Quote of the Day

by Whaleoil on February 5, 2012

Take them to the bridge and thrown them in the tide until then can learn some manners.

Mattyman

Winston sends me on a emotional roller coaster. Most days I detest the pensioner of SMB, other days, like today, I love him to bits. I couldn’t agree more.

Alex

I share your ambivalence. My hatred of him is more rooted in the fact that he has squandered his talent. NZ First was such a waste opportunity. I do think we would benefit from a centre-right party that could critique the free marketeers, but not put up a load of dumb socialist-inspired policies.

Thorn

Well said.
Kimbo

Fair call. However, Winston First is really a reconstituted “Rob’s Mob”. Muldoon, for all his many gifts (including not tolerating noisy and unrepresentative protest groupd – and Peters is the same), believed inherently in the “welfare state/protected economy/NZ Inc” model set up by the first Labour government.

So they are economically socialist towards the “deserving poor” (e.g., National Superannuitants, but not dole bludgers or the DPB), nationalist in their rhetoric (so anti-too much immigration, and retain state and privately owned NZ assets in NZ ownership), and hard-line re crime and law and order.
Alex

@eed0381f891f283275a2e97adda0b6c7:disqus agree with your diagnosis. My problem is that WP didn’t then refine and develop his political brand so that it appealed beyond the Rob’s mob. He was given a huge opportunity when NZF won the Maori seats to do so, and also to wean Maori away from the Left. I’ve love the centre right in this country adopting policies that emphasis more than just dollars and cents, and which are motivated by other values (like patriotism, social cohesion) etc. To me, one of tje Left’s chief strengths (in the past at least) is that they are able to talk about values other than money.

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