Would I Lie to You?

NZME implore National to punch down harder.

Would I lie to you? (oh yeah)
Would I lie to you honey? (oh, no, no no)
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?

Writer(s): David Allan Stewart, Annie Lennox.

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Opinions issue forth from car radios or the daily news…

They demand a bluer National, with deeper cuts, more austerity, and harsher punishments. No more Mr Nice Guy, Luxon. It's time to get those hands out of your pockets, clench your fists, and bring them down on those spoiling it for the decent folk.

We (that’s us) think surely, surely, people see this stuff and go - “oh, come on, this is too far, you’re making things worse, not better, this isn’t what we signed up for…”

Then the media hits them over the head with a mallet that says, “Not yet, not by a long way. That was just a sip of medicine. It’s time to take a gulp. You want to get better, don’t you? Forget the side effects—those are other people, not you.”

Article after article calls for the government to be less kind and more ruthless, with nary a glance at balance or an informed argument to back the headlines.

It’s 24/7 advertiser-friendly messages pushing for less regulation and more cuts, with plenty of distractions to keep people from waking up to who is actually hurting them.