Bridges Simon: General Debate 
Bridges Simon: General Debate 
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SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 I do not know whether it is just me but I am feeling a little edgy at the moment—sober but edgy. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: You’re looking very edgy. 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: Maybe it is the brown suit and the branding; I do not know. 
I want to talk about how lucky we are in New Zealand to live in this great country which has a mature democracy. It is a democracy where the big parties—Labour and National—can come together on big issues and we can agree. We can get cross-party consensus on things like our antinuclear policy and international free trade. 
It has been very pleasing to see this week that we have come together on a core plank of the Government’s policy and success. Phil Goff has made it very clear what a great Prime Minister we have in John Key. He said: “Look we can learn a lot from this guy.” I agree with Phil Goff. John Key is a great leader. He is a great Prime Minister. Why is that? What is making Phil Goff look to John Key? It could be something to do with the 54:33 lead in the polls—about 21 percentage points. They are probably 21 good reasons why Phil Goff is feeling a little down at the moment. Another figure we could go with is 54:8 but that would be a bit mean. I agree with Paula Bennett that we are talking about someone who is trying to reinvent himself. Phil Goff has been getting out on the Triumph motorbike and trying it with the big red bus. The National Party has a bit of advice for this guy. He needs a bit more than a big boys’ toys campaign to be the leader of an Opposition that is doing very well. 
During this debate we have heard a lot about “DRIP”. 
Paul Quinn 
: Oh! 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: I say to Paul Quinn that I am not talking about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I am not talking about something that has only a symbolic effect. 
Todd McClay 
: What are you talking about? 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: I am talking about the Leader of the Opposition Phil Goff. What does “DRIP” stand for? It could be that “d” stands for “don’t” “r” for “really” “i” for “ideas” and “p” for “polls”—“Phil I don’t really have any idea what to do about the polls Goff”. I say to Phil Goff that that is all right because neither does anyone else in the Labour Party. If they did he would not be the leader for very long. What we have here in “DRIP” is more than a policy and it is more than symbolic it is actually a condition that could be with the Labour Party for quite some time yet. Labour members may have “DRIP”—“I don’t really have any idea what to do about the polls”—for some time yet. Of course I could be wrong. 
Todd McClay 
: No they’re out organising a barbecue. 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: Well they probably are. As I say they are not really sure which drip should replace the current drip. But “DRIP” could stand for other things such as “devastated really at how invincible the Prime Minister is”. Of course the “i” could stand for “infallible” or for all sorts of other things but it is clear that we have some drips in the Labour Party. 
I do not want to be cruel and I have already made the point that it is good that there is cross-party consensus on these things but I refer to some of Labour’s allies. The Standard which is a well-known left-wing propaganda blog has been getting in on the act. Today’s blog states: “Call in Malcolm Tucker we’ve got a live one”. It goes on to state that Phil Goff is “Too busy heaping praise on John Key. Calling him a ‘good politician’. Saying he deserves ‘credit where credit’s due’. One News asks if Goff is losing his marbles. 3 News wonders if he’s voting National in 2011.”—that is a very fair question—“Me I wonder if he’s angling for a job with the Herald.” We can see quite clearly that the Labour Party is adrift. It is a rudderless ship on the ocean of politics if you like. 
Here in National we are not worrying about whether we are retro cheeky edgy sober futuristic or any of those things; we are just getting on with the business of running this country. We are a party that has a credible plan. We have a plan for the future of the economy of this country. We want to take this country forward. As a first-term member if I could give Phil Goff some advice about what to do it would be to emulate John Key to get out and talk to people and to do things in a straightforward—actually I am letting the secret out. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.