Planet National - land of the wrong uptight crowd

They should have called the National Party conference 50 shades of blue. Poorly written, slightly obscene and getting far too little critical attention.

National's favorite line of attack at the conference in the weekend was that the left live on 'Planet Labour', that they haven't in some way understood the global recession and have not tailored their policy accordingly.

It's a spin attack that unfortunately for National cuts both ways, if life on 'Planet Labour' is so awful, what's life like on Planet National?

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis caused by failed free market dogma by adopting more failed free market dogma.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by punishing all those beneficiaries who had no hand in causing it. No beneficiaries were on the phone in 2007 to their Wall st stockbroker buying lite crude in Euros while speculating on the Goldman Sachs derivatives market, yet the redneck dog whistle of bashing beneficiaries has never been blown so hard and so frantically. What is it with rich people wanting to interfere in the sex lives of the poor? NOTE: None of this intrusion into the personal sphere of the individual is 'nanny state', it's only 'nanny state' when the interference is into the middle and upper classes.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by denigrating the Maori Council and the Waitangi Tribunal.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by giving the private prison industry a billion dollar private prison.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by ramming through the largest erosion of civil liberties since the Waterfront lockout.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by raising gst to subsidize a borrowed tax cut for the richest NZers so that they can afford to buy shares in assets that we all collectively own AND THEN astoundingly offer those richest NZers a sweetener deal on top of their largesse.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by expanding inequality faster than at any time since the dreaded 1980's.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by seeing 270 000 children living in poverty while 150 of the richest families gained $7billion.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by killing off public broadcasting so there is no longer any critical media.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by growing unemployment to 6.7% and hiding the real unemployment numbers by simply cutting people off welfare altogether.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by knee capping the public service and declaring war on the Union movement.

On Planet National, they have responded to the global economic crisis by pushing for more mining and more oil drilling to destroy our 100% pure brand.

How dare National claim to have any ideas beyond more failed free market dogma, it is they who have not adjusted to the realities caused by the global economic crisis because it was caused by their philosophical paradigm.

Planet Labour sounds Eden-like compared to the hell of Planet National.

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