The 2024 no-frills Budget

• Bryce Edwards writes – 

Today’s anti-government protests around the country will not be convinced by Nicola Willis’s budget. She has announced exactly what critics were expecting—a right-wing Budget containing tax cuts and further cuts to government programmes.

Yet the Budget is far from being the “neoliberal” or radical rightwing Budget that leftwing critics might have feared. Instead, it is positioned to win over the support of working people, and cleverly comes across as quite moderate.

MIKE GRIMSHAW: Kiwi populism… and future shock

• Mike Grimshaw writes –

The last decade has seen the rise of populism across the Western world as well as more authoritarian populist offshoots in Latin America.

Populism occurs on both of (what were) the traditional Left and Right, combining a charismatic leader, socio-economic change and challenges, and a sector of the population who feel forgotten, excluded or dismissed by those they label the elites.

BRYCE EDWARDS: How NZ First might “take back our country”

• Bryce Edwards writes – 

New Zealand First aren’t being given the attention they warrant by political commentators in the lead-up to this year’s election, with most rubbishing or downplaying the chances of Winston Peters and his party making it back into Parliament.

This is despite the fact that the party is bubbling just below the five per cent MMP threshold – mostly around three per cent, but sometimes as high as 4.4 per cent. NZ First’s polling is important, because if the party does manage to get back into Parliament, it will almost certainly mean a change of Government

For the first time ever, Peters has announced they will not support a Labour government and, if NZ First are there with 5 per cent of the vote or more, the chances of Labour-Greens-TPM having enough seats to form a government are very slim.