Why does everyone hate National?

Cookie_Monster

I've been here for about 18 months now and while I haven't taken an in-depth interest in politics I'd like to think I keep fairly well up on it overall.

One thing I just don't understand is the hatred for National from nearly all quarters. As an outsider they seem progressive, policies seems to be doing NZ good (in general) and while they certainly aren't flawless they seem to be pretty good to me overall.

The last election would seem to confirm that, 47% of the vote with no one apart from Labour posing even a semi credible alternative. Yet everyone here seems to either blindly hate them (understandable from a certain % of people) or grudgingly accept them while finding fault with every new thing they propose or enact.

Is it just a Kiwi thing: they're the government therefore the enemy, is it Muldoon legacy tainting or is there another real reason behind it?

MrCreosote

I suppose because they are so evil. There's a strong generational and city/rural divide though. And it's because of things like asset sales, slashing taxes for high-income earners, opposition to Mondayising public holidays, the whole Kim Dotcom thing, the hostile take-over of the ACT party, John Banks and his dodgy memory (he was a Nat before he was an ACT), mining the National Parks, cynically slashing funding and manpower in DOC, beneficiary bashing and on and on. They manufacture a budgetary crisis from a period of surplus by reducing taxes, and use this as a reason to cut cut cut.

There is not much difference in the polling for National and Labour/Greens at the moment.

Having said all that, the last LAbour government had got a bit stale, and National are right-wing "NZ style" meaning some of them will vote for gay marriage and the whole recent head of the spy service scandal shows that even John Key can't get away with fairly mild Gombeenism (by Irish standards)

Mrs OBumble

Why does "everyone" hate the right-wing party in any country?

Sounds like you're hanging with a crowd who have values different to yours. Trust me, there are plenty of people who don't hate National. (Same as plenty in Ireland don't really hate FF).

TrueDub

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

(Same as plenty in Ireland don't really hate FF).

But lots of us do!

pclancy

Its mostly business, conservative and centre-right wing people that are happy with the Nats but unlike UK/Ireland the demographic is not quite so split left/right down here. They have done a lot of stuff to appeal to both sides. But many people like them without really knowing why or just because they reckon Helen Clark/Labour did so bad in the previous two terms.

National cut corporate tax and worked on trade agreements, selling state assets to help pay for the future and making employment law more beneficial to employers then employees (90 day trial anyone?) so generally they've got the middle/upper classes on their side and a lot of rural people involved in agriculture and mining as well as export (who make up a huge amount of the voters).

So I wouldnt say everyone hates them at all, in fact if polls are to go by they are doing pretty well considering how long they've been in and the scandals they have had. People seem to shrug off a lot of their failures, I don't think Kiwis as a whole complain much about stuff or make a point of jumping up and down when something goes wrong.

Crumble Froo

Maybe it's just being in Christchurch so long, but I've noticed that kiwis seem more likely to actually jump up and down and cause a fuss and protest and bring issues to media light, than to just go the pub and moan about it.

There's a definite class element to it. It's relatively unusual to find working class people in favour of National. Largely cos National tend to **** all over them. (Not that Labour don't, they just have a better PR image, imo). The first things National tend to do is shut down free/cheap/community based services, which often have far better track records than their replacements. I don't know if anyone remembers when they first got in last time and cut out adult education schemes, free youth healthcare centres, gave themselves a pay increase, cut tax for the wealthy, John Key let his own primary school close down, imposed all sorts of ridiculous rules on beneficiaries (look at the age you're expected to put your baby into daycare to return to work).

To me, National are about money. The theory seems to be that if the Economy is okay, then all the people will be okay. The reality is that the already wealthy are doing better, and those already at a disadvantage are barely keeping their heads up treading water.

pclancy

What do people think of their new Budget?

Cookie_Monster

pclancy wrote: »

What do people think of their new Budget?

In comparison to Ireland I've heard so little about it, there isn't anywhere near the general interest level. I've not even sat down and looked at it properly or caught the new even though in the last 2 days so can't comment on it as yet.

Crumble Froo

Damn! I hadn't even heard about it! Now the telly's gone, my only source of news is hopping online for 30mins once a week, or reading about it in the free community papers.

spunkymunky

Wow, i thought it was the Aussie budget....which would make sense seeing the end of their financial year is coming...and there seemed more coverage of it!
Havnt heard a bean about it!!
Where the minister standing up for 3 hours reading from the red book and the real time updates???

BlackEdelweiss

I dont know how you can ask Why does everybody hate National and then say in your first post that they got 47% of the vote. It seems to me that almost half the voting population like National more than any other party.

Cookie_Monster

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I dont know how you can ask Why does everybody hate National and then say in your first post that they got 47% of the vote. It seems to me that almost half the voting population like National more than any other party.

It was slightly tongue in cheek and more that you tend to see National get a lot of flak in general from people. Maybe these people still vote for them at the end of the day but just like to bitch about them whenever the chance arises

Crumble Froo

Not to mention that the people least like to vote for National are also the least likely to vote.

Last election, the feeling seemed to be 'not a big national fan, but labour have been in forever and it's time for change'. I was getting so pissed off everytime I heard the 'time for a change' line.