Why does Labour treat us like idiots?

Clayton Cosgrove is having another rant on the mixed ownership model; 3News reports:

The Government's loyalty scheme for Kiwis who buy shares in state-owned assets is designed to help National win the next election, Labour says.

Prime Minister John Key announced the scheme at the National Party's annual conference on Sunday, saying New Zealanders who buy into Mighty River Power will get extra free shares if they hold onto those they buy for about three years.

Labour's state-owned enterprises spokesman, Clayton Cosgrove, says the timing is deliberate.

"The next election is two-and-a-half years away and the bonus shares will be triggered after about three years," he told NZ Newswire.

"This is a con, and the only reason for it is John Key wants to go to the country and say `look, all these Kiwis are holding onto their shares' in the run-up to the next election."

Mr Cosgrove says the shares are still going to end up in foreign ownership.

"When those bonus shares are handed out it will be in their best interests to sell and make a windfall gain," he said.

"This just puts off the fateful day when these shares fall into foreign hands."

Now Clayton Cosgrove, if his CV is correct is a reasonably intelligent bloke. And he is one of the few Labour front-benchers to have significant experience in the private sector. So there's two things we'd like to know.

First-up, why does Labour and to a lesser extent the Greens and NZ First continue to treat the voting public like idiots by continuing to insist that those of us who buy shares in the energy SOE's are immediately going to sell them to some mystery foreign buyer? People aren't stupid Mr Cosgrove; we don't have to be told what to do, and we are capable of independent thought. SOE shares are not going to be a get-rich-quick investment option, and most people whom we've spoken to will be buying shares for the long haul, despite Mr Cosgrove's obviously superior and prophetic knowledge.

Secondly, Mr Cosgrove reckons that the loyalty shares are designed to "help National win the next election". If that's the case, then what does Clayton Cosgrove think that interest-free student loans, 20 hours free ECE, Working for Families and the purchase of Kiwirail were?

The Labour Party is trying hard to reinvent itself after the electoral hidings it received in 2008 and 2011. That process would be greatly enhanced if Labour MP's such as Mr Cosgrove stopped treating the electorate like idiots, and gave us credit for having the intelligence to work things out for ourselves without his assistance.