. It is simply a stunt designed to take the attention off the unpopular asset sales plan and the Government’s botched attempt to increase class sizes.
This list exposes National for once again tinkering around the edges instead of making the tough decisions needed to create a long-term, prosperous future for New Zealand.
While the Government is wishing for rainbows at the end of every street, it has little credibility when it is not dealing with the big issues we are facing as a country.
Here is an example of 10 key issues that National is not addressing:
· Job creation
· Economic growth
· Reducing overseas debt
· Securing superannuation for the future
· Reforming our tax system
· Investing in research and development
· Supporting our exporters
· Cleaning up the environment
· Being tougher on foreign ownership of our land
· Giving Kiwis a reason to stay in New Zealand
Those are just my first ideas at some “ambitious targets” the Government isn’t trying to address. I’m sure the erudite readers of this blog will have plenty of ideas of their own, please leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear them!
Well done David
I’ve never seen a politician come up with these concepts before .
Would be more helpful if you give us an in depth commentary on how to achieve these laudable goals.
Excellent list David. Now can you ensure that Labour will endorse them, or will we have to put up with Key’s Kronies for another term?
The ambitious targets are nothing but spin; design to reset the media agenda. Key aspirational goals are pure Crosby Textor philosophy, to get some heat off and distract. Watch for another announcement next Tuesday/Wednesday…don’t think it will more beneficiary bashing, but you never can tell.
No child to live in Poverty
Your “ideas” for the govt are create jobs, grow the economy, reduce debt, etc? They must be kicking themselves for not thinking up these brilliant ideas on their own.
“Giving Kiwis a reason to stay in New Zealand”
Kiwi leaving NZ to join the minerals sector boom in Aussie…would mining in NZ keep Kiwi’s here if it meant jobs – high paying ones, economic growth – as it does in Aussie, investing in research and development and supporting or exports?
Your list is great, but which ones would you be willing to trade off for the greater good? This is where Labour always falls down – trying to be everything to everyone and not achieveing anything for anyone.
Hi David, always nice to see you post. Let’s look at your list and see which of these you achieved when you were a senior minister in the last government:
· Job creation NO
· Economic growth NO
· Reducing overseas debt NO
· Securing superannuation for the future NO
· Reforming our tax system NO
· Investing in research and development NO
· Supporting our exporters NO
· Cleaning up the environment NO
· Being tougher on foreign ownership of our land NO
· Giving Kiwis a reason to stay in New Zealand NO
Nice try David. Come play again when you have found some credibility again with voters.
You’ve struck a few raw nerves David Parker.
Love the Hi David from whodunnit. I take it he/she is ‘personally’ known to you.
Hi David,
It’s a great list – now we just need to flesh out how to achieve it, a time frame and how to effectively market it.
National has very specific quantitative targets. That’s very bold. Your targets are vague and qualitative. I’m unimpressed.
Aww, c’mon David.
Key is a wall street puppet residing in Hawaii.
English is a treasury policy wonk.
What the hell do they care about your list?
Wall Street morals and economic dogma rules, OK?
@Thomas
David Parker has mentioned 10 ‘issues’ the Government is not mentioning.They are not targets, and certainly not quantitative targets without any policy or growth to enable them.
Adding to the list of things that need doing:
Get the population healthy, erase obesity and
the associated life style dis-ease
Make biofuels
Support design and innovation
Stop bashing students of all ages
Deeply understand our uniqueness. We need to solve it for us, not use failed systems from other places that includes following mine it drill it frack it.
Realise the opportunities of the twenty first century.
Back our selves with cleverness.
Speak truthfully and honestly with each other and listen so understanding is achieved.
Vivienne, you forgot “sit around the camp fire and sing kumbaya”.
Looks like the basis of the making of a good manifesto for the 2014 election.
Am sure the coalition Greens will agree with some amendments.
At last something concrete.
It’s easy to make lists of things to do.
THe current government has made a lot of lists – but has no plans to actually achieve the results.
Bit like making a grocery shopping list, not going to the shops, and then wondering why the cupboard is bare.
As for the tories who come to this site to ask, in their snide little way “What would you do better?? Huh?”
Answer – wait until 2014 and see.
Good to have a List but next we need a plan of how to achieve and act on these lists.
Critical issues which need addressing are housing, education and health which are all interrelated.
However Government can only improve these by increasing the tax take or reallocating existing resources to these areas.
Vivienne – Biofuels? Really? I thought the eco-warrior crowd had caught onto the fact that people now deforest to grow rape seed (not to mention that they are less potent than mineral based fuels so you need more of it to achieve the same production be that machinery or vehicle).
Acting Up – wait until 2014 and see? Everyone was waiting in 2011 as well. You ignore all the plans the government has made, in fact they are pretty good at publishing quantified information about their plans.
Wether you believe it or not is up to you, but ignoring it to spout rhetoric makes you look like a spanner. And not a useful one.