ob体育接口

ob体育接口 ob体育接口
Opinion
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Up next
ob体育接口

Ryan Bridge: The Green's budget is in la-la land

Author
Ryan Bridge,
Publish Date
Thu, 15 May 2025, 6:25am
Chlöe Swarbrick arrives at the Green Party election night party, 2023. Photo / Michael Craig
Chlöe Swarbrick arrives at the Green Party election night party, 2023. Photo / Michael Craig

Ryan Bridge: The Green's budget is in la-la land

Author
Ryan Bridge,
Publish Date
Thu, 15 May 2025, 6:25am

Here鈥檚 a few c-words for your Thursday morning: communist, coalition, and crash.

Crash, because that鈥檚 what鈥檇 happen to the economy if we lived in the Green utopia complete with the $88-billion tax train wreck. 

Coalition, because that鈥檚 what you鈥檇 get if Labour shacks up with their neighbours on the far left.

Hipkins yesterday first claimed not have read the manifesto. Whatever. 

This is the manifesto of a party he could well be sitting round the cabinet table within a year from now. 

He then refused to rule out anything in it. It won't rule out the hammer. And I won't rule out the sickle. 

The Greens are by far Hipkins' biggest Achilles heel, and therefore Luxon鈥檚 greatest strength. 

Remember the hit in the polls Labour took over "defend da police"?

Here's the thing about us New Zealanders, your middle voters, we may not right now be affected by the inheritance taxes, wealth taxes, higher income taxes, the company tax hikes which would put them amongst highest in the developed world.

But the problem for Hipkins and Co. is that we'd like to be. 

Kiwi families would like to start a business and create a life for their families. An asset. An income. A future.

They dream of working their way up the ladder to get that better salary to get that house they鈥檝e been saving to own.

They don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 fair for part of mum and dad鈥檚 life work and savings to be stolen by the state. 

The election of John Key showed us families are ambitious. 

They believe in themselves to do better. 

They鈥檙e motivated and ready for this recession to be over so we can get on with it.

I鈥檝e never doubted that spirit in New Zealand. That spirit hasn't left for Australia, it was hidden under a rock for six years.

And yes, there are social problems here too.

But what we learnt from the fading days of Hipkins reign is that voters don鈥檛 trust if they give up their hard-earned money and assets, that the state has the ability or wherewithal to change any of this.

To fix it.

They鈥檙e like Temu versions of a Michael Joseph Savage. Many of the houses he built still stand, building never started on most of Chippy's.

And that brings us to the final C word: communist, because what else do you call them? 

The Greens are planning a roadshow after their pre-Budget announcement. 

My only question for Chl枚e, M膩rama and Co. is: will you be travelling to these towns and cities by bicycle or will be flying on an aeroplane?

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you