By: Larry Williams | Tuesday, May 15, 2012 6:35 PM

Prescriptions

The rise from $3 to $5 for a prescription has prompted an angry outburst from the usual suspects.

Labour says it’s unfair. NZ First says it’s unfair. Ditto for the Green Party.

Hone Harawira, the lone wolf in the Mana Party says the increase "will lead to children dying". Typical, over the top, inflated hyperbole from Harawira then.

So we know they will reverse this if they get a chance and go find the $100m for cancer treatment somewhere else.

What I actually see in this policy is more tinkering around the edges. This is par for the course from this Government. They want to make small incremental changes. They lack the courage to do much more. They make political decisions, not logical or economic decisions.

Instead, they should subsidise those in need, and the rest should pay.

After all, the land of milk and honey, Australia, has just such a scheme.

 

Workplace Changes

The minor changes to the workplace laws have been described by the unions as "vicious".

So let me get this right. Deducting wages for partial strikes like "go slows"… that is somehow unfair?!

The unions want striking workers to be paid for going on strike?! They are in gaga-land.

The other change is that either party can walk away from negotiations before concluding a collective agreement. This all seems fair enough. If the parties are never going to agree, why would you continue?

What we are seeing from the unions is the same bluster that we witnessed over the 90 day probationary period. They claimed that employers would sack workers when the 90 day period was about up.

This was always nonsense and hasn't happened for obvious reasons. Employers don't take on workers with the objective of sacking them. That was always a ludicrous proposition but the unions tried it on.

What I see in the response to workplace changes is more of the same hate-filled rhetoric. That's why the great majority of workers now are not members of unions. They are not fools. They can also see they can get a better deal by negotiating directly.

Unions do serve a purpose, but I fail to see it.

 

David Cunliffe

Recently David Cunliffe made a speech which was labelled brilliant by his supporters on the far left. It was about where Labour went wrong in the last election and what they need to do to reconnect.

David Shearer has since muzzled Cunliffe.

This was a stupid thing to do. You don't gag your economic spokesman.

It simply gives Cunliffe's leadership ambitions more oxygen. There is no question there is a movement to roll Shearer and install Cunliffe.

Muzzling Cunliffe has just given that effort more momentum.

 

The PM and the Media

The PM says media coverage of him and his Government has become much more antagonistic recently.

He says they're much more aggressive and hostile towards them but he says it's what he expected as his Government enters its second term.

Mr Key has taken a ping at the Sunday Star Times, television, and also criticised the Herald, saying it's becoming much more tabloid in its approach.

The tabloid reference is spot on. It’s pretty obvious.

The front page looks and feels tabloid to me. Just have a look at the top of the paper which usually points to gossip, so-called celebrities and general inane junk.

There is a tabloid connotation to many of their stories.

To be fair to the Herald though, they have some very good writers and commentators buried inside the paper. So the chunky stuff is in there.

And of course, at the end of the day, you don't have to buy the paper.

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