KEY POINTS:
Labour has regained ground against National in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey, but National still could rule alone if its support translates into votes at next year's election.
Here is the latest selection of Your Views:
Auckland
Of course Labour will come back and win the election. Everyone whinges about them during the term, but all the problems of the last 9 years will be conveniently forgotten when Cullen announces another enticing welfare handout in election year, a move that will further entrench state dependency. New Zealanders these days need the government to make them feel warm and fuzzy. Sliding down the OECD living standards ranking during an economic boom is a small price to pay considering the great things Labour has done for us all. Who's the OECD anyway? Helen, just attend a few more island funerals and spout off some more anti-American and anti-business slogans and you'll be sure to romp it home in '08!
Andrew
I think the problem with all our politicians is that they enter the game prematurely. They do not spend years and decades studying and reflecting on the issues to build up a solid, rounded comprehension. They enter the political arena with a narrow background, armed with cheap ideological positions, probably just to compensate for their lack of real and relevant knowledge. In turn, they're ready to be easily convinced by whatever thin or even deliberately manipulative "official" ideology of the day.
Neil(AKL)
To the commenter who says wages have gone up over the years because of Labour - we have to look at the real value of the dollar, adjusted for inflation. True that wages go up as a result of better economy, but there's also a cost of living adjustment component of a pay rise. Since inflation drives up prices every year, pay has to be increased as well. To maintain the real purchasing power of the dollar, the tax thresholds have to be adjusted as well (as it has been done in Australia for almost every year) so that the real dollar value of the pay packet is at least maintained.
James
"The tax brackets have not moved since they came into power which has given all New Zealanders less money every year", says one commmenter. Well, no. The increase in the number of people paying the top tax rate has happened because the incomes of all Kiwis have risen dramatically under Labour. So a few people who have done very well under this government are now paying an extra 6 cents in the dollar on income over $60K. I think deep down most Kiwis would prefer that to National's plan for tax cuts for the rich and wage cuts for ordinary Kiwis - that's what all their talk of "flexible labour markets" and "controlling wage inflation" is really about.
Rick Hannay
The deep resentment toward Labour (and their chums the Greens) for ignoring 70 per cent-80 per cent of the public re the anti-smacking Bill has yet to be seen. No Party can sidestep democracy and survive the wrath of the electorate in due course.
Mark
I can't understand how there are still people out there who like a government that will not listen to the people. No matter what, Labour is red and our country is going downhill at a rapid pace.
Ora
Labour sold out the country. No. No. No. Not anymore.
Johna
The polarization of National versus Labour is not necessarily a financial difference. Sure we all 'want' money and government spending costs more and more, but it is the issue of social disfunction that this country is suffering from. Labour has created a monster, a moral underclass of learned helplessness. Multi-generational families who won't ever cope by themselves, and who will need constant propping up by intervening social agencies. The health issues alone are just huge. In the past, the benign, forgiving and hardworking Kiwi taxpayers has just coughed up with the loot, down to earth and pragmatic they are a pretty good bunch really, mostly kind and always resourceful they will do what they can to help. The trouble is the problem is worsening, we have made a monster.
Matt Pilott
Mr D mentions National's wastewatch page. Thanks, because it's a good example of why Labour is on its way back. Take everything on there, over the past eight years, and the government has "wasted" about $1 per tax payer per year. And that's if you think new prisons are a "waste". So, where are National's tax cuts to come from, because it's not coming from this waste? I'd guess they'll start with health, education and social welfare and move down. Oh let's not forget sale of SOEs. Hard not to see why people would start looking into supporting Labour, isn't it?
Matt J - ex pat
I left New Zealand back in the mid-nineties when the Nats had turned New Zealand into an uncaring self-obsessed money-driven society. The Employment Contracts Act had made the average working Kiwi scared for the safety of their jobs, wages fell and unemployment was at record levels. Doctors' fees were introduced meaning people from lower income groups couldn't afford to see a GP for common ailments. State Housing was stripped and sold off at unaffordable market rates. On the other hand Labour have delivered robust workers rights, the most stable sustained period of economic growth seen since WW2, record low unemployment figures and scrapping GP's fees. Labour appear to have learnt from their mistakes of the 1980s. A country would have to be gluttons for punishment to vote the Nats back in.
