The ugly face of New Zealand’s National Party Government: Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Discord and Democratic Devolution (SDDD)

The New Zealand government has just pulled yet another cunning stunt designed to do nothing more than slash its welfare spend and drive down unemployment by the only means available, shipping thousands more of its citizens to Australia to escape poverty. The local press, strangely, were this week heralding these so-called welfare reforms as a world first.

Well the truth is they’re not, Australia introduced similar draconian legislation in a bid to curb sexual abuse, alcoholism and truancy with the infamous Northern Territory intervention, and that was arguably justified on humanitarian grounds, there is no justification for what New Zealand’s National Party is doing to the most vulnerable of its citizens.

Their latest stunt is however far from original, in fact it closely resembles another failed welfare reform attempted during the warthog years at the hands of yet another butt ugly Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley. The National Party Government may have just signed its own death warrant with this the latest in politically driven scapegoating, .

This is a Government out of control, a government led by yet another self interested merchant banker turned politician (Déjà vu Rogernomics) who arrogantly refuses to accept responsibility for problems of their own making, not the least of which is a string of scandals and the flagrant abuse of its citizens rights through seriously corrupt practice and mismanagement that has been allowed to pervade the corridors of power.

John Key and the clowns in his Cabinet are running New Zealand using a pre GFC Goldman Sachs business model and everyday Kiwi battler’s are the only ones suffering as a result. Does anyone in New Zealand seriously believe that Key and his mates intend tightening their own belts; for the like’s of  Gerry Brownlee that could prove fatal.

The New Zealand government is strangling the countries so called economy with tax, GST pushed to 15 percent, wages that despite all the promises have shrunk to at least 30% less than Australians can expect, escalating food and household expenses that are far higher than that Australians would tolerate before political heads started to roll. A 1kg block of Mainland cheddar is cheaper to buy in an Australian supermarket than it is in New Zealand shops, which is no doubt a comforting though for the Kiwis intending to head West.

New Zealander’s, unlike Australians, have never been politically reactive and as a result their democracy is now very much at risk. Although having said that this latest piece of bullshit welfare legislation appears to have caused  more than just a few ripples.

Australians are also up in arms over welfare policies recently introduced that are eroding democratic principles and freedoms, but at least we’re joining forces and collectively doing something about it:

Sydney work bans on welfare quarantine scheme

Here in Australia we had a very popular bumper sticker, inspired by Margo Kingston’s 2004 book, that very publicly warned yet another political John of the consequence should he continue ‘shrinking democracy’ and  manipulating the Australian electorate’ by systematically undermining parliamentary institutions, government accountability and openness. That particular John is no longerwith us, having been sent packing into political oblivion. We believe that New Zealands Mr John Key and his National Party crony’s will eventually suffer the same fate:

Not Happy John!

Reference/Bibliography

Brief Statistics on Child Poverty in New Zealand (Office of the Childrens Commissioner)

Inside Child Poverty – A Special Report: On Demand (TV3)

Shock look at NZ’s child poverty (Fairfax)

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