The Trans Tasman Pol Pod Episode 5

The Government is under fire for the nature of its response to the US-Israeli led attack on Iran, which is clearly against international law. The Government may soon start to feel the economic pressure as well if the conflict causes a spike in inflation. It may not be the Government's fault, but it will certainly have to take the blame. If the election is to be fought on fiscal credibility and economic management, the coalition is being sent a major warning in the latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll. It shows 55% of voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, up 3 points since December, while only 28% say it is on the right track. The Government's overall performance rating has also rebounded from its record low in the previous survey but is still sub par. It is the only Government since 2017 not have had a rating above 5. The Government's quarterly action plans which were supposed to help drive the coalition's agenda and keep focus, appear to have been dropped. However, the plan idea is not quite dead. The Prime Minister's office says they're looking at a broader plan for the remainder of the year, which will be revealed in due course. Perhaps winning an election will be in it. And we're joined by Auckland University Associate Professor Maria Armoudian, a foreign policy expert, who'll help us try to understand why the US and Israel have started a new middle east war.