The 2023 General Election thread

[Lightspeed]

Governments waste money. I prefer money wasted than money saved by gutting necessary services.

I figure Labour has a harder time of it, given opposition to its policies are well funded, whereas opposition for anything National cooks up has to be grass roots.

[Lightspeed]

The thing I like about Winston is he shines a light onto the true state of our politics. He shows us where are values really lie, however unflattering those values may be.

[Lightspeed]

Luxon pulls out of major leaders debate

I mean, it's smart politically of course. The less the public sees of Luxon before the election, the better for National.

[Cyberbob]

Luxon himself has posted on Twitter saying he didn't pull out of anything. This weeks one isn't going ahead because Hipkins has Covid, and he can't make any other proposed dates work.

[Lightspeed]

Come on. He'd be a fool to find a date that works.

[Ab]

After he wiped the floor with Hipkins in the first debate?

[xor]

Who would have thought Waititi the racist was not a fan of democracy?

so good, edging forward

[fixed_truth]

Misleading click bait headline sucked you in eh? Not surprising really, it confirms your 'Maori should sit in the corner & shut the fuck up', bias.

Luxon definitely doesn't want another debate. It just highlights he's a political inexperienced generic smiling rich white businessman. Which isn't even his worst quality as he's also a religious nutter.

[xor]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Misleading click bait headline sucked you in eh? Not surprising really, it confirms your 'Maori should sit in the corner & shut the fuck up', bias.

I listened to his sweet melody of Kenny Rogers while this genetically superior guy said that he disagrees with democracy and the 'tyranny of the majority'

Soooo...?

[Ab]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

he's also a religious nutter.

Remember that the next time that Labour makes its annual pilgrimage to pay homage to the Rātana Church.

[Lightspeed]

I think you're missing that Luxon is a believer, or at least effectively so.

[fixed_truth]

I'm not against all religion, some are fairly tolerant in NZ.

I am against our Prime Minister thinking that women should be forced to give birth against their will and if they don't they're murderers.

[xor]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

I am against our Prime Minister thinking that women should be forced to give birth against their will and if they don't they're murderers.

Good thing you live in a democracy...

[fixed_truth]

The type of democracy (or lack thereof) I live in doesn't change whether I'm against religious nutters.

[Ab]

Party of the people

https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/04/c...e-campaigning/

[Ab]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

The type of democracy (or lack thereof) I live in doesn't change whether I'm against religious nutters.

Reminder, by law our Head of State has to be the head of the Anglican Church.

[Lightspeed]

Not really the same thing tho. I get there is some relationship between an ancient institution that's a lynch pin of power, and blaming the poor for their circumstances, fixating on the sex lives of others, etc.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Ab

Party of the people

https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/04/c...e-campaigning/

That looks like a car. MP uses car.

What kind of headline is that?

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

blaming the poor for their circumstances,

“Ye have the poor always with you” - Jebus

[Lightspeed]

Christ understood entropy.

[Lightspeed]

NZ First would put limit on time spent on main benefit

NZF lining up their policy compromises, making sure they're in a position to extract maximum value.

Winston's going to clown Luxon.

[_indigo1]

That policy doesn't seem so outlandish until you realise that NZ policy doesn't recognise as a disability many major long term, sometimes lifetime incurable illnesses that are completely debilitating.

This means people who -CAN'T- work are stuck on persistent JobSeeker having to jump through hoops to renew as if they are just off work on a medical certificate.

People like this should be on disability support but because of policy red tape are not formally recognised.

So what happens to them?

[Lightspeed]

What else can you expect? Those willing to beat up on the poors aren't going to pause for a moment of empathy for the less able.

It's just a beat up that will increase homelessness and crime, make finding work even more difficult as people desperately seek jobs from employers that won't hire them, except those specifically seeking the desperate.

What could go wrong?

[Ab]

On the money:

Josh Drummond, The Party That Can't And The Party That Won't

https://badnewsletter.substack.com/p...arty-that-wont

[fixed_truth]

Labour done plenty. Just not enough for those left of Labour like me, or enough for the significant group of fairly disinterested swing voters who don't understand global economic effects and think voting for the hands off blue team will change things for the better.

