Aotearoa / New Zealand

the conservative position is that government doesn't work so when they get into power they try to prove that position correct.

Which is fine - the problem is that everyone else has to live with the consequences of others' stupidity.

"I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally Conservative" - John Stuart Mill

Pushing down GDP, including to negative, by increasing interest rates is literally the mechanism used to combat inflation.

We are coming off massive inflation and resulting cost of living increases due to covid and global pressures - no one who has even a basic understanding of GDP and inflation sees a problem with this.