frogblog

First, it was race relations. Then, it was welfare. Now, it’s tax cuts. National seems to be having a recurring problem. They can’t get their spokespeople to sing from the same song sheet as their leader on the issues they’re supposed to be campaigning on. It lead to Georgina te Heuheu and Katherine Rich being demoted. Will John Key suffer a similar fate?

The latest outbreak of mixed messages from the National caucus relates to tax cuts. Dr Brash got a big media hit last weekend by promising tax cuts by Christmas. Now, Mr Key is saying they might actually have to be phased in over a much longer period. Indeed, he’s saying that if prevailing economic conditions make tax cuts at the end of this year inappropriate, National will defer them.

Umm, isn’t National’s whole argument that prevailing economic conditions are perfect for tax cuts? Why is John Key muddying this by even speculating about a situation where they might not be possible? No wonder Rodney Hide’s ploughing into them.

John Key’s verbal vomit is made more interesting by the fact that he has clear leadership aspirations. The jockeying to be Don Brash’s successor may already be starting. National insiders claim the reason Katherine Rich made such a fuss about the welfare speech at Orewa is that she wanted to distance herself from the current leadership in the run-up to the election. There are so many aspiring leaders in the Nat caucus, it’s going to be fun to watch the backbiting that begins the morning after their election defeat…

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