Recent Labour policy releases

Labour is brimming with new policy and ideas for a third term and beyond. Some of the more recent announcements:

Maori Affairs policy - last Friday.
Immigration policy - last Saturday.
Youth Affairs policy - last Sunday.
Employment Relations & ACC Policy - yesterday.
Transport policy - yesterday.

Nice to see one major party rolling out sensible policy for the future. In that time I think National has rehashed its Orewa speech, and that's about it.

Comments

[sock thief]

Most of this looks good.

Which parts of the transport policy will Labour sacrifice to keep the Greens onside?

[neilnz@hotmail.com]

too late i fear, frog is already claiming Labour's transport policies are heavily Green influenced.

can't wait to see what Kedgely will do for public health and Locke for foreign policy.

[Insolent Prick]

Wrong, Jordan. None of this is substantial new policy. Most of it is a rehash of existing policy. When Labour brings out its trump card of legislating for lunch breaks at a time when the economy, and the labour market, are running so hot, it is a sad indictment on the lack of ideas coming from your party.

Legislating for lunch breaks is about the stupidest idea I've heard to date. Why? Because as an employee, I take my lunch breaks when I frigging want. If I'm too busy to take one, I eat at my desk. If my boss tried to dictate to me when I could or could not take my lunch breaks, I'd tell him to take a flying jump.

That's how the labour market actually works. Labour doesn't understand that. Far from needing more mindless regulation of problems that don't exist, Labour should be creating more flexibility and letting the market decide these issues.

Bad policy, Jordan.

[peter mck]

how about a policy on genuine tax cuts (oh hang on a second - actually three years and your get 67 cents)

also I am interested to know how much the unions have written policy for the labour government - like lunches.

By the way - any comments on the boo boo hobbs / mark blumsky battle - everyone else is talking who is in front - eg Tauranga / Epsom - why not wellington (must be behind eh.)

[Paul]

Peter and IP.

if this is "rehash of existing policy" why are Labour leading EVERY SINGLE poll?

Only an observation.

[Aj]

IP:~
" I take my lunch breaks when I frigging want. If I'm too busy to take one, I eat at my desk. If my boss tried to dictate to me when I could or could not take my lunch breaks, I'd tell him to take a flying jump. That's how the labour market actually works."

Lucky fella. That's not how the labour market works for most people.

[weizguy]

Seeing as Blumsky is invisible in the electorate, who knows where he is?

[Insolent Prick]

No, Aj. With three percent unemployment--and the remaining three percent simply not wanting to work--most people have a whole range of employment options available to them.

Which means that the market solution--of moving to work for an employer who does give workers the dignity to choose when they break and when they don't--is far preferable to a government-imposed solution that suits nobody.

[Aj]

Ip, only in a relatively small number of jobs. The majority of workers need to fit into the commercial dictates of their employers and have no choice.

[rich]

Your links are all broken! - just thought you might like to know so you can change the references or get whoever looks after the labour site to fix it.

[Whaleoil]

Paul, that would be every single pol except tonights one on 3

[Peter McK]

Paul you tosser - obviously you did not see 3 news tonight - a poll that has traditionally be labour favoured has the bluey team back in front with the stupid socialists at 39% - they would not have enough with the greens and the Maori party and Anderton.

The country has had enough of the nasty banshie and her marxist mates.

Oh well I am sure you will enjoy Don's tax cuts as well. - they will benefit everyone - but if you feel guilty I am sure the IRD would take additional if you want extra money for health etc.

Actually - I think the election is too close to call -

[Paul]

Thanks for the kind words Guys, it means a lot to me, that you all care so much for my TV viewing. Since we don't have times on the post any more, I'll enlighten you that I posted it from work, well before the news.

But personal compliments aside, shall we look at the facts.

Whoooo I'm scared, the Nats have taken the vote off ACT and NZF, not Labour!!!

The right wing vote has not increased if you all look at the trends, no doubt Jordan will post TV3s poll with the trends for all of the other polls over the last few weeks.

And nowhere there can I see the left vote failing, it just isn't happening.

National played its absolute kingpin home run knock out final blow policy in their tax cuts, and they creaped ahead of Labour by 2 points. Helen my be really crapping herslef - not.

Finally Peter we almost agree, except in that it is too close now, if we add up the actual seats in Parliament, Labour at thiis stage can still form a coalition, given that Maori P with their 3-4 seats, Jim, the Greens and their seats, there is no way National could form a govt at this stage.

