Making Allowances for more votes

The cupboard is bare, the nations books revealed that when they were released last week. Labour and Michael Cullen has spent it all and we are in a recession with a global financial disaster a distinct possibility.

But hey presto, today another vote grab by Labour means $220 million per annum was found for universal student allowances, a conservative figure by Labour because it has been costed at far more than that by more reliable sources.

Last week it was $40 million for a farm purchase so Helen and her fellow travellers can go walking across private farms in the South Island, billions more for a raft of recent treaty claims "settled" and the week before that another $120 million more for KiwiRail.

Oh but when does it all end? I am betting November the 7th.

The big question is in the face of massive deficits where is all this extra money coming from?

Well, it could be borrowing and there is likely to be more of that but it definitely means higher taxes for the middle classes, the same people who will be sending their kids to University and the very same parents of those children getting the universal student allowance.

Cynical, greed based vote buying.

It isnt the end of it either.

c Political Animal 2008