Selwyn Manning and 95bFM's Kat Saunders discuss how the National-led Government has seeded some information on next week's Budget. What we know is the current benefits of the former Labour-led Government's three-big-policies KiwiSaver, Working For Families, and Student Loans will be cut back.

Run-Sheet: We know from what the Prime Minister John Key told The Economist that his Government will deliver a 'zero' Budget.

We know National has increased its borrowing significantly in the past month and is now borrowing an average $380 million per week.

We know the Finance Minister Bill English admitted in Parliament on Wednesday that this is too high.

We know the Prime Minister believes if he allows his Finance Minister to continue to borrow at this rate “and stack up debt, then this country will go broke”.

And we know National is under pressure to be more prudent while it attempts to hold onto votes of middle income earning New Zealanders.

While on the centre-left Labour argues that a more fair distribution of the tax structure should be created, correcting the irregularity of tax benefits for the wealthy and returning some equity to those on low incomes, on the right, we have observed how new ACT leader Don Brash has gone quiet on his critique of how the National Party is handling the economy.

Will Brash apply serious pressure to National by stating he is not satisfied with the zero budget, that by maintaining the current level of spending, and borrowing, National has not addressed the underlying big-spending policy problems that Brash framed during his pitch to oust former ACT leader Rodney Hide from the top-spot. After the Budget is read, will Brash stick to his principles and announce that ACT no longer has confidence in the centrist platform the National-led Government is holding onto? Will he re-position ACT as the party representing big business and corporate interests in New Zealand?

Arguably, if ACT wants to get over five percent at the election, it will need to threaten National by waving a confidence and supply stick at the Government's so called Labour-lite policies.

If Brash doesn't make a stand, if he is ignored by both the National Party, Rodney Hide, and the media, then he has fallen flat and he will look like he's leading a lame-duck party in the making.

© Scoop Media

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