Having been in the UK for just over a fortnight, I had thought to write a short post on similarities of current issues in Britain and New Zealand. However, Owld Grumbleton, who’s over here as well, has beaten me to it, so here’s his take:

1. The Labour-led governments are in trouble, after multiple terms in office.
2. House prices are stalling and predicted to fall, with owners of multiple highly-leveraged rental properties expected to be hardest hit .
3. The economy is faltering but not expected to go through the floor.
4. The retirement of the baby boomers is now starting to bite, with major gaps in most technical and managerial professions. Although the current downturn will alleviate the problem, it won’t help the solution as firms skimp on recruiting and developing young talent.
5. Violent crime, uncouth behaviour and increased alcohol consumption are constant features of news reports and general discussion.
6. School exam systems are still lambasted on all sides.
7. People expect lower taxes, but the government is proving stingy with minor reductions in this year’s budget.
8. Environmental awareness is growing, but government initiatives are often clumsy, inconsequential and fail to address the major issues.
9. City traffic is a nightmare.
10. The local wine industry is thriving. (Yes, you read that right.)

OG is more political than me, but it’s hard to dodge the similarities in attitudes to the incumbent governments. I’d add a few more similarities:

• There is heaps of cool stuff going on business-wise, if you look for it.
• Everyone’s screaming about petrol prices.
• The universities want more money (when did they not?)
• There’s really good food. wine, beer and cider, and and there’s really appalling food, wine, beer and cider.
• There’s increasing talk of protectionism, under the false flag of environmentalism.
• The countryside is beautiful.
• The cultural life is thriving.
• There are great people, nice people, naff people and scary people.
• The media tend to paint the picture darker than it really is.
• NZ sauvignon blanc and pinot noir rule their wine store/supermarket niches (pinot gris is starting to move up the ranks too).