Election By Media

Marie from Waikanae

The glee with which the media has seized on the latest political poll has us all feeling a little nauseous. Don't these things have a margin of error of plus or minus 4%? The minor drop for Labour has been over-egged in extreme. Think the media is all gagging to tear the Labour govt to shreds. Probably just so they can publish something that will sell. But they should be careful what they wish for. Or have they forgotten how repressive, stultifying, regressive, and just plain toxic a National government is?

When the Nats start tearing Labour's welfare initiatives to shreds, everyone will be worse off. School Lunches gone, with many low income families struggling to put food on the table. This is Nicola Willis's definition of "waste". She is clearly an advocate of Maggie Thatcher, who once declared "there is no such thing as society".
Prescription charges reinstated, the winter energy payment scrapped. Older people dying earlier from excess winter mortality or at best suffering in cold damp houses without the medical care they need. And abolishing all this "waste" is such a false economy, as the taxpayer ends up paying for it three times over in medical costs further down the line. But of course that doesn't bother the media. Their mantra is "if it bleeds, print it". They Don't Care Who bleeds.
For once I agree with Winston, the media are a bunch of childish, bitchy, churlish brats. I detect a lot more tolerance and understanding of the issues Labour has been facing in the electorate, despite what the media would have us believe.