Tl:dr vote for parties to the left of Labour

[Lightspeed]

It's funny how while the rest of the world was falling over themselves to appease populists to the deaths of potentially millions during the pandemic, Labour gets called "appeasing" for holding strong and keeping us alive.

Whatever money that's "on", I'm curious what that money could possibly buy?

What a joke.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

It's funny how while the rest of the world was falling over themselves to appease populists to the deaths of potentially millions during the pandemic, Labour gets called "appeasing" for holding strong and keeping us alive.

Drummond's point is that the COVID response was an anomaly.

The Covid-19 pandemic was still raging when Labour began to regress to its mean: a milquetoast, ineffective, appeasing, ever-so-slightly blunted version of the neoliberal status quo designed to appeal to “centrists” and in fact intolerable to anyone but the most determined party apparatchiks.

[Lightspeed]

I'll take it.

Whatever the conditions were that enabled Labour to be one of the few governments in the world to do just the right thing during the pandemic, those conditions are welcome.

It makes sense that subsequent to that Labour suffered from a distinct lack of political capital to achieve their agenda. They had just compelled everyone to listen to the government, not just the usual poors. There was no way Labour were getting off the hook for that.

Should they have been like other governments, held onto their edge at the cost of our lives?

[Lightspeed]

Seems like the media's in a polls lolz frenzy rn.

[Ab]

Desperate for a controversy?

[blynk]

Someone made an interesting point. Why were the 2 main parties at the top of the election form, and then they went alphabetical.
Isnt that influencing votes?

[Ab]

me: Hauraki-Waikato
pv: ACT
ev: Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clark (TPM)

[DrTiTus]

Pretty good result, everything came in as expected, with a high likelihood of Winston.

Well done NZ, we got rid of these useless cunts.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by _indigo1

That policy doesn't seem so outlandish until you realise that NZ policy doesn't recognise as a disability many major long term, sometimes lifetime incurable illnesses that are completely debilitating.

This means people who -CAN'T- work are stuck on persistent JobSeeker having to jump through hoops to renew as if they are just off work on a medical certificate.

People like this should be on disability support but because of policy red tape are not formally recognised.

So what happens to them?

Seen this. Someone that can barely walk and is on medications for various mental health issues (including but not limited to depression and epilepsy) being interrogated as to why they’re not working as if they’re a criminal.

[fixed_truth]

Yeah things are gonna get worse for these vulnerable groups as they'll be the whipping boy for problems that are actually externally caused.

Great to see the Greens, TMP and young female MPs doing well this election, hopefully this momentum will continue up to the next cycle.

Also glad to see the racist ACT party dropping back from some of those late polls as well those antivax/conspiracy theory nutter parties being a blip.

Will be interesting to see if Winston is needed after the dust settles.

[_indigo1]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Seen this. Someone that can barely walk and is on medications for various mental health issues (including but not limited to depression and epilepsy) being interrogated as to why they’re not working as if they’re a criminal.

I am one of those people and basically all other politics aside, when you are in this state you don't have the luxury of politicking or voting on virtue - you have to vote on your basic life needs.

Terrified of what a NAT govt means for my capacity to exist in this state.

[blynk]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Will be interesting to see if Winston is needed after the dust settles.

I am in 2 minds.

I would love if NACT had to work with them, it could be quite a watch - although maybe not good for the country??

But then again, I would also love to have a laugh at winnie that he thought he was going to be kingmaker and he ends up getting in and not being needed.
Especially when he loves to complain about polls and thinks he is doing better and is more important that what they show.

Actually, as I have written this, I would prefer option 2. Egg on Winnies face - but National may still throw him a bone to keep him onside a little

[Lightspeed]

If NACT make a deal with NZF, it will just be case of waiting for Winny to pull out the rug from under things.

Fingers crossed.

[xor]

My name is Dr Gaurav Sharma and this is my Ted talk

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

If NACT make a deal with NZF, it will just be case of waiting for Winny to pull out the rug from under things.

Fingers crossed.

Nothing made my heart soar like watching the election night NZ First press conference coverage and spotting Cameron Slater schmoozing. Because we all miss his presence in NZ politics.