There's still 2 weeks to go and then we'll see.

I do remember the last time Naitonal went ahead on the polls, this blogt with full of the most spectacular displays of gloating and socialist bashing, nice to see it's back.

Whilst the gnats were getting their arses kicked over the last 2 weeks, Tim went awol and Peter et al were silent, deafeningly so.

[tim barclay]

This is going down to the wire. No doubt about it and the minor parties are being squeezed everywhere. All my lefty chums just love National's tax policy. I tell them to hold thier nose and cover their eyes and tick the party vote for National and save their conscience and give the electorate vote to Labour.

[Peter McK]

Dental Care for Children – Good Policy – too late

Interesting to see today that the Health Banshee has found some money for dental care for children. This is good – but for six years this has been a neglected area – Banshee Annette was a dental nurse (I use the word loosely) before she went to parliament and therefore this should have been an area of grave concern to her personally. Her electorate (Wellington South) and the neighbouring electorate has been without a dental therapist for the past 19 months. I advised Annette King 9 months ago.

Now just before the election she takes some action. How predictable of a desperate government.

The backlog at Wellington schools is so bad that although the mobile unit is now at schools (ClydeQuay) we cannot get a guarantee that all children will be seen.

Annette tried to blame the previous administration even although she has been minister of health for 5 years. The word for that is gutless.

[tim barclay]

This is all drivel as none of it will be implemented. The Maori affairs policy will get written by the maori party, the youth policy and the transport policy gets written by the Greens, NZ First will decide the immigration policy and I will concede the (un)employment policy and ACC will be a joint venture from all of them.

[Peter McK]

Good to hear the Nat Policy this morning in respect of the Broadcast charter. - Another good policy from the Blue team Less nanny state intervention in the media has to be a good thing - making the $36m contestable is good.

Best of all it will reduce the state run TV being a mouth peice for the Labour Government. I hope to hell they do sell TV NZ - no good case exists for gummint to own a TV station (or a host of other businesses such as vehicle testing).

The private sector will make a better owner.

[Peter McK]

this is worth repeating for the benefit of school teachers who read this blog - sad for the unions but true

"$100 Million Tax Cut for Teachers

Teachers will benefit by $100 million a year once National's lower taxes are in place. A trip to www.taxcut.co.nz compares the Labour and National packages. A small number of middle income families are better off with Labour's package, and every other working New Zealand is better off with National's package."

[Paul]

Peter McK,

you are of course completely inaccurate with regard to so called bribes with regard to dental policy announced.

The MINISTRY initiated a nation wide study of the whole delivery of dental serivices in the middle of last year. It was all encompasing and a very detailed study, of whichh the results came together a few months back, reports presented to cabinet, and now Labour is announcing the requirements to fix the problems of said policy.

Jesus if this is the level of analysis of policy good bloody luck to the lot of ya.

Tim as for you " All my lefty chums just love National's tax policy." The aren't left, the whimpy liberals who are more concerned about thier own pocket than the state of the nation.

[Paul]

Peter once again.

"Teachers will benefit by $100 million a year once National's lower taxes are in place." might be good for the back pocket of teacher individually, but in this "we are all individuals" hell hole that you people want, this is a shitty deal for education, teachers yes, education no.

Its a flippin no brainer.

[Paul]

But yoru gem for the morning in your little world is the "best of all it will reduce the state run TV being a mouth peice for the Labour Government"

When has TVNZ ever been recently a mouth piece for the govt, PROVE it instead of this bullshit radio pacific opinionated crap.

We need look no further than the BBC to see why the Govt should act as state broadcaster, or for that matter listen to private radio. We all know that marketeers see radio aned tv as a means to make money and not to present quality television. At least with a charter there is an imperative to create challenging quality TV.

[Peter McK]

Paul - You are in an especially foul mood this morning - more than usual for a "chip off the old block cloth cap socialist" - must be somthing to do with the TV3 poll last night - cock-a-doodle-doo.

I am wondering why in spite of $9b thrown into health why they could not appoint a dental therapist for 19 months in the Ministers own electorate (and the neighbouring wellington Central - we have had for nearly six years a minister who would compete with Hawkins for incompetance.

[Paul]

"chip off the old block cloth cap socialist""

That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day, thanks very much Peter.

Once more with "part of the Union" by the Strawbs.

[Sam]

TVNZ is nowhere near a comparable entity to BBC (especially with respect to programme quality)

So what is the point of State owned Tv?