pn934. NZ MPs are in the top one percent of earners. Read how it happened.

 

Once, MPs were regarded as public servants and backbench MPs received salaries similar to secondary school teachers.

Now, MPs are in the top one percent of earners with backbench MPs being  paid $163,000, or $231,000 with perks added. The PM is paid $472,000 plus perks.

Bryce Edwards of the Democracy Project traces how it all happened in  "Accepting a significant pay rise shows how much MPs are out of touch."

He opens with: 

"How entitled are New Zealand’s politicians? Right now, MPs across the political spectrum look entirely out of touch in their unified stance of accepting the hefty pay increases recommended by the Remuneration Authority.

MPs should simply reject the pay increases – which they can easily do – rather than risk a legitimate public backlash from constituents who feel betrayed by an already well-paid political class that insists on austerity for others but not themselves."

 Read on by clicking here.

pn 889.Who's telling us how we should vote?

 

Political Roundup: Is it now all over for the Labour Government? BRYCE EDWARDS AUG 21   READ IN APP   Labour appears to be in something of an electoral death spiral. The four-point drop in last night’s 1News Verian poll to just 29 per cent – together with National’s bump up to 37 per cent – suggests that the gulf between the left and right blocs is now opening up, and will be difficult to reverse.

Polls and the media affect — you could even say, determine— the way we vote, or if we vote at all. Their influence is so strong that an argument could be to not allow political polls within two or more  months of an election.

How come that the Labour-National gap has widened is recent weeks? It's not, as Toby Manhire says, "as if Luxon or National are setting the electorate alight" Indeed, in the latest 1News poll, the combined party vote of National (37%) and Labour (29%) totals only 66%, the lowest for 21 years, and only 21% preferred Hipkins over Luxton (20%) which leaves 60% preferring neither. "I'm guessing," says Manhire, that the reaction of the remainder "is to curl up and hibernate until this is all over."

Poll results tip the balance, and start the slide, leaving voters feeling there is little that can be done about it. Headlines read "Is it now too late for Labour?" "Labour might need to capture the moon to turn this tide" and terms like "inevitable", "dissatisfaction skyrocketing" "bloodbath" and "death spiral" abound.

National party supporters do more and donate more, while Labour supporters do less, adding further to the "inevitability." It shapes the whole mood of the campaign, sapping momentum and motivation for those on the Government side. What’s more, when a party is losing, the despair can cause infighting and panic, which just makes everything much worse" (Manhire again). A low voter turnout would be a Labour nightmare.

It's not all the result of polls and unfriendly journalists, of course. Factors largely outside government control such as the economic recession and the high cost of living have played a part but the polls say that Labour is partly to blame, and the media has done little to address these underlying factors. 

Labour has also been trying hard to represent "middle New Zealand" and avoiding anything too "left" such as a capital gains or a wealth tax. The result has been not enough money to fix the problems of doctor and teacher shortage and youth crime. It's policies are too close to National's and it's support has drifted to the Greens, National and the undecided. 

Some of its past policies have been unrealized and much of what it now promises is piecemeal or targeted far into the future. Whether some radical new policy, such as free dental care, would make any difference is hard to say but one thing is certain: polls and the media have played a large part in shaping public opinion.   Is this as it should be in a democracy?

-- ACW

Footnote: Email from Chis Hipkins:

You might have seen that a new poll has landed and it’s showing we’re the underdog in the upcoming election.

Polls go up and down, but what will make or break this election is ensuring people get out to vote – and for that we need your support.

I will be campaigning hard for a shot at a full term as Prime Minister so we can keep driving New Zealand forward for everyone.

We have a positive plan for the future. It’s focused on giving cost of living relief, protecting superannuation and the winter energy payment, and guarding against cuts to hospitals and schools.

Your vote this election will have real consequences

New Zealand has a choice. A National-Act coalition that’s more focused on cutting jobs than creating them – or Labour with our record of low-unemployment and wages rising faster than inflation.

A choice between National’s unaffordable tax cuts for millionaires that are paid for by big cuts to schools and hospitals or Labour’s real and ongoing cost of living support for hard working New Zealanders.

We know that National and ACT’s tax cuts don’t add up unless they make deep cuts to public services and gut cost of living support. National will increase the cost of medicine, early child education and childcare, public transport and fruit and vegetables. And ACT are determined to sell state assets if they get their hands on power.

Now is not the time to put jobs, public services, and cost of living support for New Zealanders at risk.

We are going to give it everything we’ve got this election, there’s too much on the line.

Kiwis love to back an underdog, and they love a comeback even more.  

Thanks,
Chris

pn964. Political Roundup by Bryce Edwards: Chris Hipkins’ very smart policy bonfire

 
                                        "Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ 

policy bonfire yesterday  is exactly what the Labour Government needed to do. It sends the most powerful signal yet that with Jacinda Ardern’s departure, a new direction is being embarked upon – one that is less concerned with ideological pet projects, and more about delivering the things that matter to the public."

So opens Bryce Edwards in today's Political Roundup, copied here to give it wider circulation. 

pn904. The Budget: 'Timid, Conservative and not very Transformational'

Billy Bragg, English song-writer
and left-wing activist

Political Roundup: Grant Robertson’s “sweet moderation” 

by Bryce Edwards

Grant Robertson is a big fan of British socialist folk-punk singer Billy Bragg. The finance minister even wrote an opinion column last year that started and ended with lyrics from Bragg’s iconic song “Between the Wars”, with its key line “Sweet moderation; Heart of this nation”. Robertson titled his column, “We can be a nation of sweet moderation – but only if we keep working at it”.

The Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister appropriated Bragg’s “sweet moderation” line as a justification in the face of criticisms that his government had become moderate rather than “transformational”. In fact, his column sought to paint rising political discontent and anger as being dangerous and something for all to condemn. In contrast to radicalism, he claimed that his type of “sweet moderation” was all about “giving everyone a fair suck of the sav” – i.e. a very down-to-earth way of signalling a vague sense of egalitarianism.

pn872. It Goes On and On ... The Poll Misinformation Continues - - - "Political Roundup: Autumn of discontent reflected in 1News earthquake poll"

What follows are examples of the so called "informed" and "balanced" reports of the 1News Kantar Political poll as shown today, 11 March, under an article published in the NZ Herald  and written by Bryce Edwards of Democracy Project fame.  And I used to think he was an intellectual!    

Political Roundup: Autumn of discontent reflected in 1News earthquake poll

Read his full article here. 

Then consider the heading of these articles cited in his NZ Politics Daily:

Not one of the writers questioned or even discussed the methodology of the poll or what the results really meant.

See my post pn870 "Another Meaningless and Badly Reported Poll".

pn798. MMP after 25 Years. Where Now?

Click on the link.    Bryce Edwards summarises a four-part series by Henry Cooke on MMP, with links to the Cooke articles provided. 

While the overall opinion on MMP is  that it is a big improvement on the old First Past the Post elections we once had, major MMP shortcomings include the ongoing dominance of the two major parties and their centralist positions, with Labour going to the right and National to the left to capture the 'middle' votes. The result? Governments have been afraid to seriously tackle major issues such as housing, poverty and climate change for fear of losing 'middle' voters."

________________________________________________________________

"The most important critique of MMP raised in Cooke’s article is that the current electoral system has led to timid governments that don’t deal with intractable and difficult problems. Our governments are now centrist and disinclined towards any boldness or radicalism." 

__________________________________________________

With the present Government committed to review the parliamentary system, Cooke's fourth article on where we go from here is especially important.

"Market forces" will not resolve housing crisis: state intervention needed (pn711)

Many thanks to Bryce Edwards for this.  I think he's hit the nail on the head. There is no way the housing crisis will be solved by market forces; it also requires government intervention, particularly by building many, many more state houses.  A similar view is expressed by Chris Trotter in his attack on  the supposedly independent but most obviously the right wing think tank NZ Initiatives, which is also a "must read":   

Only the most hardened veterans of the Rogernomics Revolution continue to insist that New Zealanders should trust “the market” to resolve a housing crisis ripping apart their country’s weakest and most vulnerable communities.'

Read on for the Edwards article.

Who is really being raped? Mallard, the media and democracy (pn648. )

Accusing someone of rape is a serious thing, and difficult to withdraw. Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard must be regretting that mistake, especially now when he's being bombarded by media articles demanding he resign.  

But that is not the point of my story. My focus is on the media and society, not Mallard.  I'm wondering why the media has gone so far overboard on Mallard's fumbled rape charge when there are so many more important issues facing the country. I doubt it was a moral or human rights concern, although it would be nice to think so.   It seems more likely a pursuit of a nice sexy honey-pot  story that attracts readers and pleases advertisers,  and for at least two of them, the NZ Herald and NewstalkZB, it provides another chance to attack our left-centre government.

pn594. Bryce Edwards' damning article on Labour’s "inaction on poverty and inequality"

 

STOP PRESS. Auckland anti-poverty group blasts government.  Click here.

Bryce Edwards' damning article on "Political Roundup: The Left’s challenge to Labour’s inaction on poverty and inequality"

  How determined are Labour to take the necessary steps to fix inequality and poverty? Will electoral calculations triumph over their principles and stated ambitions? These are some of the questions being asked on the political left, as the Government looks determined to stand by while social problems continue to get worse under their watch.

 
During their last term in Government, Ardern and colleagues failed to be transformational on their key promise of fixing inequality and poverty. And now they are choosing policies that massively increase inequality, while ignoring the plight of those at the bottom. That’s why this week over 60 charities and NGOs made an open plea to the Government to increase welfare benefits before Christmas.

pn573. John Armstrong struggles to make Jacinda look like a witch. (Updated P.P.S.by Bryce Edwards)

Semi-retired conservative columnist John Armstrong —usually noted for more robust argument—  strains at his breeches trying to turn Jacinda from a tooth fairy into a witch.  (See update P.P.S., below).

In her talks with the Greens, he says,  she is not magnanimous or motivated by familial loyalty but by "one thing and one thing only - Labour's self-interest, pure and simple." 

His evidence?  She "did not lift a finger ... to help her Government's support partner retain a presence in Parliament by withdrawing the Labour candidate in Auckland Central" (and) by ignored James Shaw's pleas that she do some "messaging" ... to urge Labour supporters to cast their party vote for the Greens."

Why? The wicked witch wanted to keep the Greens "firmly under her thumb" while falsely giving "the impression she is sharing power". Why?  Because "opinion polls show we don't like one-party governments." 

The witch will tell the Greens "in the nicest possible way that they can take it or leave it." James Shaw may be offered his pre-election job as Minister for Climate Change  because  "it would be a means of keeping the Greens inside the tent, rather than them being trouble outside." Nothing more for the Greens. She needs to fill Cabinet seats with her own.