Heatley Phil: General Debate 
Heatley Phil: General Debate 
[Volume:646;Page:15732] 
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
: 
 Listeners will be amazed to know that that member Darren Hughes is the funny guy. He is the funny guy of the Labour Party. At the Labour Party conference at the weekend where members had nothing better to do than to pull up stand-up comedians from the audience Darren Hughes put up his hand to go up and entertain the Labour Party. And this was at its conference in election year! They called on the funny guy Darren Hughes. He does not know whether he wants to be Charlie Chaplin or a Minister of the Crown. So at a Labour Party conference while the rest of New Zealand is suffering under high petrol prices increasing mortgage interest rates tough taxes electricity prices going up and all that type of thing Darren Hughes is called upon to entertain everyone and to make them laugh. That was Darren Hughes who is a Minister apparently in a Labour Cabinet. 
I have a question for the House because Darren Hughes is here— 
Chris Auchinvole 
: What’s the question? 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: Where are the four canaries? Where are the four canaries now? It was so funny was it not seeing the four canaries—the four Labour MPs—sing insulting songs on Saturday night about John Key while the rest of the country was suffering. But where are the four canaries now? Are they speaking to EMI? Maybe they are at Woodstock. Darren Hughes who wants to be considered a Minister of the Crown is instead playing the funny guy while people in the country are suffering. The four canaries will not front us in the debating chamber. We do not know where they are. That is the point is it not? 
It was very funny on Saturday at the Labour Party conference but in the cold light of day when Darren Hughes and the four canaries are faced with the fact that people’s mortgage interest rates are going up when they are faced with the fact that petrol is going up and people cannot fill their tanks when they are faced with the fact that electricity prices are going up and when they are faced with the fact that the grocery bill is going up it is no longer funny to abuse and insult people in the National Party and it is certainly not funny to New Zealanders. 
Labour members may not want to talk about their record and they may ignore it but their problem is this. 
Chris Auchinvole 
: What’s their problem? 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: Their problem is that every time struggling Kiwis pull up to the BP service station and pull out their wallets they are reminded of the cost of petrol and of the fact that they are being taxed too much. Every time struggling New Zealanders get to the checkout counter at the grocery store they are reminded that they are being taxed too much and that food prices are going up. Every time a young kid walks down to the letterbox and brings back a letter for dad and he opens it— 
Chris Tremain 
: Is it another bill? 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: —it turns out to be a bill from the electricity company and Dad is reminded that he is being taxed too much and that the Labour Government has let electricity prices and everything else get out of control. 
That is the problem with this Government at the moment. While those Labour members are laughing and joking at some Labour Party conference concert or whatever it was the rest of the country is struggling to pay for basic things such as food items petrol electricity and mortgage interest rates. It is unbelievable that only Darren Hughes was able to front us today; the others are not here. I will not name them because that would be against the Standing Orders but even Darren Hughes was here for a while. 
It is just not funny any more is it? One might want to joke at one’s weekend concert but in the cold light of day families are struggling in New Zealand. Labour members should be talking about solutions rather than having a “funny man” contest at its conference in the weekend. New Zealanders and the National Party will not ignore Labour’s record. They will see its record on election day.