Polity: Unity, success: Chicken, egg?
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To go back to the original point of the article: it bothers me that you say 'perception is reality in politics'. That's defeatist. The media is the missing piece of the analysis; now that 'disunited Labour' is a trope, they will flog it regardless of what actually happens (eg Paddy Gower's insistence that any MP who does not explicitly rule out ever running for the leadership ever is absolutely definitely planning a coup).
I want politicians who refuse to play that game; who make their principles clear and don't contradict themselves trying to please the media or the clueless 'floating voter', who usually doesn't vote anyway (or who, inevitably, decides to vote for Winston at the last moment).
Re the generational warfare that seems to have become the topic of this thread: it is infuriating when an older generation fall back on laziness as the explanation for young people not being able to afford housing. I'm a well-spoken, university-educated, physically healthy Pakeha male (30) with a wide circle of friends: journalists, teachers, scientists, people working in film, etc. Not one of us considers buying a home a possibility. All lazy? Even the ones who work 60+hour weeks? I teach English to refugees for a living; it was the best-paid job I could find. If I put every cent of my income after rent (no eating or drinking!) towards buying a house, I could pay for a modest home in the far outer suburbs in just... 108 years.
You know what? I don't even buy into the cult of home ownership. I could happily rent forever. But the rent takes up well over half my income, so I can't pay off much of my student loan -- much less invest in anything, at all. 'Mum and Dad investors' -- yeah, an apt phrase. Mum and Dad have capital. But their kids will have to wait another 30 years to participate in the economy as anything other than cheap labour, ie when they reach retirement age themselves they'll finally have assets... a gerontocracy indeed.
Yep, totally sustainable. Please consider this a very polite expression of rage. Being blase about the current situation really seems like a big 'fuck you' to those members of my generation who didn't pick the right qualification, or the right parents...
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Marc C, in reply to
I want politicians who refuse to play that game; who make their principles clear and don’t contradict themselves trying to please the media or the clueless ‘floating voter’, who usually doesn’t vote anyway (or who, inevitably, decides to vote for Winston at the last moment).
Thanks for your refreshing comment here, Sam!
Yes, you are stating some sensible facts. One problem is the politicians are running around like opossums looking into the head-lights, when faced with the rotten media.
And for the problems this country faces, few are ready to speak out the truth as it is, all trying desperately to "please" as many people out there, as they can think (and fear) of.
One reason for the housing price increases is that we have basically unrestrained demand, from a "global" market, where many can buy residential real estate here, while either not even being a resident, or simply being a sufficiently well cashed up new migrant, besides of returning NZers who come back with some savings earned during years of doing well OEs.
The smart arses that preach about "hard work", about "saving", and about them having made it a few decades ago, they conveniently ignore, that we have a totally different situation on the real estate market. It was not that hard to climb the housing ladder in the 1960s, 1970s and even 1980s, as there was largely only LOCAL demand, by then less unequal working and earning New Zealanders and less migrants.
Now we have entered the global market, with the changes made in the late 1980s and during the 1990s, we have free migration, in and out, and we have massive interest from overseas, and returning residents, who have wallets and cheque books that can pay for the inflated prices here, that locals on limited and low income will never afford.
So it requires hard questions and answers, and both, National and Labour shy away from curtailing demand, by restricting home buying, for new migrants for a few years, definitely for overseas buyers who do not even live here.
A STOP is needed, to bring in controls, and because too many instantly fear the labeling of being xenophobic, "anti migrant" or even "racist", they all rather let things carry on as they are.
We need bolder politicians, who stick to principles, and who do not bend down due to stupid media pressure everytime a hard question is put to them. That is just one aspect, where Labour may start learning and improving. Stuff the media, and stuff the critics, stuff the government spin masters, just present some good, sound and solid policy, and damned well stick to it.
At present we do not get this, I am afraid.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
The smart arses that preach about “hard work”, about “saving”, and about them having made it a few decades ago, they conveniently ignore, that we have a totally different situation on the real estate market. It was not that hard to climb the housing ladder in the 1960s, 1970s and even 1980s, as there was largely only LOCAL demand, by then less unequal working and earning New Zealanders and less migrants.
They forgot to tell us, "Terms & conditions may apply."
In a genuine free market system, honest hard work is the key to success. But with apologies to James Shaw, we no longer have a free market system - it's mutated into a neo-feudal system, where the keys to success are connections, inherited wealth and narcissism.
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Sacha, in reply to
Re the generational warfare that seems to have become the topic of this thread: it is infuriating when an older generation fall back on laziness as the explanation for young people not being able to afford housing.
..."Being blase about the current situation really seems like a big 'fuck you' to those members of my generation who didn't pick the right qualification, or the right parents."
and I'd like our elders to sit and think on that for a while before the defensive bluster starts up. It is a totally different world.
And that's no accident. Ask the questions. Own the change.
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Rob Stowell, in reply to
Ask the questions. Own the change.
And mebbe read Roger Ruth and Me. Quick read, only $4 for the kindle version, articulate, angry and thoughtful, and you can help pay off a student loan.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
And mebbe read Roger Ruth and Me. Quick read, only $4 for the kindle version...
Ah thanks, that was easy. What with Rich of Observationz's David Graeber recommendation that's two trips to Amazon just from this thread.
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Me too. Graeber waiting cos I'm enjoying Jane Higgs YA novels first. And she pops up in Roger too...
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