This Politician Can't make the Right Decision...

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NEW: Watch the footage of the exchange from TV3 News HERE


Commentary : Joe Carolan

Living Wage campaigners debated John Key when they were collecting signatures at the Big Gay Out last weekend. When I asked him to sign the petition for $15ph min wage, Key replied

"If I did that, 9000 workers would lose their jobs" he lied.

"What, on top of the 168,000 who've lost them already on your watch?"

We then asked the Prime Minister what he would say to a young worker, trying to survive on $420 a week, and could he personally survive on it?

"Not easily. No- that's your answer!" he laughed, before ambling away.

LET THEM EAT CAKE?

This answer is not good enough, and adds insult to injury after last week’s pathetic 25 cents on the minimum wage. If John thinks he couldn’t personally survive on a low income, why should it be a laughing matter for half a million of his fellow citizens?

Happily, thousands of people at the BGO disagreed with him, and signed the petition! This politician can’t make the right decision- now we want to bypass his government and let the people decide- and the next 10 weeks are going to be HARD OUT on fight to win enough signatures for the Referendum.

Join us in the fight.

BACKGROUND? Watch the interview on TVNZ News at Eight HERE


Comments

Anonymous said…
On the TV3 site one commenter complains that “one person writing on a blog” isn't real journalism.

The way I see it, it's someone asking the hard questions and getting (for once) a straight answer from Key, and someone else getting it on camera.

That looks like bloody good journalism to me.

Nicely done, all concerned.
3:52 AM
Anonymous said…
Where is the money coming from to pay the extra wage cost?

How many of your thousands of people were employers? How many people do you personally employ?

If minimum wage is so bad then how come so many can afford cigs, alcohol, video consoles, or going to events like the BGO?

If it comes from the government then they'll have to raise taxes even higher to pay for it!

If it comes from private sector then prices will rise significantly as people above minimum wage like to stay that way!

Increasing minimum wage will just increase everybodies costs and the _worst_ off will be the minimum wage folk, who will be worse off than they are now. Them and those employers can't afford to hire, businesses that fold under the cost, and those whose jobs can now be replaced by expensive machinery as the years wage bill gets closer to the price of the machine/robot!
4:41 PM
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