Tuesday, 01 July 2025 11:25

Be afraid

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.

It's way too early to panic and polls this far our are usually a 'protest' of sorts, with punters showing frustration rather than actual voting intent.

However, there are three good reasons to worry if the trend sets in: Labour, Greens and Te Pati Māori.

For instance, the policy lunacy the Greens are touting - to triple the government debt threshold to 60% of GDP, described by them as "carefully calibrated radicalism" - makes the Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern six-year lolly scramble seem fiscally conservative by comparison.

The Greens go as far as to describe fiscal restraint as "outdated 'orthodoxy' rooted in the 1980s".

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"Everybody wants to fight on the economy if they can. But when neither side has a compelling story, the contest shifts to other issues. That's not new. In fact, it's the stuff of politics everywhere, always."

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