That empty void again

A bit over a week ago, I complained about the empty void at the heart of the election: National's refusal to release policy. And it has struck again today, in the form of National's fiscal "plan". After weeks of teasing about tax cuts, people were expecting specifics: numbers, thresholds, dates, calculators, how many blocks of cheese. Instead, all National has is a vague promise that they might cut taxes right before the next election. No details, no specifics, nothing.

Like most kiwis, I don't actually want tax cuts - I'd rather have properly funded schools, hospitals and public transport instead. But if there was one thing you'd expect National to be specific on, it was this. Instead, they're just blowing smoke. We actually have a government seeking re-election while offering no specifics about what it intends to do in office. But don't they have a lovely picture of John Key?