"Most Popular Prime Minister"

Can Simon Bridges Tear Down the Careful Crafting?

Damien Grant, Columnist
Stuff


The National Party leader has dismissed any questions over his leadership saying none of his MPs have raised it with him, and it's a distraction when the country should be focusing on how to rebuild the economy.

The beatification of our Prime Minister belies a darker truth; her Government is in trouble and faces the risk of annihilation come September. The challenge for the Opposition is to present a coherent economic plan to get this country back to work.

The scale of the economic collapse has been masked by the $10 billion Grant Robertson has gifted to - among others - big city lawyers, Australian-owned retail chains and, in the interests of disclosure, some of my businesses.  Thanks to Robertson, the prospect of my wife getting that larger pool has increased and the prospects of me retiring before 70 have decreased, as that $10b paid out in the wage-subsidy scheme is going to have to be paid for by someone - and I am picking it is going to be people like me.

This was a massive waste of cash as most of the employers who took it, including me, didn’t need the subsidy and were going to retain their staff anyway. Most firms that were going to fail before they got $7000 per employee are still going to fail.

I’ve already administered one company where the director took the $70,000 wage subsidy and spent all but $3000 on various bills in the space of an afternoon. His company then fell into receivership and his staff were left out in the cold; one of many such stories that I expect will emerge.