I’m listening to the excellent #juggernaut2 podcast series from #TheSpinoff about the 4th National Government.

The thing that has struck me the most so far is the absolute callous disregard that #RuthRichardson appears to have toward the vast numbers of Kiwis hurt in the welfare cuts she undertook.

#JimBolger has always been an empathetic figure given the way that he talks about his government’s cuts. He did what he believed was necessary and yet seems genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Richardson on the other hand comes across as gleeful when talking about the enormous cuts to the welfare state. An absolute zealot who seems to not care about the human cost of pursuing “balanced books”.

And rather than being consigned to an unfortunate and socially damaging part of our history, she’s unfortunately now the chair of the astroturf “Tax Payers Union”.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/podcasts/juggernaut#6348 https://thespinoff.co.nz/podcasts/juggernaut#6348

"His leadership serves as a lesson: not to vilify or burn bridges with Māori communities but to embrace each other in the spirit of peace through justice, together owning our past and collaboratively looking towards our future."

— Te Pāti Māori leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/576339/moe-mai-ra-jim-bolger-mps-farewell-the-great-helmsman

#JimBolger #NZpol

"In a modern democracy... You have to have responsiveness and you have to have public involvement in the decisions all the time, not just the time of elections.

What happens in NZ is we tend to go to sleep between the elections and there isn't enough public involvement in the decision-making system. We need in this country much more deliberative democracy if we are not to go the way they've gone in the US or Britain ..."

#JimBolger, 2017

https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-9th-floor/story/201861258/the-book-launch-the-9th-floor

#podcasts #RNZ #The9thFloor

"...we backtracked on our election pledge to remove the surtax on superannuation. Because morally I couldn't justify to myself that we would give a tax concession to the wealthy retirees - which removing the surtax would do - while we were taking some off those who were in much poorer circumstances."

#JimBolger, 2017
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-9th-floor/story/201840999/the-negotiator-jim-bolger

#podcasts #RNZ #The9thFloor

The cause of #Aotearoa's #CostOfLivingCrisis is unprecedented, however we've been through financial crises before.

The #Libertarianism of the '80s was supercharged by #JimBolger's National government in 1990. Their brand of "fiscal responsibility" echoes that of #NZNationalParty/#ActParty today.