Labour’s old new policy
September 1st, 2011 at 2:53 pm by David FarrarLabour announced:
Labour today announced its youth skills and employment package which gives all teenagers the opportunity to be earning or learning within three years.
Now does this sound familiar? Let’s go back seven years:
A $56.9 million package of new and expanded initiatives in Budget 2004 will cement in the government’s commitment to provide all 15 to 19 year olds with a kick start to their working lives. …
In October 2002 we also signed a formal memorandum with the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs adopting the formal goal that by 2007, all 15-19 year olds will be engaged in appropriate education, training, work or other options which will lead to long term economic independence and well-being.
And back a further year to 2003:
Budget 2003 contains a comprehensive package of initiatives to ensure all 15 to 19 year olds are involved in education, training or work or other options by 2007, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today.
So Labour announced in 2003 the same goal and policies, and declared by 2007 they would have worked.
But hey this policy is even older than that. Go back to 2002:
Government plans to ensure all 15 to 19 year olds are in education, training or work by 2006 could save taxpayers more than $1 billion, Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said today.
So the goal was 2006, then 2007 and now it is 2014. This is like Lucy v Charlie Brown.
But it gets even better. Let us go back to 2000:
No young person will leave school without options in education, training or employment within three years, Associate Education (Tertiary Education) Minister Steve Maharey said today.
So in fact they promised they would achieve this by 2003!!
And turning to their latest change of clothes:
“However we will reprioritise $80 million from existing schemes, with $58 million going to the apprenticeship subsidy instead of dole payments, giving a net total cost of $171 million over four years.
This will be paid for from revenue from Labour’s fairer tax plan.
This is absolute bullshit. By their *own* calculations their tax plan requires extra borrowing and a bigger deficit for the next seven years. Their tax plan does not generate any extra revenue until at least year seven – and even that is doubtful.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Well let’s remember Phil’s memory isn’t as good as it used to be. He probably thought he had heard this policy by someone some time in the past but couldn’t remember when, so decided to re-invent it.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 3:03 pm
The policy has been announced as long as Phil is in politics!
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 3:11 pm
No one would notice if National and Labour switch unemployment policies. Both just throw money at training programs; the only difference is the programs’ names and the exact amount being thrown.
What a boring policy release. Labour won’t win votes with this.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 3:11 pm
good grief .. how many times can Labour spend the money from their fairer tax plan?? Goff will use it for the extra billion or so for the Chch recovery as well.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Gosh, that was quick research, well done DPF!
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Christ. That’s almost as bad as John Key and with his ‘rolling maul’ and ‘relentless focus’ on job creation.
Vote:Pathetic, the both of them.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:28 pm
A plague on both their houses. How is this different from National’s much-lauded Youth Guarantee?
Vote:‘We expect that all those under the age of 18 should be in work, education, or training’.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:05 pm
MnM, can you go back and find all the similar initiatives?
That was the point of the post afterall. Labour is just saying exactly the same thing they already have.
Pointing out that National NOW says something similar is not the smoking gun you obviously think it is.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Kimble
Vote:My point was just that successive parties and governments have talked about similar policies. I’d be pretty sure we could find examples back to the 80s or beyond.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:20 pm
MnM, go on then.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Seven years, Schmeven years….
Just increase the top tax rate to 60% and see all the money flow in the door, dirty rick pricks….
Funding for every lala promise they want.
Well, at least until we all get up and leave (or maybe set up trusts to pay ourselves less…)
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:40 pm
LOL! They have the same name, therefore its the same policy! Flawless logic.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:40 pm
I’m really not up for that, Kimble.
My point is just that I doubt that this was an issue that suddenly arose in 2000. I’m sure that we have had hand wringing about youth training and unemplyment for a long, long time. Surprise, surprise, political parties promise policies, schemes etc but the issues remain.
That doesn’t mean that parties and government should not have aims to do something. Labour could hardly say “Well, we tried a number of initiatives and announced policies between 1999 and 2008 and we’re here to have another crack”.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Clowns to the left jokers to the right, fuck the lot of them. It’s all a load of bullshit. It seems to me government is the problem when it comes to employment, they want to help, best thing they could do is stick to drinking piss at the Green Parrot?. The whole lot are socialist control freaks that stifle employment, I wouldn’t employe a trained snail, it’s all to fucking hard.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Actually its time we did some of these things and if National and DPF wern’t so bloody tribal and and worked towards making NZ wealthy instead of themselves then we could make some progress.
