Grant Robertson is currently reading his budget speech, to the usual applause from the performing seals on the backbench. More childcare subsidies for multinational childcare providers! Eliminating prescription charges! Subsidies for computer game companies (who already have the subsidy of being exempt from employment law)! Some of this is welcome, some of it is sensible, some of it is not. But all of it misses the target.
Look at the three key metrics. Housing? Nothing. Tax? A minor tweak to the trust rate, but nothing significant. Climate change? More research funding as a substitute for action, a little bit for public transport, but nothing really to reduce emissions. On the big issues they're just kicking the can down the road again. Which means it'll be that much more expensive when the bill comes due.
As I said earlier this morning, we need change. This budget shows that we will not get it from Labour.
