Mike Hosking: It's amateur hour this election cycle

Read the story about Kirsten Murfitt and ask yourself, is this how bad it's got? Obviously the story that got the headlines is the GST off fruit and veges scam. But as a combination of the weekend's political news, it leaves me with a sense of some despair and sadness. We could also toss in the business of the Green's and yet more money we don’t have on energy grants and interest free loans. But the upside of the Green's is they have no bottom lines and, as a rule, aren't taken that seriously, hence they have never really achieved a lot in and around Government. New Zealand First on the other hand has reached a point in a couple of polls where they can get some noise around their prospects. But when you read the Murfitt story you realise how low they have sunk and how desperate they have become. As for Labour, they too are desperate. Or, at least Chris Hipkins is. The announcement of a policy that makes no sense, isn't remotely workable in any economically literate way and benefits the wealthy the most shows you just how out of ideas he is. Oh, and his Finance Minister has spent no small amount of time rubbishing the plan. The reason this is all so depressing is because this is a country in desperate need of overhaul, it needs a massive reset. In some respects it needs to be blown up and started again. The economy is shocking, we have a recession, we have monumental debt and we have a Government happy to spend even more, making it worse. Our streets are littered with thugs and crime and the social discipline in so many areas is falling apart in front of our eyes. The schools pump out kids with minimal, if any, qualifications, and that’s if the kids turn up, and the standards for those who do graduate have been slipping year in, year out. The health system, in parts, is on the verge of collapse. What we need, and desperately, are some adults. Some adults with brains and life experience. We need discipline and professionalism and vision. We need help, and badly. Yet, New Zealand First have the Murfitt's and Hipkins has a con to use money we don’t have. It is shabby, it is loose and it is amateur hour. God help us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.