Peck Mark: General Debates 
Peck Mark: General Debates 
[Volume:611;Page:8129] 
MARK PECK (NZ Labour—Invercargill) 
: 
 Bill English is being squeezed into a number of issues that he really does not want to be involved in. What I found really sad on Saturday as I watched him in the march in Invercargill was that it was almost as though it was the last march of a man on his way out. 
Simon Power 
: Give his office a ring. 
MARK PECK 
: Well I will tell the member about the office in a minute. What was really sad for Mr English was that there was no enthusiasm for him. The person who got the most response at the rally was Gerry Eckhoff because he had the fortitude to get up and say: “We will repeal Kyoto.” What National Party members have done in being squeezed into these issues is paint themselves into a corner whereby if they do not repeal Kyoto they will have let their voters down again. What was fascinating at the rally—[ 
Interruption 
] I was actually there. David Carter chose to ignore that because I made two points at that rally. One is that Kyoto is here to stay and the second point is that not only is it here to stay but no other Government will get rid of it. The people at the rally wanted to know whether National would get rid of it and Mr English fudged. After Mr English got up and said: “David Carter’s doing some work as to whether or not we can get out.”—and what do we think about that; he has given it to the brains trust!—a gentleman in the crowd said: “What’s your timetable Bill what’s your timetable?” and he said: “December.” If it had not been for the fact that I was there Mr English would have got a grilling on that point but they knew they could not grill Mr English because I was there. What was even worse for Mr English was that he was not asked for an interview after the rally. The only two people asked for an interview after the rally were myself and Peter Dunne. Nobody else was asked for an interview after the rally which means that the National Party’s position was totally without any particular imperative at all. 
I have a question for the National Party. I want the next National Party speaker to stand up and tell us why it is that Nick Smith Sandra Goudie and Tony Ryall are charging $10 a head for their meeting at Edgecumbe on Friday? They are charging $10 a head for people to come to their flatulence tax meeting. We are not even charging that much for a sheep. Where is the integrity in that? That is what I want to know. They are using farmers to boost their coffers by charging $10 a head. Worse than that though is the fact that only those who agree with them will turn up to the meeting. I am going back to Invercargill on Friday for another meeting with the farmers on this matter. Pete Hodgson is coming as well. We will put 400 chairs out and we have asked the president of Federated Farmers to front up and chair the meeting and I am sure he will. 
Mr English is in a terrible position. It is a sad day indeed when the staff in his office get very upset by a phone call from somebody asking how to get hold of him. I can understand the fact that his office workers who are only part time get upset when they get a phone call from people looking for him because he is not there. 
 He cannot be found in Clutha-Southland. He is nowhere around. My office deals with his constituents’ complaints. I want to say one thing that is really important: anybody who suggests that my secretary harasses anybody is in cloud cuckoo land. People in this complex would be absolutely amazed at any suggestion that my parliamentary secretary could harass even a flea. I want to say one other thing: I will continue to ring Bill English’s office every time a constituent of mine wants to get hold of him because I am sick and tired of doing his work. If it is a crime to ring his office so that his constituents can get help then I am guilty. If the police are going to waste their time going through my parliamentary phone bills to check whether I have rung him I will tell them not to bother. I do ring his office and they may as well grow up and understand that because it is time that that leader over there did something. Mr English should simply give up. He has had his day. It is time now that he is replaced by someone who can do the job.