Election day in little ol NZ
Find a Conversation
| Sat, 09-17-2005 - 4:38am |
NZ'ers are such a fickle bunch, seemingly always looking for something better- for as long as I can remember the longest any one party has governed is 6 years, then its back and forth between the two major parties for a while and then settle on one for two terms and then hello, we are back to the other again!! Well I am really hoping that pattern is broken today with Labour voted in for a 3rd term, but its not looking good.
If National get in, they will do away with subsidised housing and the house I have just settled into is likely to be sold from underneath me.
Last time they were the govt, they just about buried the country in foreign debt and its taken Labour most of the last 6 years to turn that around and actually look financially healthy for a change... National has already said they will borrow offshore to fulfil their election promises- lots of NZ'ers have very short memories it seems. Oh they also said they would drop 5c a litre from petrol= BIG deal when the govt creams off 12.5% in GST anyway! But I am pretty sure that is why people are voting for them... cant imagine any other reason, lol!
The Labour govt has supported steps towards recognising same sex couples- a law was passed allowing ALL couples the right to register their partnerships. That is as far as anything will go under the National Govt.
Send Helen Clark lots of winning vibes please everyone!!!


Best wishes, Ven... we saw what the result of governments that focus on the wealth of a few and ignore the needs of many, the hurricane showed this to the world. And now our illustrious president proposes 'solutions' which further enhance those with the most. There will be untold billions poured into the hurricane areas, and he is setting it up so that this money flows to his friends, not the people... already several companies with ties to him have contracts, and he has suspended prevailing wage requirements, meaning the workers can be paid substantially less.
I can imagine this is the sort of attitude that you fear there as well. What these 'leaders' fail to understand is that the wealth of those few they serve at the expense of others actually are wealthy because we accept they are. If social conditions deteriorate to the point of anarchy, wealth is but paper, it is meaningless. A million is
worlds undone
Sending lots of winning vibes to Helen Clark!
Pieces of My Life
OK, I'm assuming you want Helen Clark to win and she a part of the Labor Party.
See how smart I am...*L* ;-)
Is your Labor Party and National Party similar to our Democratic & Republican Parties?
The perception is Demmie for the little/average people and Rep is for the rich folks.
At least your country men/women has six years as an excuse to "forgot" the records of the Nationals. I'm still mad with the 52% of my country folks for voting this one we have as president in! It's like smoking...smokers are giving/informed of all the bad things that happens and yet they still smoke. *gettingoffthebox, shimmy to my seat* *L*
OK, I'm all right now. Somehow a smoking spirit must have passed me by for me to go into that nunsence. *grin*
Hope your Helen win!
Good vibes on the ship to NZ...wait I better FedEX it. It's those darn changes I have to carry to the drop off that delaying my quick footing. *S*
The "don't haves" has this knowledge.
The "haves" are oblivious to this.
I have an inkling they BELIEVE the "it's not my problem they got themself into poverty. I made the best of what life threw at me and I'm well off now. They just don't take advantage of the opportunities given to them." syndrom.
It was a shock to us here and I am sure, most people anywhere- the way that whole situation was handled. Remote islands ravaged by hurricanes have received greater and more timely support.
The greatest problem in NZ at the moment isnt so much the education but the constant flow of it offshore. Labour has proposed tax free student loans for those who stay in NZ -which is going to cost the country a great deal in the loss of interest but if it solves the problem of graduates going overseas as soon as they graduate, then the benefits should justify the costs.
The student load scheme gives everyone the opportunity for tertiary education- say if my son decided he really wanted to be a doctor. There is no way -even if I sold everything I owned for twice its worth that I could pay for that kind of education for him, so the Govt pays through the student loan scheme and he pays it back at varying amounts depending on how much he earns at the time. Some people are still paying their student loans off 10 years later or more- but they still got that chance that they never would have had.
The good news is that Labour pipped in so far - there are still special votes to be counted- and it all comes down to whether they can form a coalition with one of the minor parties- I am picking they will negotiate with the Greens at this stage. It could be two weeks before we actually know.
your vibes seem to be reaching their target! Helen is smiling this morning... she just needs to make friends with the Green party to return for an historic 3rd term as Prime Minister- or should that be Prime Ms?!
With special votes still to be counted, the gap between the two major parties is a little more than 1% so lets hope the balance isnt shifted when they are counted.
yes, she is the leader of the Labour party, and currently our Prime Minister. Gold star for Eastie!
Our two major parties do sound similar- National is about lining the pockets of those who already have it- widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Whereas Labour is a bit more down to earth and more supportive of the ordinary person. In fact, Helen Clark portrays herself as an ordinary person. You see her at the rugby, you see her at the cricket, you see her opening airport extensions and remote vet clinics and you even see her on our sub-antarctic islands finding out about issues facing them because she knew very little about them. Many of our previous Prime Ministers have done their job from parliament.
Keep us posted Ven!
Hugs from Pam
Pieces of My Life