One of the most consistent criticisms of the government is that they keep coming up with ideas that sound nice in theory but in reality are completely unworkable.

The obvious one is their belief that electric vehicles will save the planet because they’re not burning petrol.  We should all drive one and thus climate change will be mitigated.

Now while that’s true when a few people drive electric cars, it’s not the silver bullet answer for all. It ignores the amount of emissions required to build the car, the oil in the plastics and the mining of the material for the batteries. It also ignores the disposal of the spent batteries which is an environmental catastrophe in itself.

It’s the same when it comes to blind faith in the value of cycleways. If we’re offered safe cycling highways we will choose to avoid the car congestion and get on a bike.  But that ignores the sheer size of our cities.  Our average commutes are some of the longest in the world because we’re so spread out. And we’re hilly.  The image of demure ladies pedaling their designer bikes alongside the canals of Amsterdam ain’t happening here.

Cycleways are valuable in dangerous stretches of road  (by the way Island bay was not a dangerous road for cyclists), but not the answer in our non intensive cities.

But it’s not just this lot who like to say things that sound good but won’t work.

This morning I woke to the news that the National Party is looking into fining the parents of young people who leave school early, and don't go into education or training. Up to $3000 apparently.

Damn right the dim-witted might say.  Parental Responsibility.  There’s 18,000 16 to 18 year olds on the benefit.  How could parents ever let their kids embark on worthless lives.

But honestly, if a parent is the type who has been unable to inspire their children in to a productive lifestyle in the first 16 years of their life do you think they’re really the type to happily pay a 3 grand fine.

David Seymour ripped it apart in seconds this morning.  Kids in poor areas, with dropkick students, with no jobs, no polytechs, no trade training. And then you fine their family for the systemic failure.

It joins the fine line of unworkable stuff that’s easy to say on talkback like sterilising the serial single mums or issuing parental licences.  One of the other ideas national is thinking about is getting gang members to declare their illegal income before they can receive a benefit. I mean really.  Excuse me Mister Mongrel Mob, how much do you make from meth?

It’s dumb dog whistle politics and it’s more and more popular ever since Boris won Brexit with a lie on a bus and an orange skinned businessman starting saying whatever popped into his head or on a Fox News feed.

And they do because they think we’re dumb enough to swallow and yet they think we’ll then respect them enough to give them our vote.