Power Simon: General Debates 
Power Simon: General Debates 
[Volume:613;Page:10158] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
What a stunning contribution that was from David Benson-Pope! Members on the Opposition side of the House will be taking themselves off to hospital to have their sides re-stitched. That was an appalling attempt at a speech and it is a good reason why that member is the most unpopular member in this House—a good indication as to why the whips on the Opposition side of the House will not deal with him any more. Members on the Opposition side of the Chamber have had a gutsful of the senior Government whip. I want to say that the Government’s legislative programme is falling apart. It will stop early all because of the incompetence of that man sitting in the senior Government whip’s chair. We are all going home early for Christmas because that member has been unable to manage the legislative programme for this Government.  
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Gerry Brownlee and welcome him to the deputy leader’s seat in the National Party. I want to let the members of this House know that they will be dealing with a member with a fine level of debating skill a member of substance and a member who will bring good South Island representation to the No. 2 spot in the National Party and bring his 8 years of experience to the Opposition side of the House. I congratulate Gerry Brownlee and wish him well for the course of the next wee while in that job.  
Labour’s Christmas present to the electorate this year is 4 weeks’ annual leave—but not until 2007. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: What? 
SIMON POWER 
: Not until 2007. Therefore 8-year-olds will be able to just lie there and say it is only 1200 more sleeps until they get 4 weeks’ annual leave. Young parents who have mortgages want to be able to work to repay those mortgages. They do not want to be told by those members on the Government side of the House when they have to take a holiday how they have to take a holiday where they can smoke or where they cannot smoke. Nor do they want their petrol tax to go up through the roof. That is exactly what we are seeing from Government members on the opposite side of the House.  
What an old tired effort we heard from Michael Cullen this afternoon—the dinosaur of New Zealand politics. I have news for Dr Cullen: the ice age is coming and Dr Brash and Mr Brownlee will be wiping out those old historic political dinosaurs from New Zealand. It was interesting that Dr Cullen spent only about 2 minutes talking about the National Party. He then moved on to the ACT party. He did not have much material on National. Why did Dr Cullen not spend any time talking about the talents of the members on the Government side? Well Jim Anderton is being reduced to the role of a travelling bank teller handing out cheques for $2000 all over New Zealand in front of alleged regional development tasks. Steve Maharey single-handedly completely wrecked the Department of Child Youth and Family Services Trevor Mallard is ripping into rural schools all over New Zealand Annette King is desperately waiting for the Speaker to head off to the UK so she can get out of the health portfolio as fast as her legs will carry her and get into the Speaker’s chair and Jim Sutton is clearly ready to retire. There does not seem to be any debate about that at all; Jim Sutton has had enough and is ready to go. There is no one else. That is the extent of the substance of the Labour Party benches. What a sad state of affairs that is.  
To be fair there is one member whom we quite like—the Hon John Tamihere. He is not scared to tell the Minister for Social Development and Employment what he thinks of the Government’s progress. To be fair there are a few members over here in the Opposition who want to agree with John Tamihere’s particular view of the Government’s social policy. But what about the rest of the Government members? It is all very well for Dr Cullen to stand up like the old tyrannosaurus rex of New Zealand politics and fire into people over on the Opposition side of the House but there is nobody else there on the Government benches. There is no depth over in those particular chairs. It is nice that Margaret Wilson even deems it appropriate to turn up in the House and put her newspaper down instead of holding it up in front of her face during question time as she does.  
Labour members are running out of time. We have got the ticket that will deliver the goods in 2005. 
Darren Hughes 
: Get your money back! 
SIMON POWER 
: I say to Darren Hughes that he should get used to the idea of spending a long time in Opposition because when the election in 2005 rolls round he will have to attend some of the functions in his electorate that he keeps missing.