Retirement Age Rise

Now, look, I wouldn't stress out too much about Chris Luxon telling Kerry this morning that National wants to lift. to lift the age of the pension as soon as they get back in government after November because it's not going to happen. Winston Peters is not going to let them do this. He has, Winston Peters, has been as solid as a rock on the pension over the years and from what I hear nothing has changed. He will not agree to move the pension age, which of course leaves National another option which is that they could reach across the aisle to Labour for some support to get around Winston. But Labour's not going to support this idea either because Chris Hipkins said just as recently as November. But it would be very, very unfair on some workers to raise it, in which case you may well be wondering why would Chris Luxon and Nicola Willis keep on dropping hints like they do and keep on raising expectations about their pension age policy when it really will never actually become law. Because it's a charade, isn't it? It is a charade that is designed to make them look like they are good stewards of the country's finances with all the plans to make the big changes necessary to get us out of our structural deficit when really they are not going to do that. And when this doesn't happen after November, which it won't, they will be exactly where they are right now. And what is that? Spending more money than Grant Robertson, taking on more debt than Grant Robertson, not cutting any real spending, just like Grant Robertson. So in one way, I suppose there is some reason to celebrate because we will escape yet another election without the pension being touched, thank the good Lord for that. But it is being used to make some people look like they mean some real business with our finances when everything tells us they don't.