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Ryan Bridge: What will the big issue be for the 2026 election? · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Inflation is still the dominant force in global politics, no
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: doubt about it. We've got the US election next month,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: the Aussies are going to the polls by midway through
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: next year, so are the Canadians who just had the UK.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: We've just had France, and inflation rules the roost and
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: bad news for old Elbow in Australia. There's a new
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: poll out this morning that has him neck and neck
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: with Dutton and with the Coalition. But here's the bad part,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the really bad part. Forty four percent of Aussies think
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: the economy will worsen in the next six months. What's more,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Doesn't and the Coalition are favored on the economy thirty
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: eight percent to twenty six percent, and more people blame
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: the government for causing inflation rather than global issues. So
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: he has an uphill battle, doesn't he. For New Zealand,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: inflation should be should be a distant memory by the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: time we hit twenty twenty six in our next election.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: It's expected to be inside the target range by Christmas.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: GDP should have picked up, unemployment should have fallen, Tourism,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: agriculture we've already heard this morning or showing promising signs,
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: but There's always a defining issue in a political campaign,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: isn't there? What will ours be in twenty twenty six?
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Do you think a smart government will always try to
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: define what that issue is ahead of time and to
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: control the narrative, control the language around it, control the debate.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: I think the biggest risk for the National Party this point,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: this far out. I know it is a bit far
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: for predictions crystal ball gazing, but I think at this
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: state is probably public service cuts, you know Dunedin Hospital,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: public transport, health, education etc. The reality is probably most
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: of us will give them another go, but it wouldn't
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: hurt them to keep an eye on what comes next.
• 1:50
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• 1:53
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• 1:55
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