The Premium Debate: Subscribers weigh in on 'Why so gloomy? Where's the post-pandemic party?'

Consumer confidence has bounced back for the under-30s. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

OPINION:

Liam Dann: Whether it's the homeless fighting outside central city supermarkets, gang shootings, or the fisticuffs of middle-class parents at posh PTA fundraisers - the nation seems to be at boiling point. But why? The mood wasn't exactly great in 2020 and 2021 either, but we were locked down and living in the shadow of a deadly pandemic. Now the Covid restrictions are gone, shouldn't we be dancing in the streets and enthusiastically making plans for our post-pandemic freedom? (Opinion, Monday)

Read the full story here: Liam Dann: Why so gloomy? Where's the post-pandemic party?

Have your say by going to bayofplentytimes.co.nz or rotoruadailypost.co.nz and becoming a Premium subscriber.

Most 18 to 29-year-olds are far too focused on their small worlds to consider the bigger picture. They don't see our hard-won democracy being eroded against the majority's wishes. Their parents do though, and worry not for themselves, but for their 18-29 [year-old] children and the divided country they will have to live in. And so we fight for them. And fight we will.
- Duane M

As long as Labour is anything to do with the governance of this country, there will be no party, just tears.
- Mark C

As long as interest rates are going up, and I think even the highest guess-timate is 4 per cent lower than what reality will turn out to be, nothing will change. Both my wife and I are self-employed. Our income hasn't gone up a cent, and indeed, since much of mine relies on international tourism, mine is probably still 65 per cent down, in fact.
- Marcus A

Election 2023 is a long way off, including getting through another winter. The burning question is, how are we even going to get there without this Government incurring more damage (direct and collateral) on its citizens?
- Clare F

Economically speaking, we don't live in the past. We live in the day and in the expectation of what is to come. Economic statistics can only ever tell us about the past, what has already been. If things were good three months ago, that doesn't tell us anything about what things will be like in three months, or in six months, or in 12 months' time.

But we will live in that future and what economic statistics are telling us today is that we have high inflation, rising costs for consumers and business, rising interest rates, quantitative tightening, falling asset prices, e.g., real estate and sharemarkets, high energy costs, a war in Europe, a pandemic that is not over yet, and huge Government and private sector levels of debt.

To think that those factors will not be affecting us in six or 12 months' time, that it's businesses as usual, is naive. We are not talking ourselves into a recession here. Winter, to borrow a phrase, is coming. So hope for the best, but plan for tough times.
- David B

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