This past week has finally revealed the vast gulf between reality and the claims of Jacinda Ardern that the best economic response to the Chinese plague is a strong health response.

The PREFU and the GDP figures showed that to be like every other statement made by the Prime Minister.

A complete sham.

Her health response has produced an economic response worse than the OECD average.

Worse than neighbouring Australia.

And worse than even the USA, which the Prime Minister says we are doing better than.

Our economy is is the toilet and hundreds of thousands of people are now either unemployed or about to become unemployed.

For all those people who defend Jacinda Ardern who think she saved us, I bet you never thought it was you, your job or your business that were the ones having to make a sacrifice.

And to rub in the salt, all those still calling for stringent lockdowns are ones who will never feel the chill economic winds as they are all invariably in cushy state funded jobs.

The economic head winds have turned a sure thing election for Labour in to an election that is now harder to pick than a broken nose.

We have stark choices now.

The status quo which means high unemployment, massive public debt, and a decade or more of deficits.

Or we can flip the switch and elect a government that backs Kiwis to help themselves.

This election is shaping up to be the most important in living memory.

I’m Cam Slater and this is Insight: Politics.