OPINION: It's probably not a bad thing that Auckland Action Against Poverty is furious with Grant Robertson's Budget which puts $3.3 billion into the hands of beneficiaries.
But furious at $55 a week in the hand extra by next year?
This is the problem with some of these organisations - they're hostile and they're never happy, unless they're calling for complete chaos or on the frontline surrounded by it.
But what it actually means is the Government didn't give them everything they wanted.
These AAAP guys are so angry they now wish they hadn't wasted their time going to the Beehive yesterday - really? How ungrateful. How entitled.
There are others in the room too, how damn precious. Many have missed out and always do.
But there are record numbers of jobs in the country and it's no life on welfare so the best thing AAAP can do is help a person into work.
As for Sue Bradford, she called it cold charity. Is 20, 40, 50 bucks cold charity? Why do the far left need to put up these angry cold-hearted spokespeople like it's some class war?
And good try Grant Roberton saying his Budget is a response to Ruth Richardson's "Mother of all Budgets".
It was a good try but you'd have to spend a whole lot more to claim that title.
But the real disappointment for me is Pharmac's $200 million - that's $50 million a year, no wonder Malcolm Mulholland was upset.
Although, as mentioned above, I don't endorse that response but I do believe Pharmac has been properly shafted.
People will still go to Australia for treatment and still die earlier than if they lived in other countries.
Duncan Garner is the host of The AM Show.
