Dave Stewart

You know who I feel sorry for? Act voters.

I have a question for the remaining Act voters out there in 6 percent land.

Where did your precious accountability go?

The school lunch programme has certainly “schooled” the rest of us in the ideological bankruptcy of your minority party.

In opposition, David Seymour campaigned to the hard-of-thinking with a promise to end school lunches because “it’s the parents’ job to feed the kids”.

This resonated with those who were blind to the effects of poverty, which were intensified with the irresponsible borrowing by Mr Seymour and co of $15 billion for the tax cuts that were going to fix everything.

And, of course, the $3 billion of irresponsible borrowing for landlord tax handouts.

The party that tells us “welfare just creates dependency” certainly proved it when they started shovelling welfare at wealthy landlords.

While that rubbish resonated with a small minority, the reality was different. That is why after the election Mr Seymour went back on his campaign promises and decided he could do a better job with school lunches, saying his school lunch programme will feed more, but cost less, with a change of approach based on “the Government’s significant buying power”.

The minority Act Party leader and associate education minister said it showed the Government was “treating taxpayers’ money with respect”, and will also mean an end to “woke food like quinoa, couscous, and hummus” lunches.

“It will be more like sandwiches and fruit.”

Mr Seymour said all students receiving a lunch through the programme would continue to receive one at school at a significantly lower cost to taxpayers.

“The Healthy School Lunches Programme will continue, alongside a new targeted programme for up to 10,000 two-to-five-year-olds in early learning services.”

He then sacked local providers, killing thousands of local jobs, and signed up with a off-shore based multi-national provider of prison food.

So, to make perfectly clear – Mr Seymour dropped the argument that “it’s the parents job to feed kids” and was now the champion of the state taking responsibility and doing it better, for less, as long as a private enterprise company could make a taxpayer-funded profit.

Ahh, such wholesome values.

Since the birth of the Act Party nearly 40 years ago, its main premise has always been how much more efficient private enterprise is at delivering things to the taxpayer.

And so Mr Seymour seized his chance to demonstrate just how effective that ideology is.

And, surprise, surprise –  he’s proven that ideology to be a total and complete failure.

Ninety percent waste, late delivery, unrecognisable food, second degree burns, plastic melted into food and no accountability to Minster of Education Erica Standford, who Mr Seymour is suddenly too busy to meet with.

Mr Seymour isn’t delivering on his warrant as a minister.

In opposition, he’d regularly call out ministers who were wasting taxpayer money with non-delivery and the minority Act Party voters would be all over it and be demanding a resignation or sacking. Or worse.

So, how come now that he’s able to show us all how much better a private enterprise company can deliver services for taxpayers and it’s a complete disaster, minority Act Party voters are suddenly all good with a poor performance from our politicians?

It’s almost as if they think we’re all as thick as they are.

But we’re not.

We’re calling you out and you’re not up to being called out.

The minority Act Party tells us private enterprise is the answer to all our woes.

But the first chance to show us how good it is, it fails. Badly.

And you’re not able to explain why?

All we hear is the minority Act Party voters telling us “it’s the parents job to feed the kids”.

Well, not according to your Mr Seymour.

What an epic fail of your Act Party ideology.

No wonder after nearly 40 years of neoliberal Dickensian dribble you only have 6 percent of the vote.

Rest In Peace, Act Party credibility.