Neil (Auckland)
If they haven't crawled back yet, they certainly will - when Cullen dishes out the billions he has been saving for the election year to bribe the general public.
Andrew
Labour won't come back. They know that the only way they can win next year is to put in a Herculean effort, and even then they'll be running on rather desperate hope. Don't be surprised if you see an ever more resigned Labour party. I think they're more ready to fall on swords than climb impossible mountains. They are far too tired.
Carole
Looks like most of Labour's increase has come from small parties. National hasn't lost much support.
Paul
I find it very much like the current political arena in many places of the world. Neither party deserves a vote, and we cast our vote for the one who will hopefully screw it up the least. Our grandchildren will look back and unkindly point out that our generation produced a dearth of credible leaders willing to step forward and build a solid foundation for the future. Leaders today are willing to sell their soul to get elected and provide power to their party. They will say anything, flip-flop on issues, break promises and then deny everything. And sadly there is no void of interest groups willing to buy those souls. Cynical - yes. Untrue - you have to decide.
MR D
If Labour gets back in, all the educated Kiwi's will flood into Australia. This countries government is a joke. $100,000+ is spent transporting prisoners by air each month. Check this out (this is where our tax has been going)
www.wastewatch.co.nz [National Party website]
Sharron
If Labour gets in again, this will be another family of four moving to Aussie. Will the last person leaving please switch the lights off.
Sid
How many people in this country work for Labour? I can't find the figures, but the number of civil servants in this country is truly staggering. What better way of securing votes than by creating excess jobs and handing out welfare payments. Go Labour.
Chris
Go Labour. National are nothing but liars. They will never change there only for the rich we will be worse off just think of the old days.
Arron
It is so sad to see how many real socialists there are out there. I thought that Labour only got in based on the general level of laziness and stupidity inherent in particular areas of NZ society, but it seems that there are many people ideologically supportive of stealing people's hard earned money and giving it to those that do not wish to strive to better themselves. No wonder NZ's talent is being driven overseas, I don't hold out much hope for the future as it seems that Labour may indeed stage a comeback at the next election. But where will the tax come from to give to the bludgers once all the productive members of NZ society are gone? Labourites accuse National supporters of being greedy, well if greed is wanting to work hard to provide a better future for your family then I guess I am one of the greedy ones who don't think that everyone else owes them a living.
Jimbo
I hope so. Would hate to think what the country would be like without the strong leadership this country has had. I think a lot of people forget why they voted Labour in, in the first place. Who seriously has New Zealand and New Zealanders as their first priority? Vote New Zealand - Vote Labour.
Fred
National has always been a them and us party. They seem to be the 5 per cent of the top earners and the rest are those that aspire. National stands for putting the 95 per cent of the population in their place - firmly under the thumb. People are more important that power to the few.
Chris
How can so many people be so ignorant? Labour for the past six years have ruined this country and the lives of so many hard working New Zelanders! The tax brackets have not moved since they came into power which has given all New Zelanders less money every year, the margin between rich & poor has gotten worse and the answer is not to tax the rich even more, its to reduce red tape in politics, reduce interest rates and increase the tax brackets. If labour gets in again there is no way I am staying in New Zealand.
Ted (Auckland)
No way, Labour is gone, history, finished. Their overspending has caused high interest rates. Labour's overspend hasn't made any of the services any better. We are wildly over taxed. There are still 355,000 on fulltime benefit. "Lowest unemployment", rubbish! They've been shifting solo mums across to other benefits to hide the true figure. They've stuffed up a really good economy. We wanted a well managed economy but Labour focused on giving us prostitution and some interfering socialist member is telling us what to eat and how to bring up our kids. Gone, finished, history.
