Many more New Zealanders think that the gap between rich and poor is growing.

WE can play with ‘figures’ around how we perceive the economy to be delivering our standard of living as a nation and come up with justifications that mesh with our particular political leanings but he report in the Herald today has one glaring thrust: many more New Zealanders than in past years now think that the gap between the rich and poor is growing. It seems that we are caught like ‘possums in the headlights,’ though when it comes to the support we give our political parties. There was a time when such figures would have spurred a growth of votes for the ‘left of centre’ in NZ politics, but this is clearly not happening at the present time. One has to ask and the Labour Party specifically; why is the voting public not turning to them for answers?

David Cunliffe needs to galvanize that uncertainty and put forward believable policies that give answers to this vexing issue.  If he does not, then other parties will come up with less acceptable (to the middle New Zealand voters) and the gap will continue to grow. There are those out there who claim that the entrenched power-brokers in NZ and elsewhere have had things their own way for so long that any attempt to bring about a more level playing field is doomed to failure, such is the stranglehold on power that the latter have.

WE need a modern day Micky Savage; one who can connect with the people and be strong enough to challenge that control of resources that the ‘big boys’ have enjoyed for so long. It would help if the trend to ‘de-power’ the union movement was also challenged. Individual workers have been sold a lie that they ‘cannot control their own destiny with collective bargaining and that they are far better off with a system of individual contracts; one which just places workers in a position where they are competing against one another. Can they not see where this is leading them?

Today’s article I the NZ Herald just informs what many of us have known for many years: the gap has been widening for years and will continue to do so, when we have governing  parties singing to the tune of big business, most of which is controlled from overseas. Perhaps more people are seeing this for themselves, if we could believe that the rising numbers supporting NZ First are true, but I think that that may come down to other factors which the leader of that party is very good at hooking in to!