Look Back and Wonder

Three years down the track and what is this Government's standout feature?

Cronyism, according to ACT's Economic Development Spokesman, Deborah Coddington.

"Labour's greatest achievement has been to use taxpayers' money to increase its constituency.

"Just look at the track record:
* The Social Welfare Amendment Act which will cost taxpayers' millions of dollars to increase the numbers of people on benefits by eliminating work testing.
* Jim's Jobs Machine - Industry NZ which hands out $100 million of taxpayers' money to try and silence critics in the business community.
* Using taxpayers' money to pay selected media people like "independent" economist and writer Brian Easton from the Listener, who's received $2500 from the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board - set up to advise the Prime Minister about economic growth.
* Giving $160,000 of taxpayers' money to the Knowledge Wave Trust to host a youth leadership forum, and thus compromising the independence of the Trust which has been giving unsavoury advice to the Prime Minister about free trade and lower taxes.
* Spending $7 million of taxpayers' money on a Pacific Island radio network.
* Spending taxpayers' money on employees to bribe them into joining a union.
* Buying support from United Future (the Christian, so-called family values party) by promising to set up yet another Commission - this time for "The Family", and thus nationalising the family. We don't know yet how much taxpayers' money will be spent on this.

"All of this is just crony phoney capitalism. Where has Helen Clark taken this country? Back to the dark days of picking winners and hands-on government," Miss Coddington said.

"Three years wasted, while hardworking New Zealanders, who pay taxes to keep their properties, their children, and themselves safe from crime, have instead had their money spent on shoring up Labour's constituency."

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