Kerre Woodham: Both parties' launches reeked of desperation

The election campaign officially kicked off over the weekend with the two main parties, but honestly, it feels like we've been in campaign mode for years now.

National and Labour gathered their party faithful in their respective happy places: the swanky International Convention Centre for the blue team, Dew Drop Events Centre in South Auckland for the red team.

Both had their party heavyweight champions in their corners: John Key and Bill English in the blue corner, Helen and Peter Clark in the red. Both Chrises had their senior ministers alongside them.

Only one party came up with something new, and that was Labour, using the same old election trick that Helen Clark used so well in 2005 appealing to student voters, using the student loans to pull them in.

This time Labour promised to cut the loans by 10 percent if New Zealand grads stay in the country for three years. But apart from Chris Hipkins being a bit sweary, trying to get a bit sort of - "wahey, I'm the man" on it in South Auckland, that was it really.

For both parties, the launches pretty much reeked of desperation. National knows the parlous state of the economy and so cannot and will not promise election treats. 

I don't know what's driving Labour. Getting back into power at any cost? Showing that they're not as useless as they were last time? I don't know. 

ACT, in response to Labour's student loan bribe, released a press release which I think pretty much sums up where we're at. They said paying down debt and returning to surplus is job number one for any Government serious about unlocking New Zealand's potential.

We pay $24.8 million a day servicing the interest on our debt. In 2018-19 it was $10.1 million a day servicing the interest on our debt. 

ACT says this is the 'back to the future' election for Labour: they're promising higher taxes, higher spending, more complicated monetary policy, and billions of dollars of promises without showing how the books add up. That was ACT's response to the student loans. 

• Labour reveals policy to forgive student loan debt as party kicks off campaign
• Watch – 'Been a real slog': Luxon warns Labour bereft of ideas as he reveals 10 top promises

But what else have they got? When everything's feeling a bit blah, you can understand them trying to entice voters, trying to say - "Look, things aren't so bad, we've got this for you." They haven't said how they'll pay for it. 

The capital gains tax isn't going to bring them in the money they thought it was going to bring them in, and that's besides they've promised that's ring fenced for the three GP visits for absolutely everybody. But they're relying on the fact that voters are just at the end of their tether.

So what are you going to do? Go with the party that promises ponies and castles for Christmas, even if they know they can't afford it and you know that Mum and Dad can't afford it, but you still want the pony and the castle? 

Or do you go with the party that says -"Sorry kids, all I have for you is a lump of coal"? What are you going to do?

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