Yay for 250!

251ST POST!!

Not too sure if anyone's ever bothered to read even a quarter of those posts but oh well. Let's celebrate this milestone with a bit of politics!

The TVNZ One News Colmar Brunton Poll released last weekend is a truly frightening prospect. If results mirrored those in the One News Poll, National would have 56 seats in parliament, and would need the help of NZ First's 6 seats to be able to govern. However, if NZ First does not make it back into parliament either by not reaching the 5% threshold or Winston Peters not holding onto his Tauranga seat, National would have 59 seats in parliament, one short of a majority, and would only need the support of United Future's one or two to govern.

We do not want National to govern alone, because that would give them the power to do what they want, which is definitely a scary thought!

Today National announced their health policy, in which they will scrap the universal health subsidy (by 2007 everyone will have their doctors' fees subsidised) and instead only keep it for those under 25 and those over 65. Doctors' visits are already expensive enough as it is. Not everyone over 25 and under 65 will be able to afford to see the doctor when they really need to, whether not not they get a tax cut or not. National 'apparently' have plans to allow those on low incomes to qualify for a GP subsidy but Dr Brash hasn't made it clear who will, and he says details haven't been worked out yet on how surgery waiting lists will be reduced. Also, he admits that last week's promise to give all people in low socio-economic regions a subsidy was a "mistake". 

It is hypocritical of them to bang on about how long the waiting lists are, when they cannot front up with a more effective plan to cut waiting lists themselves.

With two weeks to go, we are coming close to the elections and people have to look at all policies and factors, and not base their vote on one issue, namely tax cuts. Do we really want to be led by someone who's a political novice, doesn't know his own policies and possibly has a secret agenda up his sleeve?

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