Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
[Volume:621;Page:16547] 
GERRY BROWNLEE (Deputy Leader—National) 
: 
 It does not matter what sort of gloss they might want to put on it this is a very dark day for the Labour Party. We know that is the case because the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister came into the Chamber together with several of their front-bench members and resorted to very nasty personal attacks on members on this side of the House. They wanted somehow to say that John Tamihere the great hope for the future of the Labour Party putting his hand in the till and ripping the cash off some of the poorest New Zealanders is OK. Three weeks after the issue was raised 3 weeks after the question was asked he scurried up to the Prime Minister’s office and said: “I can’t get myself out of this. I have to admit that I did it I took it.” and the Prime Minister came into the House and said that he is an honourable man for resigning. 
He has resigned only because he has been caught. He has finally handed in his warrants only because he knew that if he waited the Prime Minister would take them from him. Anyone who says that this is someone who has acted honourably has his or her head stuck in the sand. 
As for the personal barbs that have been sent my way let me make it very clear that I have never for one minute hidden the fact that I faced up to a civil court not a criminal court gave the other party a day in court and paid the price. I never tried to hide that. But Mr Tamihere even in his personal statement today is still trying to hide it. He simply cannot get away with that sort of behaviour. 
The Ministers and members over there who shake their heads know that it is the beginning of the end for this Labour Government. John Tamihere can never again stand before an audience and say: “I’m on your side. Look at my record.” because that record will be forever besmirched by the fact that he said: “I cannot take a payment off you.” and then spent time making sure he got it. But these are not wealthy people these are not people with an endless amount of resource they are some of the poorest New Zealanders. To say that they were grateful to him for everything he did for them and therefore they insisted he take this considerable payment just will not wash. 
People will be nice to him people will consider his family—something the Labour Party does not often do—and they will accept his word in this House. But he will not be back in Cabinet he will not be at the helm of the Labour Party and he will not be out on the marae selling the Labour Party message in any way that gets listened to or in any way that gets accepted. 
I do not doubt that the Labour Party will send him on some sort of a reconciliation tour around the marae of this country. I do not doubt that his whanaunga in those places will embrace him as families do but they will not forgive him because they have been betrayed by him. 
I want to make a couple of other comments about the indication Dr Cullen gave today that Mr White has virtually no choice it would seem other than to vindicate the position that John Tamihere put to the House today. That is very very worrying. What it means is that given Dr Cullen’s speech in the House today this investigation is now a sham. Further I have to say this quite publicly to the Serious Fraud Office: we in the National Opposition had our confidence in that office seriously shaken by the performance at the select committee this morning. We will be watching very closely the progress of this inquiry. Whatever happens it is evident that Dr Cullen and the Prime Minister want this swept under the carpet.