Mr Juma (Auckland)
I'm glad! National's bankrupt policies of the nineties never worked and they never will work. Social policy is best dealt with a socialist govt such as this. Family support, building up public assets such as schools and hospitals are vital for the country to survive! I do agree with tax adjustments for inflation and a small tax reduction for lower and middle income taxpayers but large scale tax cuts ($100/week) would come at the expense of free schools and cheap healthcare. Govt should pay nurses, doctors and teachers more so they stay here not less as would be the case in wide scale tax reductions under National.
Sarah Holdem
Of course Labour is not on the comeback trail, the country can't afford to keep Labour, and I am convinced that Helen Clark does not want to do another term as prime minister. Helen possibly wants a UN job why else would she pander to all the rejects of society and make an ass out of herself over the Mercury Power debacle. I am wary of National as well, but we really must not return Labour to power, their arrogance is unbelievable, return Labour and the country will be finished.
Newkiwi
I certainly hope that Labour does not manage to recover, it would be a travesty and injustice to the nation if it did manage to. I moved to the country several years ago under the impression that I would get a good education, health care system and justice unlike the country I moved from, instead I was faced with farcical attempts at "dumbing down" the college education system so that on paper the pass rates would improve (NCEA) a health system where nurses are under appreciated and over worked to the point of striking, not to mention the ridiculous operation waiting times and a justice system where a man can commit serial murder and go free in 10 years what a joke! The result of the Labour terms are an under staffed and under financed defence force, education, and health system, an economy that is bankrupting farmers, colossal election bribes, a crippled police force, a non-existent justice system and an internationally mocked education system.
Andrew Atkin
I notice many people on Your Views say they won't vote for National because of what they have done in the past. I agree that National and Labour have both done things in the past that have been less than impressive, but to vote on distant history is to make mugs of ourselves. John Key is not Robert Muldoon, and Helen Clark most certainly is not Michael Joseph Savage (in fact she has done things that would make Mr Savage turn in his grave!). At the end of the day, 'National' and 'Labour' are just brand names - the 'Left V Right' game doesn't really exist anymore, both parties are "third way". The competition is in the detail of the policies - understanding when and where governments should and should not be used, and in what way. The reason why I will vote for the modern National party in 2008 is because I think they have a much better grip on what the country needs today, and a better understanding of the optimum role of government. Unlike our incumbent, National has had a lot of time to do a lot of homework in opposition. To speak in John Keys' language - it's time to replace the Walkman with the iPod.
Delenn
I hope so because if we end up with a National government then things will be much worse for NZ! I wont ever encourage a greedy, uncaring National government in my lifetime. As bad as things may be for Labour, National will always be worse in my eyes. Im not going to waste my vote on any other party, Labour is the only party that can beat National so Labour will be getting my vote. The last time National was in government, my family suffered. Thats what I know about National.
James
"How can any NZer who works vote for Labour", asks Margot. Well, for a start, unlike National, Labour doesn't want to introduce a law that would strip me of all my employment rights for the first 90 days in a new job - allowing my employer to sack me on the spot for no reason whatsoever. You also have to remember that under National wages actually fell in real terms for the vast majority of NZers - go have a look at the stats.govt.nz site if you doubt what I'm saying. The fact is National created our low wage economy - Labour is fixing it. Tax cuts ain't much good if your wages are falling behind inflation and you're having to pay more for public services.
Simon James (Henderson)
Labour never went away. Perhaps people are beginning to see through the jingoism of the Right, particularly on the repeal of Section 59, which I see the journalists (including your paper) are still referring to as "anti-smacking". National would be advised to distance themselves from opportunists like Copeland as well - he would appear to be a vote-loser.
Kiwi (AKL)
I will be shocked if this happens. Labour has failed to provide a secure society, effective healthcare, good education....and the list goes on and on. I had break in at my business, I do have a CCTV recording capturing the offender which I informed police about. It is 20 days since the incident, police dont seem to be interested in getting it, I think they are busy issuing tickets to increase Cullen's surplus
Andrew Atkin
To "Lee": Isn't it interesting how we have been trained to interpret so-called conspiracy theroists as lunatics and cranks. Isn't that dangerous? I mean hey, at the end of the day conspiricies do and can happen, so if a given theorist is in fact right and well all just laugh at them, then don't we have a problem. Personally I'm not a "conspiracy type" person and I even believe that most political-movements are genuinely well-intentioned, but having studied education (for example) for too long I have had to discover some facts that I wish I did not have to believe. I think the best position any of us can take is to just be as cooly objective as possible - nothing is known until it is known. Oh, and here is a fact: Living standards have eroded under Labour, especially for the young (the most important social sector)- not improved, and things are set to get a lot worse. We should be voting with our brains - not our misguided ideologies.
