Comment
This National Government has been plagued by a series of errors and mismanagement since its re-election late last year.
Yet suddenly none of that matters, with National delivering such a clever and relatively compassionate Budget.
It's probably this Government's most surprising and electorally attractive Budget yet.
The Government has surprised us all - and pleased many on the left - by its decision to raise some benefits significantly.
This Budget will therefore go down in New Zealand political history.
After all, benefits haven't increased (in real terms) since 1972.
Of course, they've been cut - by Ruth Richardson, in 1991 - but no Labour government has ever been inclined to be more generous to beneficiaries.
This is good politics by National - or maybe just cynical politics, depending on your point of view.
They've clearly responded to the huge increase of public concern about issues of inequality and poverty.
This was seen during last year's election, when inequality was one of the top concerns of voters.
And since then the debate about poverty, especially, child poverty, has continued to escalate.
By increasing benefits, albeit at the expense of KiwiSaver, and also in tandem with increased ''work obligations for solo parents'', National has shown that it is taking the issue seriously, and can pose as a government of compassion.
There will be continued questions about the genuineness of this, and about whether it is enough, but in the meantime it has snookered the parties of the left, who are having serious problems criticising the Budget.
It's easy for critics of this Government to concentrate on its shortcomings, but this Budget is a reminder of just how pragmatic National now is.
It's a winning formula.
• Bryce Edwards is a lecturer in the University of Otago's department of politics.
