The other day John Key mocked Phil Goff over his costings with taunts of “show me the money.” Today Labour has released its costings. National will no doubt try and confuse matters. But one thing, as I demonstrated yesterday is that Key is dodgy with his own use of figures.
What cannot be disputed is that Key campaigned last election about reducing unemployment (it has grown from 95,000 to over 157,000), narrowing the wage gap with Australia (it has grown not reduced). Key chided Labour for the fact that 33,000 people had left our shores for Australia, yet under his leadership that figure has now grown to over 100,000. In addition we now have over 200,000 children living in poverty.
Meanwhile we have Key’s big idea from the 2009 jobs summit of building a national cycleway that would create some 4000 jobs. Aside from the interesting contradiction in using public spending to reduce unemployment (a contradiction because Key is actually reducing public sector jobs to increase unemployment), the actual number of jobs created by the cycleway is only 120.
As Phil Goff remarked today with the release of Labour’s figures, “show me the jobs!”
On the 3rd of November Key’s pronouncement about an increase in unemployment being proof that National’s policies are working was incredible. I quote from the Herald:
“Prime Minister John Key has reacted to unemployment figures released this morning, saying more people are seeking work, and "confidence is coming back".
The figures showed the jobless rate unexpectedly rose in the third quarter, with little evidence the start of the Rugby World Cup drove an increase in casual workers to service the wave of tourists.
The unemployment rate rose to 6.6 per cent in the three months ended September 30 from 6.5 per cent in the June quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand's Household Labour Force Survey.”
"More people are seeking work" and this is good? What planet is he on? The only reason more people are now seeking work, is that more people are out of work! This is weird it is like a cancer specialist telling a patient to relax because "relapse" means that they are cured. We would think the doctor was mad and change our specialist. Likewise with lunacy like Key’s, that an increase in unemployment shows the economy is on the up, New Zealanders should be waking up to the fact that it is time to change our Government as this current lot are out of touch and bereft of ideas.
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