DPF, you may well be right about this but tell me when or where the policies have been implemented and supported and made into real.
You know there is a problem, you support the need to change what hasn’t worked and yet you bag the very means that can help.
You can praise some things, its allowed, even if the idiots at the top of National don’t like it , are not interested or are just too bloody lazy to be bothered.
Given the fuck up theyhave just made of the HNZ court casewe are gobbed smacked at there inability to do anything right.
Their youth policy is made up by the same stupid fuckwits called Cabinet.
Near on a million spent and they back down afterwinning. Same deal with this excersise with youth. Make a lot of noise, waste a lot of money, do nothing constructive and then beleive that they are winners.
Fuck they are pathetic.
And you allthink the ALL Blacks will win??
Vote:hahahah
Saw an All Black flag today. AT Half Mast. A sign of things to come.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Goof must have been reading the bible and the chapter relating to loaves & fish when he dreamed this up. He must have a great money tree hidden away.
Pathetic !!!!
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Labour’s jobs promise ….1980
http://lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com/2011/09/labours-very-old-new-policy.html
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 5:00 pm
The only way to solve unemployment is to give everyone jobs. And if that means sacking 150 000 people to find those jobs, then let that be the price of progress.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 5:16 pm
What was Trevor on about with cut and paste disrespecting the electorate?
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 5:48 pm
mikenmild>Labour could hardly say “Well, we tried a number of initiatives and announced policies between 1999 and 2008 and we’re here to have another crack”.
You are correct, but only because that would leave out a relevant fact or two. If Labour were honest then they’d say: “Well, we tried a number of initiatives and announced policies between 1999 and 2008 AND EVERYTHING WE TRIED WAS A FAILURE and we’re here to have another crack USING EXACTLY THE SAME POLICIES AND EXACTLY THE SAME PEOPLE”.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Good post David.
My take on this is that Labour has can’t think of anything else the government could be doing. I don’t blame Labour, government pretty much does run everything in this country. And what it doesn’t own outright it regulates. The welfare state now covers nearly 40% of adults. A large share of the population is in education, which is heavily subsidised. Health care is already free and NZ already spends a large share of its gdp on it. And the government is large by world standards. National is gradually expanding this further in line with the socialists’ expectations.
What else is there left for Labour to do? I am grateful Labour is content to announce old policy.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 6:11 pm
davidp
Vote:I just wanted to point out that in this area, as in many others, political parties feel compelled to announce some policy, any policy. It doesn’t matter that the specific problem has been around for a long time and there have been countless other policies and initiatives. The game is to identify something as bad and say what you are going to do about it. As we have seen, doing something about it is the least important part.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:22 pm
You can make any policies you like when there’s no chance of being elected.
Vote:September 1st, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Put it away
Vote:And the irony is that when you are likely to get elected, you get really careful about what you promise, a la National in 2008.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:40 pm
ben (2,041) Says:
September 1st, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Good post David.
My take on this is that Labour has can’t think of anything else the government could be doing. I don’t blame Labour, government pretty much does run everything in this country. And what it doesn’t own outright it regulates. The welfare state now covers nearly 40% of adults. A large share of the population is in education, which is heavily subsidised. Health care is already free and NZ already spends a large share of its gdp on it. And the government is large by world standards. National is gradually expanding this further in line with the socialists’ expectations.
What else is there left for Labour to do? I am grateful Labour is content to announce old policy.
And tell us all Ben what the fuck National has done except continue with the same inept policies and attitudes.
Why anyone would expect a bunch of inept urban liberal MP’s in Cabinet to even begin to understand the issue is a surprise to me.
They are happy to fund universities and uni degrees to the extent of 70% of the cost and lend the students the rest at a low interest rate but no other learner matters. Note that many of the others are the ones paying the bloody tax to fund the money suckers.
Vote:Mindless crippled thinking.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Global recession, high youth unemployment in many nations, and voters expect governments or future governments to Do Something About It.
If any party said: “We’re going to ignore youth employment because we know nothing we do will make much difference,” it would be honest, but they’d be accused of ‘washing their hands’ of the problem.
If ANY government around the world had found a surefire idea that actually worked, it would have been done long since. And copied by everyone else.
What’s needed is jobs and the only way governments can create those for sure is to stuff the public sector. Which creates jobs but not the wealth to fund them.
Vote:Otherwise, they chuck money at ‘schemes’ and ‘projects’ and ‘initiatives,’ to be seen to be Doing Something.