Yesterday the media headlines were all about the mood of the boardroom, which made me wonder - why are you surveying business leaders about Labour?
You don't ask Union Leaders about National, or human beings about ACT. These business leaders have one vote, just like like everyone else does.
Why would you do such unscientific analysis on a group that in our democratic system are essentially insignificant, irrelevant and meaningless?
These are rhetorical questions of course, we all know why. It is a big game to pretend that the views and votes of a small group of wealthy men in suits are more important than those of other people. Probably doesn’t hurt to stroke their egos either, some of them really quite like that.
We’re back to the great lie that business leaders have some interest in how well the economy is doing, or generating company growth resulting in jobs, beyond how they will personally profit - they don’t.
Which is ok, that is a valid point of view, heck ACT have made a whole political party out of greed, and not being interested in the other bloke beyond what they are statutorily required to do. And they’d really rather remove those statutes.
Bizarrely one of the criteria the business leaders measured the government on was “Child Poverty Reduction” - think about that for a minute. The same people that pay the cleaners in their office the minimum wage, many of whom who would no doubt pay less if they legally could, are going to judge the government on child poverty measures!
Shall we round up some energy company CEOs to rate the government on emissions reduction, or perhaps the Greens, while we’re at it?
One of the CEOs said anonymously that Ardern's administration was "the worst Government since Muldoon”, with nothing to support the claim. What a brave little soldier, see nanny for an extra treat. I’d expect a more reasoned argument from an online troll.
The New Zealand Initiative, an ultra neoliberal lobby group masquerading as actual researchers, chair Roger Partridge said,
“…co-governance of the national provision of services is not consistent with the principles of our liberal democracy."
Yes of course we have to listen to their half baked reckons on Three Waters and Co-governance. What the heck have these views got to do with anything other than them being assholes?
I remember going to a senior management away trip at a company I won’t be naming. Good people, they were hard working, believed in giving the customer good value for money, building ongoing relationships, and treated staff pretty well. But get a few drinks in them…
One of the executives was particularly concerned that a Maori family on the ferry over had the same model car as he did. He was outraged, he kept saying “they’re probably on welfare and they’ve got the same car as me!” He was incredulous at how unfair it all was.
Do I care how that guy votes? Um no, but I’m pretty damn sure I could tell you and I don’t need to know the mood of the boardroom for that. The mood can be summed up as unsurprisingly greedy, self-serving and a bit racist - I guess that doesn’t make for good headlines.
Doesn’t make for good political leaders either. Shout out to Messrs Luxon and Seymour.
Here this morning was the object of their derision addressing the United Nations, giving a passionate statement on behalf of our country. Condemning Russia for its invasion of the Ukraine and urging a reduction in nuclear weapons. Addressing the issue of extremist content online - all without notes. Also speaking proudly and well in te Reo on this highest of world stages.
Can you imagine how he of the management buzzwords would have gone? Can’t you just see the representative from the Ukraine yelling “Bingo” as Christopher Luxon intones “fundamentally “ into the camera?
I wonder how many of those business leaders would have had the balls to give the speech she gave? Yeah, I don’t think so either. What about the people the media targets with the mood of the boardroom stuff?
You know the people who will get $2 from a National government tax cut, while those guys in the boardroom get thousands and complain it isn’t more - considering how valuable and important they are to the country!
The ones the message is aimed at will vent their spleen at the very person on the other side of the world working hard to make things better for them. These good hard-working kiwis who just want to get ahead under a leader who understands how to make money in business.
What makes me laugh are those grunting critics who say our Prime Minister doesn’t know about a days work. With all the detail she has to be across, and no doubt so many things on the go at any one time, they wouldn’t know what hit them!
They’ll probably say she is there for a job interview as if her being at the UN is what she had planned all the way along. I hope one day, hopefully many years from now when she is no longer the PM, they will realise what they had.
Ah well, I won’t hold my breath - perhaps they could?
Perhaps when they’re waiting in a hospital hallway for attention and there is excrement literally running down the walls again due to the slashing of health spending to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy cuts they should - you know to avoid the smell of the human waste.
Even as they reflect how glad they are that the new Prime Minister has a penis, despite the trickle down they believed in turning out to be rather unpleasantly sliding down the wall.
Perhaps the next survey will say that the guy they voted in is a Rock Star - that would be something to celebrate.
How excited will they be by that? Almost as excited as Claire Trevett and Audrey Young! I do hope the the new PM won’t mind having some rather sensible ladies under garments thrown at him.
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Perhaps we should listen to the chairman…
Thanks Nick, you’ve captured my thoughts and sentiments exactly. The barrage of opinions published daily from these perennial whingers and whiners ( must be time for Queenstown to come forward again ) most of who have benefited from this Government’s successful handling of the pandemic is sickening . Many of them would have been out of business if National/Act had of been coordinating our COVID response. I am very proud of the way our PM has represented us on the world stage this past week .
Can you ever imagine Luxo, with his head bobbing about ever being able to capture world attention? Jacinda doesn't do it for vanity ;she does it because it matters to all of us. I am so tired of this Bored Room survey.