Labour is trying to spin its threat to raise the retirement age as a "hard and ballsy" decision to do what is necessary to balance the books. But this is bullshit. To point out the obvious, we are running deficits now. Labour is threatening to raise the retirement age starting in nine years. This does nothing to help us now (but may give people like Don Brash a thrill).
So, its not about getting us out of our current fiscal hole. So what is it about? I can think of two obvious options. One is that raising the retirement age in the future will provide political cover to loot the Cullen Fund now, providing free money to balance the books by spending our savings. The other is that its a cynical, calculated ploy to wedge National against their own base while driving voters to Winston, who is Labour's only hope of government. Winston, of course, will veto any increase as the price of his support, so its an empty threat, purely for show, dishonest as well as evil.
(Meanwhile, Labour hacks are telling me to shut up because I "don't know the whole story", which will be released this afternoon. Sorry, but if you leak stuff to the media, you can't complain if people take it at face value and comment on it. If those media reports are wrong, then I'll happily post a retraction. But until then, I call it as I see it - which is Labour betraying the young for the benefit of its aging frontbench)
