Every now and then someone from the left reckons it’s time the government relaxed its Presbyterian approach to public spending.
The government, sensibly, hasn’t agreed with that and the Canterbury earthquake makes it an even worse idea.
Duncan Garner interviewed Finance Minister BiIll English on The Nation:
DUNCAN Does that mean you have to cut back in other areas though Mr English. I mean as you’re going into next year’s budget, election year budget, clearly money that you thought you had, you haven’t got now?
BILL Well I think what it means is that if anyone had an idea that we could let up on tight management of the government’s finances, then this event means that we can’t.
The earthquake is a reminder of the importance of healthy public finances to ensure that unexpected events don’t jeopardise necessary services.
English can’t answer a straight question:
Does that mean you have to cut back in other areas though Mr English.
Answer: yes – we’ve shelled out 6 BILLION dollars in the last two weeks so you bet we have to cut at least 6 BILLION immediately. For this reason, all dole payements are hereby terminated
That’s how you do it. Not waffle waffle waffle wez goona be tight cuz cos of da earthquake but we got 6 BILLION we can flush away to South Canterbury…
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Like it’s predecessor, there is no way could you say this Government has a Presbyterian approach to spending, nor on the other hand could you say either the drunken sailor approach.
For when a sailors money runs out and his credit stops he goes back to sea to work off the dead horse.
As a country N.Z. has a huge dead horse to work off and it gets bigger by the day.
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