New Zealand has flipped to common sense

In this state of the nation address it appears that New Zealand has done a U turn from the Adern government. The Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters tells it like it is. He tells it like it is, the end of wokeism and back to a common sense way of running a country. Labour was voted out resoundingly, because of Covid policies and ignoring the basic needs of a small country. He tells how the media was bribed to tell a certain tale and if they did not, the funding would be withdrawn.

a reply to: annonentity

Glad to see this.

Adern was coo coo for cocoa puffs. Hopefully we can reverse course too.

a reply to: annonentity

Thank God!

Finally seeing Common Sense return, even if across the world, is a sign of better things to come.

Now for rest of world's people to wake up to the BS, coming from political agencies, and also return to common sense.

This is amazing news, thank you for sharing.

Can we ship him to Australia after he's fixed NZ?

I'd never heard of this gentleman before and I'm well impressed.
He's 78 years old..... in the same ball park as Biden and Trump, besides being more lucid and eloquent respectively, his strength is he's talking to the people of NZ as their servant, not their master.
This segway's me nicely to UK politics. Both Starmer and Sunak would do well to listen to his speech if they would both like 'hints and tips' for our next general election.
He's quite right when he states NZ used to be a principled example of democracy on the world stage, which in recent years has fallen very short of the very meaning of "ruled by the people". I would also add, and it is just my view, democracy also means common sense. When common sense is lacking, it is no longer a democracy. When common sense is lacking it is a fast and slippery slope to totalitarianism and dictatorship.

Thank you for posting.
Rainbows
Jane

Wow sounds like this is gunna upset a few of the local ATS New Zealand grazing animals.

a reply to: annonentity

I'm sure this is not what some folks in NZ wanna see, the ones that like to be governed face-down, ass-up.

a reply to: annonentity
Go on, I'll play the devils advocate again. Yeah, great speech but walking the walk is a different thing. Winston Peters is 1 out of 5 New Zealand first party, the government is controlled by the New Zealand National party so his voice is a teardrop in the ocean. Are the nationalists gonna fall into his words? Only time will tell, with hope.
In answer to Angel:- It's already been said Sunak and Starmer are both cheeks of the same ar~~. They have their own ideology and they will never change, they WILL see the country go to the dogs as long as they get their cuts. Virtually 90 odd percent of the politicians are in it for their own ends they do not and have never had the best actions for Britain or the British people.

a reply to: annonentity

You do realize that this guy, Winston Peters, was deputhy Prime Mininster to Ardern? He was panning the government that he was 2nd in command of:

Winston Peters - Sixth Labour Government (2017-2020)

I am personally out of work at the moment because of the new right-wing government's policies which have caused most large New Zealand companies to shed staff just to survive. And while the new government has promised all sorts of stuff to 'repair the economy', it has mostly been concerned with dismantling the legislation of previous governments (even right-wing ones), and had done almost nothing to fix the economic situation over the last year.

Peters speech made a sideways reference to people shouting out on a marae, well this was what he was talking about:

New Zealand govt ministers heckled by protesters ahead of national day celebrations. - Maori people protesting about being marginalized by the new government's specifically race-related policies.

At the same time as I lost my job, things that I have never had to pay for before are now additional costs that I have to bear due to new legislational 'compliance', and other costs such as land rates have ballooned out of control.

And at present, large, established national news media companies that were profitable are now shut down under this government. Cuts and closures in New Zealand's news media industry: What you need to know. - So much for the "4th estate".

And the government, while stripping down social services and making it harder for those it alleges are cheating on social welfare, were themselves cheating on social welfare:

Christopher Luxon claims $52k accommodation payment to live in own apartment. That is the Prime Minister!

In short, almost everything Peters said was untrue. The government has had time to start making an impact and yet Peters speech was full of 'what they are going to do', and nothing of what they have so-far achieved. As far as a 'state of the nation' speech goes, it didn't say much about the current state of the nation. That is because they just aren't achieving things. Everything that they have so far done has cost the New Zealand public even more.

Here's a news story about Peters fale claims, that he repeated in this latest speech:

Winst on Peters makes false claim Government bribed media just after becoming Deputy PM. Also, note that this news company has now been shut down:

Timeline: News on 3 comes to a close after 34 years.

Plus Peters himself has often been funded from dubious sources and has not declared donations that he was supposed to. He was under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office of the New Zealand Police. He has a history of political corrupton.

a reply to: chr0naut

How much power does the deputhy PM have?