Peter Wilson (Invercargill)
It's still early days, and one poll doesn't necessarily show a trend, but John Key's honeymoon may be coming to an end. It's the signs of a growing arrogance that are causing his veneer of moderation and sensibility to come unstuck, such as claiming that National is heading towards a landslide in 2008. Questions can also be asked over his true policy leanings, with his recently released plans to privatise parts of ACC. National appears to still be the same when Don Brash led is. When John Key admits this unpalatable truth on radio, this should give the National caucus cause for worry!A week is a long time in politics, and we're still a year out from the 2008 General Election.
Kim Hutcheson (Sydney)
Reading Your Views, it's funny how furiously partisan people are in their Blue vs Red political views. It's almost like watching an All Blacks vs South Africa test match.
Two rules for political debate: Rule No. 1: Don't expose weaknesses and flaws in the political beliefs of others. It provokes defensiveness, because everyone believes they are right; it makes people mad, because everyone hates to be called wrong; and people who are both defensive and mad are going to be ready to quarrel. Plus, showing people the error of their ways doesn't make your ways right. Rule No. 2: Explain the positive basis and evidence for your own political beliefs. People are more likely to adopt new beliefs than to drop old ones; also, people are more receptive to other ideas when not annoyed, and they will listen longer to pleasant, well-grounded comments and points. Plus, your beliefs needn't be "right"; they need only to be a better choice. Have a nice day.
Rhea
Labour on the way back? How can anyone possibly think that Labour is a credible government beats me. Labour spent a phenomenal amount of taxpayers' money electioneering, and then passed legislation validating invalidated election spending . I don't know about you but I don't trust a government that makes up rules to cover it's mistakes. Simon Power of National reports that in 2003 Labour estimated the Auckland Womens Prison would cost $58.4 million to build, but it was finally opened last year for a final cost of $158 million including a $2 million bill for landscaping. Is this is a government that works in the best interest of New Zealand? Check out this website for more Labour spending sprees. http://www.wastewatch.co.nz/welcome.htm
Matt Pilott
I sure hope so, I don't plan to leave New Zealand, but if National won I'd want to pack it in - I couldn't stand to live under such a morally bankrupt regime. I would benefit personally from the promised tax cuts, but the cost to society would be more than I'm willing to sit around and observe. It doesn't bear thinking about. Those thinking of voting for National should look past the juvenile "nanny state" labels and see what these two parties stand for. One supports NZ families, workers, caters to all walks of life and has worked for years to make NZ a better place. One works purely for big business, trading off people's apathy for democracy or perceived intolerance for regulation, buying votes with a tax-cut cheque book, whilst hiding its true agenda from society. National's lack of policy and honesty are showing through; the vast majority of people who have enjoyed life under a progressive social democratic government over the past two and a half terms are realising where the sensible choice is. For that I'm thankful.
Ian Morine
Obviously Margot is a Nats supporter - the party that abolished apprentiships in the early 90's, the most stupid, short-sighted piece of legislation this country has ever seen and the price for which we have paid for the past seven years that the NZ economy has been growing faster than ever before - consequently we haven't had the skilled workforce to fill the gaps. I wonder how Margot comes to the conclusion that Labour is a party of beneficiaries when NZ has the lowest unemployment rate in the developed world, Maori unemployment has fallen by approx half what it was in 1999, DPB has never been lower than now etc etc etc, need I go on. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. We will see many more beneficiaries under the Nats because of their spending cuts on health, education, job creation and infrastructure spending (how else will they have money for their tax-cuts ?), which we've all seen before, and will led to more poverty. Back to the future / 90s we will go!
More