Sunday Columnists
Chris Trotter calls the proposed mortgage levy “political suicide”.
Michael Laws comments on the underclass:
The reaction of the Labour government to this Tory initiative is revealing. The use of the word “Tory” to start with – demonstrating an archaic appreciation of modern politics at the same time as imposing their socialist didactic. You want to give them a good slap: get over it, Labour.
But that’s the academic explanation – the more human one is that they’re just jealous. It’s almost as if the poor are Labour’s exclusive preserve – their boy/girlfriend. And now some flash John, who used to be poor, is trying to steal them away and locate them to plusher surrounds.
Matt McCarten says he has “been rather impressed with John Key’s strategy since he took over the leadership of the National Party”
Fran O’Sullivan writes that the PM should have backed Michael Cullen for wanting to look at unpopular issues such as a levy on mortgages. She also reveals that former Alliance press secretary John Pagani is back in the Beehuive working for Cullen.
Deborah Coddington writes on why she is not doing TV any longer, but also invents a new term of “blutters” for “blog nutters”. I presume that is revenge for Public Address readers voting “coddingtonswallop” as No 5 in the list of words of the year,
Kerre Woodham labels the Government as being “head-in-the-sand” in relation to hungry kids in school:
“The Labour Government dismissed Key’s plan to partner up a school with a local business as “Tory charity”. Ministers quibbled over the actual numbers of kids who are too hungry to learn and accused Key of grandstanding.
This head-in-the-sand approach is unhelpful.”
And then even better Kerre compares the Government’s denial to North Korea:
Key has attempted to carve out a role as the father of the nation, Labour is in full Kim Jong-Il rhetorical flight, denying that any of its citizens are starving, and righteous parents are adamant that hungry kids can jolly well starve and that will teach their useless parents.