Sir Fresh3001 holds a Reddit AMA on /r/newzealand.
imnocat: âWhy are you so deep in the pockets of foreign multinationals and big business? Stand up for Kiwi workers and do the right thing, you neoliberal dog!â
Sir Fresh: âWell, I refute the allegation that Iâm in the pocket of anybody, but thatâs besides the point. You and I clearly have very different views on certain topics, and thatâs fine. While it might be futile, I guess Iâll try and articulate my viewpoint to you. I donât think unions are bad - throughout history theyâve been a great way for individuals to come together and use their collective influence to improve their standard of living. What I have an issue with are militant unions that are driven by ideology rather than reason, and thatâd drag the country down with them if only to get their own way. I believe that workers should have the right to work, and oftentimes unions stand in the way of that fine principle. Itâs our way or the highway - join us and endorse all that we stand for, or donât work at all. Itâs a position thatâs very well demonstrated by the Green Party. An individual worker or business owner could do nothing wrong, yet is punished by militant unions. Barred from working on public holidays under the Green supported Restricted Trading Days. Solidarity strikes punish business owners who have done nothing wrong themselves, and can ruin the livelihoods of entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses. Forcing employers to pay the wages of striking employees can do serious harm to a business. None of this is fair, yet the Greens support it because of their ideology. Well, my ideology is whatâs best for every day New Zealanders - and itâs not this.â
NatNation3001: âHey Sir Fresh! What can you say about Nationalâs chance of forming a government post-election? Whoâd it be with and what type of deal would you seek? Also, and particular portfolios youâd like to hold?â
Sir Fresh: âHaha, nice username! Well, I think at current weâve got a very good chance of forming a centre coalition while bringing along ACT and avoiding dealing with New Zealand First whatsoever. Last election I (unlike the Greens) made a pledge to avoid dealing with New Zealand First and I stood by that. This election weâve seen New Zealand First endorse a range of different parties, including National, and I donât think I have to state that we donât endorse them in return. All things remaining the same, National forming a government will come down to whether the centre prefers us or the Greens - and the Green Partyâs radical swing to the left will really push away the centrist parties, I reckon. As for portfolios, thereâs always a range that MPs have an interest in. Iâve been a Minister for all sorts of things during my time in Parliament, but Health and Justice are probably my most memorable. If National formed a government, though, I think I would push for Justice in order to shepherd through my Judicial Commission Bill & work to implement our law and order agenda. Constitutional issues are really what interest me the most and Justice gives me an opportunity to deal with them. Aside from that, Iâd like to be the Associate Business Minister for Regulatory Reform. Weâve got a great red tape cutting omnibus bill planned and Iâd like to be the person to push that through.â
PrinceEthan16: âWhat are Nationalâs plans in regards to primary industries and the regions?â
Sir Fresh: âNationalâs got a very wide range of policies which cater towards our primary sector and our regions. Iâve been very proud of the work done by FinePorpoise in regards to holding the government account on our primary industries. Itâs more than clear that a Green government would be a total disaster for our agricultural, mineral and energy industries. Whether itâs banning any and all petroleum or gas extraction, placing an undue regulatory burden on our farmers, or massively restricting mining and mineral extraction, the Greens will put thousands out of work & cause substantial degrowth in our regions. FinePorpoise submitted a private memberâs bill which would collect detailed statistics on our forestry sector and allow our policymakers to better understand this crucial industry. Weâll also amend the Biosecurity Act to account for new pests which could pose a serious threat to our agricultural sector, and weâll promote water capture and irrigation projects to improve agricultural productivity. National will promote a partial sale of Landcorp assets to free up fertile land for Kiwi farmers and offload an unprofitably run SOE to the private sector which can do better. Weâll boost funding for the Regional Investment Corporation and weâll merge it with the Sustainable Farming Fund so that environmental concerns are properly valued. Finally, weâll establish a regional job connection programme so that school leavers can find jobs easier and work to reduce regional unemployment.â
KiwiGuy2020: âAny political heroes that youâd like to shout out?â
Sir Fresh: âWell, I think it goes without saying that Sir John Key is one of them, and the other would certainly be Sir Roger Douglas. I think they represent two sides of the same coin, Douglas was the great reformer who created the economic system that affords us such prosperity, and Key was its defender who led us out of the global financial crisis. Both, in their own ways, reflected liberal ideals though thatâs certainly more evident with Sir Roger. I think both of them are examples of how governance should be, though. Technocratic, experienced, intelligent, and reasonable leadership. Both of them have made New Zealand a better place.â
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