'Bill's Brain' and Fox News-maths on incomes

Bill English has resorted to using Karl Rove’s denial-style maths techniques to inflate New Zealand’s household incomes, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker.

“Last week Republican Karl Rove was vilified after denying Ohio had voted for Barack Obama on Fox News. Now Bill English has adopted this policy of denying reality. Karl Rove is no longer ‘Bush’s Brain’, he’s Bill’s.

“Today Bill English tried to claim that New Zealand’s household incomes have increased by a third in the past four years. I can tell him every Kiwi household knows that’s about as true as Ohio voting for Romney.

“The fact is that household incomes have declined by two per cent in the two years from 2009 to 2011, according to the well-respected Bryan Perry study for the Ministry of Social Development.

“Bill English is missing the inconvenient truths. After ignoring the Household Labour Force Survey when unemployment hit 7.3 per cent he has decided to ignore Bryan Perry’s study.

“To paraphrase Megyn Kelly on Fox News, this is just Bill English doing maths as a National minister to make himself feel better.

“Earlier John Key said New Zealanders could learn from watching Fox. He obviously watches it all the time as his Government mimics that channel’s techniques in twisting reality.”