Key expects protests over budget
Prime Minister John Key expects protests in response to this year's budget, but they will not be of the scale England is facing.
Prime Minister John Key expects protests in response to this year's budget, but they will not be of the scale England is facing.
More than 250,000 people marched in London at the weekend in protest against public spending cuts, tax rises and pension reforms introduced by the Conservative-led coalition government (see photos right).
At least 80 people were injured and 201 arrested when anarchist groups splintered from the main union-led protest and fought with riot police.
Mr Key said he had watched the protests on television, and did not expect quite the same response to the Government's budget on May 19.
"It's not for me to critique the English economy and their response, but their situation is worse, and some of their responses are more intense because their situation is worse," Mr Key told TVNZ.
"They're trebling tertiary fees in three years -- no one's arguing in New Zealand about us doing anything like that."
Mr Key said there were always protests and demonstrations, and he expected small-scale ones.
"We'll get some, you typically always get them," he said.
Finance Minister Bill English said last week that the Government would face the biggest budget deficit in New Zealand's history at the end of the current financial year, and that the budget reflected that.
Mr Key reiterated that today, placing the blame largely on the Canterbury earthquakes, but said more money would be put into the health, education and justice sectors.
Photos courtesy Steve Keall Photography.
NBR staff
Mon, 28 Mar 2011
Mon, 28 Mar 2011
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Key expects protests over budget
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