Pettis Jill: General Debate 
Pettis Jill: General Debate 
[Volume:649;Page:17785] 
JILL PETTIS (Labour) 
: 
 One of the fascinating things about politics and what happens in Parliament is not always so much what is said but the body language. When Bill English was up on his pins this afternoon the body language of those National MPs who were sitting there was fascinating. They looked embarrassed. They looked like they had been caught out. 
Mark Antony was not the only politician who betrayed his leader. Bill English is on record as saying “I’m a stayer he’s a sprinter. I grind away …”. Bill English is grinding away all right. He is grinding his teeth in resentment because John Key has the job that Bill English wants. Bill English is envious of the position that John Key holds. John Key has Bill English’s job. It is clear to anyone who has studied politics and is aware of the egos that exist around this place—this place is full of egos; we all know that and if he were honest he would admit it—that Bill English’s ego is seriously bruised. He is a bitter and resentful man. 
I suggest that there is more to come. There are more revelations to come out about the National Party conference in the weekend. Who will be next? Who will be the next to be busted? When will we learn the inside job? When will we learn who is the author of all of these revelations? National is not a happy little party over there because its members’ feet are on sand. Their foundations are built on sand. Mr Brownlee’s very words this afternoon were if one can’t get it by fair means try foul. I thought that was absolutely illuminating. There is more to come. 
Crosby/Textor is having a huge influence on those Tories over there. I suggest that they are incredibly confused about what they are allowed and not allowed to say. Last year John Key spoke to an audience of National supporters in Christchurch. He said that they would have to get used to hearing him saying things that they would not like. But he told them to hold their nerve. He said he would have to say some things just to get elected because to say what he really wanted to do would mean that he would not get elected and that National would not get elected. He said that National supporters were just to hold their nerve until the election. 
Then in the weekend we saw Lockwood Smith being caught out on his real agenda as well. Lockwood Smith has been here for years. He is not a boy in political terms— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Really? 
JILL PETTIS 
: That was a slip. He is somebody who has been here for a very very long time. Lockwood Smith needs to be like the secret squirrel in the cartoon in my local paper this morning and come out of the closet and reveal National’s real agenda to sell Kiwibank and to get rid of Working for Families. 
It is not only Lockwood Smith who is intimating things like that. Also in my local paper this morning were two comments from Simon Power who knows how to articulate a thing or two. Twice in Simon Power’s column he expressed concern about Working for Families. He said firstly: “Though National has long been concerned about just how far up the income scale Working for Families stretches” and in his final paragraph he said: “Though we continue to hold some concerns about the system.” Why is a senior front-bench person who is fourth in ranking expressing concern about Working for Families twice in one column if National is not going to do something about it? Of course National will cut back Working for Families and here is a senior National Party MP telling us that it will. National is a party that aspires to be in Government and it simply cannot be trusted.