Can they set policy that is opposite of what the PM is doing?

a reply to: crayzeed

In answer to Angel:- It's already been said Sunak and Starmer are both cheeks of the same ar~~. They have their own ideology and they will never change, they WILL see the country go to the dogs as long as they get their cuts. Virtually 90 odd percent of the politicians are in it for their own ends they do not and have never had the best actions for Britain or the British people.

Start with the mere fact that they are both paid up members of WEF.... we are screwed. As for Blair... he sits on WEF's board of directors!
Rainbows
Jane

originally posted by: YourFaceAgain
a reply to: chr0naut

How much power does the deputhy PM have?

Can they set policy that is opposite of what the PM is doing?

Ardern, went on maternity leave while Peters was her deputy PM. He assumed the PM's role in the absence of the PM.

That's what many fail to understand. They allege that Ardern's government was far-left and yet the deputy PM was from a fairly hard-right-wing party.

The NZ Labour Party does lean left but is a fairly centrist party. Just as the current NZ National Party has traditionally been right-leaning but has been largely centrist.

Our New Zealand system of government allows parties to share power by forming coalitions, to firm up the number of 'seats' they have in Parliament. Where one party may only be ahead by narrow margins, they can bolster their position by allying with a minor party in coalition government. This both gives minority groups access to government and enables the country to be governed by blended policies at the discretion of the caucus of the instated government parties.

The current NZ National Party led government has allied with two hard-right parties and the policies that they are implementing are wrecking-ball ones, with a promise that one day something will be built, but currently only destruction left in their wake.

Re-listen to the 'state of the nation' speech and you will see that it does not describe the state of the nation at all, but is instead full of promises of future conditions.

Ask yourself, can a US Vice-President choose to go against the directive of a US President? Because Pence definitiely did. A Deputy PM's role is analogous to that of a Vice Presidents role.

a reply to: YourFaceAgain

Winston Peters is the leader of the New Zealand First Party. His modus operendi if you will in the MMP system of government , is to have enough MP's elected so that he can control the majority, if he removes his backing the government has to go back to the polls. He is responsible for most of the policies that he stated,especialy trying to get the countries only oil refinery up an running again.It was closed down by Globalist Adern. Peters general model comes from the sixties when NZ population was half employed by the state and half in private enterprise. It is a small economy and can turn on a dime ,from past experience we will see infra structure jobs increase.
He should never be underestimated as he is the oldest serving politician and knows all the tricks ,he will stand on a busy intersection with a plackard and wave at the cars going by, he is well liked and popular.With down to earth solutions.At present he is foriegn minister, he has met The leaders of North Korea and most of the world leaders. His mother was Scottish and his father was Maori and was born in a hut somewhere in the backcountry. If my memory serves me correct.

a reply to: chr0naut

Blah Blah blah..He is the only politician to do anything for those on the old age pension. Every party and the media have tried to undermine him, but every time he keeps coming back, and they have to eat humble pie.I will say one thing he is so cunning he has got them all #ed and has been around long enough to know where all the dirty secrets are.

originally posted by: annonentity
a reply to: chr0naut

Blah Blah blah..He is the only politician to do anything for those on the old age pension. Every party and the media have tried to undermine him, but every time he keeps coming back, and they have to eat humble pie.I will say one thing he is so cunning he has got them all #ed and has been around long enough to know where all the dirty secrets are.

Old age and veteran pensions are government administered, and have been from well before Peters was around.

What Peters did is to promote the SuperGold card as a way for pensioners to get discounts.

Few retailers honour the SuperGold card. For example, there are no businesses local to me, at all, that have any discounts regarding the SuperGold card. In the next big town, there are discounts on five coffee places, a wheel alignment discount and for an auto-electrician. You can't live on that.

Similarly, there is a card called a Community Services card that is given to everyone who is on a benefit. Nowhere honours it. It was supposed to provide reduced cost health and community services, at a minimum, but the conditions to comply with are impossible to meet. It is worse than useless. I have been given one because I am currently out of work, but I can't use it anywhere. It's a waste of government money even producing it.

Both the cards are supposed to get discounts on public transport, but only at off-peak times, and the town I live in has almost no public transport services after they were recently cut by the government.

The SuperGold and Community Services cards are a con that the government can use to salve their consciences while they slash other support services and still look like they are doing something. There are better loyalty cards around that just anyone can get.

a reply to: chr0naut

When it first came out ,you could just hop on a bus for free, even get free trips to Waiheke Island on the ferry. Then when he was out of office they started to Hammer it back. Like he said now he is back it will be upgraded. But we will see the proof is in the pudding.
All the NZ first policies are good and make common sense.

When someone attacks someone who doesn't know how to defend themselves it's likely there'll be a fight leading to winners and losers.