Peters Winston: General Debate 
Peters Winston: General Debate 
[Volume:620;Page:15887] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Every time I look at Australia’s economy and see how much more it has grown in real terms in the last 20 years I realise what a political failure this Government—its economic and social policies and its ideology—is. There is an affront to our democracy occurring in New Zealand and in this House. For a democracy to thrive there must be a free media and a strong and effective Opposition in Parliament. Unfortunately the leadership of the National Party is so weak and ineffectual that it does not have the capacity to oppose a failed arrogant Government of control freaks and social engineers. The so-called leadership of the National Party is in hiding I am told until next year because it is too timid to discuss policy in case it says someone should steal it. I cannot imagine anybody being dumb enough to do that but as they say the lion of Orewa has become a lamb in this Parliament when it has come to the crunch. This is the first time in history that a chicken has been seen leading a bunch of turkeys. Why will Don Brash not debate treaty policy— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I know that National Party members are reluctant to defend their leader but that cannot continue. The member cannot call Dr Brash a chicken in that way. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Clem Simich) 
: That is not a point of order I want to hear. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Why will Don Brash not debate treaty policy with New Zealand First? The answer is simple. It is because he cannot. Last week I challenged him having received criticism from him. He had the effrontery to say when we released our policy in respect of Treaty of Waitangi principles: “New Zealand First needs to disengage with Labour”—that is new; I never knew we were engaged with Labour—“which is taking New Zealand in a quite different direction.” I say to Don Brash: “Precisely!”. That is why we have repeated our policy which we have now had for maybe 16 years. He said further: “If it does it might begin to look credible on this issue.” What a damn cheek! Having stolen our speech in respect of Orewa he then had the effrontery to say it was his. 
Why will he not debate economic policy? He said the other day in the  
Dominion Post— 
and I could not believe this; this is obviously a man of immense political experience—“In my view the economy will not be the major issue at the next election.” In the whole of the Western World we never ever hear particularly in the economic climate in which we live any respectable Opposition leader making that stance—yet he has. 
This is a country with a balance of payments crisis. This is a country where per capita incomes now rank 37th in the world. This is a country where we have under 8000 exports per person and Ireland has 55000. This is a country that is failing in every way. I do not care what those journalists write about the consumptive economy that is about to burst. The reality is that when we compare our economy with any other sound one it fails miserably and the leader of the National Party does not want to debate it. 
Darren Hughes 
: The great debater. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: He was described by Toastmasters as “the great communicator”. The great what? Where is “the great communicator” today? He did say that he would debate only with the Prime Minister. That will be like taking candy from a baby. The Prime Minister is not great in debates. I know that because I have been through a number of campaigns and she has never won one yet. But she will win hands down if the leader of the National Party is left to the job. 
 I have a warning for National Party members: if they cannot do the job then they should get out of the way. They should stop taking up parliamentary time in question time and in debate and let the party that can take on the Government do the job. Why should Don Brash pick up the salary of the Leader of the Opposition which is much higher than mine and never be here to do the job? What is going on here? Where in the Western World would we see that in any self-respecting political party? 
Hon Member 
: Nowhere. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Of course we would not. I say to National Party members that they can hide him now they can keep him out of the House now and they can keep him away from the public now but they cannot hide him in an election campaign. That is one time he cannot hide. If National members think he is bad in the House now they should wait until the election campaign starts in 2005. 
Jill Pettis 
: I can’t wait. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: I cannot wait either. One thing I know is that in the last campaign Labour lost 14 points in the polls in the space of just under 5 weeks. They are as flaky as hell in their support. On this side of the House I see a party in decline and in that respect that means there is an enormous opportunity for the one Opposition party that knows what it is doing.