John MacDonald: Do we really think the parties on the left would do better?

You know a Government is in trouble when you see a major news organisation running an online poll asking people whether they think the Prime Minister has had a good week or not. Which I saw the other week.

And you know a coalition is in trouble when you get one of its senior members telling a public meeting that the Prime Minister is hiding. Which is what NZ First’s Shane Jones did yesterday.

Things come in threes, of course, so let’s add the findings of the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor Survey, which has found that voters see Labour being most capable of doing something about the cost of living.

And that people have more confidence in Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori collectively to do something about 17 of the top 20 issues facing New Zealand, with National owning just three: the economy, crime and defence. But even on those issues it’s losing ground.

So what conclusion can we take from all that?

There’s only one. People are losing confidence in the Government. 

To see how bad it’s got for the Government, you just need to think about that stat about the left block being seen as having much more of a handle on the cost of living and the 16 other issues they beat the Government on. 

Because, hand on heart, are you telling me that - if there was an election right now - and you couldn’t bring yourself to vote for National, ACT or NZ First, that you could bring yourself to vote for the likes of Labour? Or the Greens? Or Te Pati Maori?

If I had to vote today, I’d have no idea who to vote for.

The Ipsos monitor is a quarterly survey that asks New Zealanders what they consider to be the most important issues facing the country, and the political parties they have faith in to sort them.

Its latest survey shows the cost of living is still the number one issue concerning voters, with 60 percent of people saying it’s an issue. And most people think Labour is the party to deal with it.

The second most-concerning thing for people is the hospital and wider health system. Most people think Labour is the party to sort that out too.

The third most concerning issue is the economy. National still holds public confidence on that one.

Housing supply and the cost of housing is the fourth most concerning issue for voters. And more people have confidence in Labour on that one, too.

Rounding-out the top five is crime and law and order. National still beats Labour on that front and the Government will have been very relieved with the latest crime stats which show crime is down.

But, whichever way you look at it, people are losing confidence.

And it’s not just in the data. It’s also in the reactions we’ve seen to recent Government anouncements.

The supermarket stuff last week. The debacle with the paywave surcharges and the Government thinking it had a brilliant solution which, we all worked out pretty quickly, won’t save us any money. 

They’re just a couple of examples.

And I know that some people will say that people are always down on the Government during winter. But I don’t think the first day of spring is going to bring any relief for the Government.

I’m not surprised the Government is getting such harsh treatment criticism. But I am surprised that so many people think the parties on the left could do a better job on so many of the big issues facing the country.

I don’t have much faith or confidence in any political party. What about you?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
You know a government is in trouble. Oh how do
you know? Well, you know a government is in trouble
when you see a major news organization running an online
poll asking people whether they think the Prime minister has
had a good week or not. Who's the prime minister
had a good week? I saw that the other week.
And more proof you know a coalition is in trouble

(00:35):
when you get one of its senior members telling a
public meeting that the Prime Minister is hiding, which is
why New Zealand First Shane Jones did yesterday and things
coming throes of course, So let's add to that the
findings of the latest IPSOS Issues Monitor survey, which is
just out, just out, and it's found that voters see,

(00:58):
wait for it, voters see labor being most capable of
doing something about the cost of living and that people
have more confidence in labor. The Greens into Party MARII
collectively to do something about seventeen of the top twenty
issues facing the country, with national owning or ruling just
three the economy, crime and defense. But even on those issues,

(01:21):
starting to lose ground. So what conclusion can we take
from all that? Do you think there's only one conclusion,
isn't there? People are losing confidence in the government. That's
if they haven't lost confidence already, and to see how
bad it has got for the government, you just need
to think about that stat about the Left block being

(01:43):
seen as having much more of a handle on the
cost of living and the sixteen other issues that they
bet the government on. Because and on heart, all right hand,
on heart? Are you telling me that if there was
an election right now and you couldn't bring yourself to
vote for National Act on Zealand first, that you could

(02:04):
bring yourself to vote for the likes of Labor, that
you could bring yourself to vote for the Greens, that
you could bring yourself to vote for Taparty Mari. If
I had to walk down to a polling station right
now or when we finish at twelve So if I
had to go and vote today and cast to vote,
I would have no idea which party I tick. So

(02:28):
the IPSOS Issues Monitor, this is the quarterly survey that
asks New Zealand is what they consider to be the
most important issues facing the country and which political parties
they have faith in to sort them out, and the
latest one shows quite about The shows that the cost
of living are still the number one issue concerning voters,
with sixty percent of people saying it's their number one issue.

(02:50):
In fact, cost of living has been the major concern
for people since February twenty twenty two, is some more
than three years now at tops the list of voter concerns,
and Labor is a party that most people think can
do anything about it. Second most concerning thing for people
is the whole hospital in the wider health system, and
again most people think Labor is the party to sort

(03:11):
that out too. Third most concerning issue is the economy.
Now National still holds public confidence on that one, but
really housing supply, the cost and the cost of housing.
Fourth most concerning issue for voters, Again more people have
confidence in Labor on that one. Rounding up the top
five is crime and law and order. National still beats

(03:32):
Labor on that front, and I bet the government will
have been very relieved with the latest crime stats which
show that crime is down. But whichever way you look
at these results, people are losing patience, if not confidence,
and it's not just in the data. What other evidence
is there. Well, it's in the reactions we've seen to
recent government announcements, the supermarket stuff last week, hot air,

(03:56):
the debarcle with the payWave surcharges, and the government thinking,
oh it had a brilliant solution which you and I
we worked out pretty quickly, isn't going to save us
any money. There's two examples. And I know that some
people will say that all the people are always down
on the government during winter, but I don't think the
first day of spring is going to bring any relief

(04:17):
for the government. And I'm not surprised that the government's
getting such harsh treatment in this latest Issues Monitor. Where
I am surprised, though, is that so many people think
that the parties on the left could do a much
better job on so many of the big issues facing
the country. I don't have much faith or confidence in

(04:37):
any political party right now.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
For more from Canterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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