Unless I missed something, none of us have seen the second 100 day plan ( the second quarter list of actions to be delivered in corporate NZ ) that two weeks ago Christopher Luxon boasted would be coming last week?
If we had seen it - there would be a list of actions - with bullet points - somewhere in the media?
The only mainstream media I have seen on this topic is a "Click Bait" headline on 21 March 2024 in the NZ Herald that suggested Luxon had outlined the Government plan for the next 100 days - but that headline did not match the article content and I even sat through listening to the source material it summarised - just to establish there was no 100 day plan outlined in it.
Further, as part of my job, I make myself listen to The Platform where the squid face puckered like a sphincter contracting before exploding in mountains of BS ...and yes Oliver Sean Plunket of "they are crossbred so they deserve to die" fame - told his audience on Friday 22 March that the second 100 plan would be likely coming on Monday 25th March.
Sure enough there was nothing about this second 100 day plan on Monday 25th and on Tuesday 26th Plunket licked his lips and puckered his squid face as he leaned back away from his microphone - and told his audience that - we should expect this later in the week.
Well welcome to the end of that week and like you, I am sitting here going - something's missing in my life - maybe it's the promised 100 day plan so corporate NZ can get back on track?
Yes I realise you were not really thinking that - but the reason I have written about "what is missing" is that the blank space is worth looking at in the context of what else we did see last week.
We saw a Budget Policy Announcement ( BPS ) that was late by traditional standards and it was missing the actual Budget Allowance numbers.
In 2020 Grant released his BPS with the allowance numbers on 11 December 2019 - six months before the Budget.
In 2021 Grant released his BPS with the allowance numbers on 9 February 2021 - four months before the Budget.
In 2022 Grant released his BPS with the allowance numbers on 15 December 2021 - six months before the Budget.
In 2023 Grant released his BPS with the allowance numbers on 14 December 2022 - six months before the Budget.
But this year Willis released her BPS without the allowance numbers on 27 March - only two months before the Budget.
As you can see something major was stopping Willis from defining the allowance numbers - failing to maintain the convention - and according to Barbara Edmonds that thing - is a failure to agree with NZ First and Act.
While Willis dismissed that as "Labour Fantasy Land", she did not provide any satisfactory explanation apart from glib remarks about waiting for your Christmas Presents and how it would be lower than $3.5 Billion.
Hold that thought - while we remember on Thursday night somebody very close to Luxon in his cabinet leaked to Maiki Sherman that Act's "provocation of a culture war" policy to bring back expensive referendums over Maori Wards - was delayed.
Booted onto the back burner - dispatched to Coventry.
There was trouble inside Cabinet and Maiki made it clear that this would bother Luxon cos he's not the man he says he is - running a 100% unified team, instead this was likely about his falling popularity and how he was not a blessing but a curse to the nation - as small parties rang circles around him.
Finally - consider the way that on 25 January 2024 TVNZ One News reported that Shane Jones is in charge of the new $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund, which was part of the New Zealand First coalition agreement.
TVNZ reported it was not clear how this would work yet - and that cabinet would sign off the criteria in March.
Maybe it's me - but I have not heard anything yet about this $1.2 Billion criteria from the Government - so I went through every single announcement made by the Government - all the way back to 23 February 2024 ( in case it was a week early ) - and could not find anything on this $1.2 Billion. There was no press about it neither - so I am reasonably sure this has been left until April.
Now let's bring all of these strands together and make a thick rope out of them.
The second 100 day plan is delayed causing embarrassment to Luxon, Willis' BPS is missing allowance numbers cos Cabinet could not agree, there's a leak from Cabinet that Luxon is unable to explain, and NZ First have not got their $1.2 Billion pork barrel slush fund yet, which seems delayed.
That looks like trouble under the hood.
Trouble because minor parties are not going to stand for their coalition agreement actions being shunted down the line - so that they lose votes.
Further Winston appears to be openly bargaining with Willis when he makes comments to Bloomberg that he is now suddenly - in favour of the Foreign Buyers Tax - under certain economic conditions - and we know Willis is short of $3.8 Billion according to the CTU.
Luxon began using the language of "intention" again with respect to delaying tax cuts and the "new taxes" question.
Remember how when Luxon started to do that - it was on Monday 18 March at the post cabinet presser - after Willis told RNZ she was uncertain that she could deliver the tax cuts in July because it still had to get past Cabinet.
A major clue to a lack of harmony in Cabinet.
Winston also told the same media Willis was short $5.6 Billion at that time - and Luxon said he had not heard Winston's "Nazi Germany" comments.
I think there is enough here to suggest a case for suspicion and doubt that all is well between Winston and Willis and Luxon right now...
Squidface is still waiting on the next 100 day plan - and it's been three weeks since the 8 March when the first one ended.
Things are going badly off track...
Luxon is late and not getting things done.
Whatever could be the problem?
And don't blame the previous government.
Things that make you go mmmm
Morena
G
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