Sabin Mike: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSabin Mike: General Debate[Sitting date: 21 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12683. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MIKE SABIN (National—Northland):Yesterday I think we saw a couple of the best own goals that this country is probably ever likely to see. One of them I saw on the network news and was by a Peruvian soccer team. By fate as it were the teams were coloured one in red and one in blue. There was a cross to the midfield right in front of the goal. The player in the red shirt as fate would have it turned to his own goal and faced with only his own goalkeeper kicked it immediately into his own goal not realising of course that it was in fact his own goal and that what he had actually done was score a goal for the opposition. That was held up as probably one of the greatest own goals in history.But I think we can ask ourselves whether it really was because as fate would have it on that very same day in this very House we saw the Leader of the Opposition one David Shearer kick what could be considered only to be an amazing own goal of his own. That was when he stood and had a very similar brain fade standing in front of hisown goalmouth. He stood and confidently asked of the Prime Minister whether he or any of his staff had asked him or other members of the Labour Party to engage in broader conversation about or to seek support for the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill. The Prime Minister leaping to his feet and no doubt feeling sorry for the Opposition leader who was standing in his own goalmouth about to kick his own goal said “Do you seriously want me to answer that question?” or words to that effect to which David Shearer rose back to his feet and even more confidently asked exactly the same question. That question was answered by the Prime Minister when he said “Well actually yes I have done. We met after I invited”—Hon Trevor Mallard: That’s a lie. That’s a lie.MIKE SABIN: Stand up and say that. Mr Shearer himself conceded later in his speech actually that that was exactly the case because he then went on to ask about the conversation that he denied having in the first place. So anyway standing in front of his own goalmouth he asked the Prime Minister “Have we ever had any conversations?”. The Prime Minister said “Absolutely we did. We snuck up the stairs to avoid your brothers in arms Russel Norman over there and the Green Party.” They made their way up to the Prime Minister’s office and had a 30-minute conversation in which time the Leader of the Opposition Mr Shearer said “Let us just keep this on the down low because it would not be a good look and I would not want you Prime Minister to be shouting it out around the House.” Then he comes into this House and asks the Prime Minister whether that conversation has ever occurred.I think when it comes to own goals there can be no greater own goal there can be no greater example of brain fade than that of that member who would have himself be the Prime Minister of this country but who cannot even recall having a conversation with the Prime Minister about something. At least the Peruvian soccer player actually had the dignity to publicly apologise for what he had just done and what he had got so wrong whereas the Leader of the Opposition David Shearer went straight out on to the black and white floor stared down the barrel of a camera and said “Oh I told the Prime Minister to keep that secret.” It is strange that because he was just asking a question in the House 20 minutes earlier about that very same thing. If there has ever been an own goal that was a very good one.While this is all going on of course what is this side of the House getting up to? Well we are doing what we were elected to do what Kiwis placed their faith in us to do and that is to manage the Government’s finances to ensure that we are building a more productive and competitive economy to deliver better public services and to rebuild Christchurch. We are making fantastic progress across all those scores. What we see from the Opposition is Grant Robertson who seems to be the tail wagging the dog—Dr David Clark: Worst economic record in 50 years.MIKE SABIN: Come up with a different line—come up with a different line. You are going to have to renew the material Mr Clark—you are going to have to renew the material. Mr Robertson is all about the conspiracy theory around the Government Communications Security Bureau and Andrea Vance. Kiwis care not—Kiwis care not about that. What they are seeing is the manufacturing sector improve. What they are seeing is this economy growing at a faster rate than any other economy in the world. What they are seeing is economic performance. That is what they want to see.Meanwhile Mr Shearer is out there. His latest is snapper. He comes in here with a bit of show and tell—a couple of dead snapper. Well I have got news for Mr Shearer. He should not be concerned about snapper because it is not the snapper that is dead in the water; it is that member and that member’s party—dead in the water.