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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Why Key & National won't support the Living Wage



I fear all the amazing work the SFWU have put into a Living Wage will fall on deaf ears in this Government.

The new Minister of Labour, Simon Bridges, claims that the Government want to raise the standard of living via the minimum wage. If that is true, sadly many NZers will die in poverty before they see any horizon out of poverty. Between 1997 and 1999, National didn't lift the minimum wage from the pathetic $4.20 per hour. From 2000 to 2008, Labour moved it from $4.55 to $12.00 and since then Key has taken it to $12.50 up to $13.50 in 4 years. Just another example of how NZ is better off under Labour than National.

We shouldn't be surprised that our vacant aspiration multi-millionaire leader who lives in a bubble world of wealth has zero empathy with the poor. For all of John's "I grew up in a state house' shtick, the welfare Key enjoyed was gold plated, where as today it's shit encrusted.

Let us not forget as conveniently as the mainstream media has what John has said about the poor while he's been the Prime Minister. He described a Universal child payment last year as 'dopey'

John said that the poor required food parcels, not because of the economic policy he implemented, but because it was their own fault...

Food parcel families made poor choices, says Key
Prime Minister John Key says beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own "poor choices" rather than because they cannot afford food.

...then there was what John Key told Church leaders in December of 2010...

“If we cancelled welfare to 330,000 people currently on welfare, how many would starve to death? Bugger all.”

...Key hates poor people. He blames them for the poverty they live in and he doesn't think any would die if he cut off their benefit. His $50-$200million wealth insulates him from poverty and a genuine understanding of the pain those on the bottom of the social heap have to endure.

The true tragedy for NZ's poor is that Key's vacant aspiration and empty optimism routine cons so many of them into voting for National when National's policy is counter productive to their interests. The two bob tory phenomena is made more bitter when you consider how our inequality has soared to it's highest level under Key.

John Key is the aspirational piece of cheese forever out of reach of the rat, promising salvation if they just work harder. The reality is that many NZers work their fingers to the bone and have nothing but National's hollow promises to put on the table at the end of the week.

We need a social floor in NZ and it is the Government's responsibility to build that social floor. MANA's 'Feed the Kids' Bill will be debated mid year, that is an attempt to at least stop the hemorrhaging. The SFWUs Living Wage is a means to start reversing the scourge of poverty, but it's attempts will make no headway with this Government.

The 1% have no interest in the lowest members of the 99%

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7 Comments:

At 13/2/13 8:00 am, Blogger Swimming said...

The SFWUs Living Wage is a means to start reversing the scourge of poverty, but it's attempts will make no headway with this Government.

So it's a badly timed campaign???

 
At 13/2/13 8:33 am, Blogger Bomber said...

No, I think it's a perfectly timed campaign to highlight the cruelty of National and remind the 800 000 NZers who were enrolled in the last election that they need to vote this Government out because Key won't ever change his money trader spots.

 
At 13/2/13 9:46 am, Blogger Unknown said...

"John Key is the aspirational piece of cheese forever out of reach of the rat, promising salvation if they just work harder. The reality is that many NZers work their fingers to the bone and have nothing but National's hollow promises to put on the table at the end of the week. "

Reminds me of a sign on the gates at a notorious "nazi death camp". "Freedom through work".. beneficiaries are treated the same...

 
At 13/2/13 7:01 pm, Blogger Nitrium said...

Poverty in a country with as many resources as NZ is ENTIRELY unacceptable and provably unnecessary. We can really have nothing but contempt for this Government AND the voters that put them there.

 
At 14/2/13 8:27 am, Blogger Phil said...

Thanks for the quote BB. JK says to church group, " ... How many would die, bugger all". !!! How come this didn't make the news @ the time? Your not making this up are you BB?

 
At 14/2/13 9:04 am, Blogger Bomber said...

That is what the church leaders who met him at the time said and Sue Bradford who was there backs that version of events. Key wasn't challenged at the time because the msm 2nd honeymoon (or was it the 3rd honeymoon) was still under way.

I made a big deal of it at the time.

 
At 14/2/13 10:23 pm, Blogger Phil said...

OK BB. Given that he did say,"bugger all would die" tends to suggest a psychopathic disdain for the poor. It could also explain the high level of personal body guards that he feels necessary. Maybe he is justified. Anyway, will miss you BB.

 

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