Coleman Jonathan: General Debate 
Coleman Jonathan: General Debate 
[Volume:653;Page:2305] 
Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 That was an interesting contribution from the member Clayton Cosgrove. It is clearly a sign of a frustrated politician when the bulk of a member’s speech consists of harking back to the salad days of the previous Government. There is a sense of political impotence about a member who whines about what the people of New Zealand have constructively voted for and are now getting. But the one point I did agree with him on is that today is a defining moment. Today 1.5 million New Zealanders are getting a tax cut and $1 billion is being injected into the New Zealand economy. That is what this country voted for at the last election. There was a debate; Labour lost it. People voted for what they are getting today. I think there will be widespread celebration throughout the country at what this Government is delivering. This Government delivers on its promises. 
The Opposition is really caught in a lose-lose situation because whatever happens is bad for Labour. We see that Helen Clark is leaving Parliament—she has had a wonderful career; it was a great achievement to get this UN job—and Labour is weaker. Phil Goff is staying in Parliament and Labour is weaker with Phil Goff at 3.8 percent in a poll for preferred Prime Minister. So whatever happens Labour cannot win. It is lose-lose for Labour when one looks at what will happen in the Mt Albert electorate as a result of the by-election. If Labour wins the seat—it has been a safe Labour seat—Judith Tizard will come in. But if Labour loses the seat it is a disaster. It needs to win the seat by a crushing majority or it will look bad for Labour in Mt Albert. It is a lose-lose situation. 
This is similar to the tax situation that we have heard about today. All Labour can do is criticise the situation. It has nothing to put up in response. The fact is that the people of New Zealand voted for the pragmatic popular policies of John Key. He is a Prime Minister with the vision and the leadership that appeals to people across party lines. Labour is not able to get any traction in response. Whatever policy promises National delivers on—for example with broadband or moving services to the front line—it is pretty hard for Labour to do anything but try to deflect the debate. Labour members try to do this by having minor discussions about what happened in a select committee and discussions about what trips people went on and these guys do this because substantially they have lost the debate. There is a lot of discontent in that camp over there—Labour members do not know where to turn next. 
One of the funniest things on television over the last adjournment was watching the Labour caucus go down to the West Coast to ask where it went wrong. If ever there was a lose-lose situation it was that one. If Labour does not go to the West Coast then it is accused of not fronting up but when it does go the West Coasters actually get to meet the Labour caucus and are reminded why they did not want these people in Government in the first place. Labour members are in a very very difficult situation. Throughout the country there are many seats like the West Coast seat and the more often Labour members are sent there the less likely it is that Labour will be able to take those seats back. 
I agree with the Hon Clayton Cosgrove that today is a watershed day. But it is a day on which New Zealanders will actually receive the fruits of the choice they made last November. They will see the promises being delivered on. Whether it is about promises on health tax or education these guys have lost the debate. They got a thrashing at the polls and they are getting a thrashing now in the opinion polls. It is all downhill for Labour and I cannot see it coming back anytime soon because New Zealand now has a popular Prime Minister who delivers on his promises. He is a man who is pragmatic and who is moving away from that political prism through which Labour delivered whatever it tried to deliver over its 9 years in power. There is an electorate that will go for John Key’s type of leadership an electorate to whom it appeals and frankly an electorate that will back this Prime Minister for a long long time to come. When the Prime Minister says he is going to do something he actually does it; it is delivered on. 
It is a great day for New Zealanders today. Today 1.5 million New Zealanders will be getting a tax cut and 630000 single people without children who have never had anything in 9 years from a Labour Government will get an extra 520 bucks a year in their pay packets. I was talking to an ex - Labour supporter on Saturday night. He said: “Look I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Labour at the last election because for 9 years as a single person without children I never got anything.” That is the problem Labour is facing: it has never delivered on its promises; it was never up to it. Labour has lost; we are delivering. The electorate is happy.