I have written in the past about the fact that Labour are going to try and buy the election, and they will. They did it in 2005 and they will do it in 2008.
The only thing now is since Labour are so far behind National in the polls and have been consistently for well over a year, and there is an overwhelming feeling for change in the country, that vote buy is going to have to pretty bloody big.
Considering Cullen has mismanaged us into a big debt position through 9 years of wasteful spending, and there have been mutterings lately of cutbacks in cash election promises from National and Labour, one rumour that is going around-thanks Matthew Hooten for the tip off- and sounds plausible is writing off all student debt.
When I heard that of course I felt my bile forming into a future cancer because I paid off the frigging loan in full ten years ago, and so I should, I should have had to pay something for my education.
Writing off the billions owed in loans to the taxpayer of course its a nutso idea, but it would probably be a matter of an "accounting charge" on the balance sheet with no effect of the country's cash deficit, so acceptable to Cullen and politically acceptable for allot of the left voters.
Having said that, if such an inherently silly idea is proposed by Labour there could be a backlash from people like me who have already paid their loans off and other taxpayers who think Uni students are elitist oiks whose wealthy parents should pay for their own education.
c Political Animal 2008
