They just attract the absolute *worst* people, don't they?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/715192/paul-henry-to-stand-for-act-in-this-year-s-election
@paulh it’s a party for the worst people. That’s pretty much its whole story.
@billbennett @paulh ACT is a party for the cold and calculating worst people, even.
While across the aisle NZFirst is a party for those who regret we've moved past the 1950s.
Labour "would really really like to do something for ordinary kiwis" but regrettably their hands are tied by promises their predecessors made that favour the wealthy and sorted instead.
National has no ideas of its own. It looks at populist policies gaining ground overseas and imports whichever will be cheapest to implement, while continuing to move as much public wealth as possible into private hands.
Sadly Te Pati Maori is on a fragmentation trajectory that will ultimately see one political party for every Maori voter. We're all hoping this will change.
The Opportunities Party has no plans to address the fundamental inequalities within our society, and trusts to the market to do things that markets can never do.
Which leaves us with the Greens, the party with comprehensive, sensible, considered policies to improve the long-term lot of all New Zealanders.
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@leighelse
> The Opportunities Party has no plans to address the fundamental inequalities within our society, and trusts to the market to do things that markets can never do
That's ACT and the Nats. Not the Opportunity party, who existing precisely to address those things. With policies like taxing wealth - they were talking loudly about this before the Greens or TPM were - and creating a UBI/GMI ("Citizen's Income" in their parlance).
@strypey @leighelse @artnacrea @billbennett @paulh
A UBI is appealing - but without any redistribution, it will just redistribute the crumbs - probably while the crumb-pile gets smaller.
@bluewave_kiwi
> A UBI is appealing - but without any redistribution
A #UBI *is* redistribution.
You give everyone enough tokens to cover the bare basics of life. So working for pay becomes a genuine *choice* (no more Bullshit Jobs), and any money we earn can be spent improving our lot in life.
Then you raise taxes on excessive profits, incomes, and hoarded wealth. To extinguish the same number of tokens each year, and avoid it being inflationary.
@strypey @leighelse @artnacrea @billbennett @paulh
Agree with what you say about UBI, and potential to eliminate wage slavery.
The bit I see missing from OP policy is "Then you raise taxes on excessive profits, incomes, and hoarded wealth. "
@bluewave_kiwi
> The bit I see missing from OP policy is "Then you raise taxes on excessive profits, incomes, and hoarded wealth
Taxing wealth (more than work) has been a core part of Opportunity's platform since they started. Although this incarnation may not be emphasizing it as much in their public messaging, it still is;
@strypey @leighelse @artnacrea @billbennett @paulh
OP taxing wealth? Their current policies seem to omit that entirely?
Their proposed "land tax" takes no account of equity (i.e. someone with a 95% mortgage will pay same tax as someone with no mortgage on the same land) - and of course land is only one asset class and many of the super rich have their wealth elsewhere.
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Opportunity are far from perfect, and deserve scrutiny. Like all political parties, *including* the Greens. But let's base it on verifiable facts (eg their policy record), not vibes and talking points.
