Goff Phil: General Debate 
Goff Phil: General Debate 
[Volume:630;Page:2699] 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 If that was a “recess from hell” it was a “recess from hell” for the National Party—which entirely disappeared out of the sight of this country for 3 weeks. It was an adjournment where that party so failed to find an issue that it could not even put an adjournment letter before the House yesterday to demonstrate some area where the Government had not been performing. This Opposition is lacklustre underperforming leaderless directionless confused and frustrated and does not even deserve the title “Opposition”. 
A consultant’s letter came out yesterday from a political consultancy firm. It is headed: “Labour still firmly in control” and it has some good advice for the National Party. It states that National’s leadership crisis is a more urgent issue than some in its caucus would believe. We saw the pretenders for the leadership. There was blustering Bill English trying to claim that a kid charged with murder would be placed back in his school when he knew that a condition of bail was that the child was not allowed back into his school. Sean Plunket made a clown of that member yesterday—the tried and failed leader of the National Party trying again because there is a vacuum there. 
 Then we had Gerry Brownlee— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Who? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Gerry Brownlee the man who on the weekend said that National was going to reverse its policy on the Maori seats. Why was it going to do that? Well National believed in abolishing the Maori seats but would rely on the Maori Party for votes next time so Gerry Brownlee told the country on Saturday that National had changed the policy. But Don Brash then came back and said no. Poor old Gerry had to turn up at the caucus yesterday and apologise for causing confusion. 
Then we have John Key the other intending assassin. John Key is now saying that maybe National will not have the tax cuts which were the flagship of the National Party at the last election. Poor old John—he is a nice guy but try to get a straight answer out of him! The  
Agenda 
 programme on Saturday morning asked John whether he believed in God. Well there were four answers: yes no maybe or “Mind your own business.” But we heard 3 minutes of prevarication and no answer. If John Key wants to be the leader of the National Party then he has to learn to give a straight answer. 
We are 6 months now into a new parliamentary term and this Government has consolidated both its position and its reputation for competency leadership and having the vision and the policy agenda to take this country forward—a country that is proud and increasingly confident about its national identity a country that is on the path to transforming its economy to play a leading role in the 21st century and a country that is committed to looking after its families old and young giving them security and giving them the opportunity to make the most of their lives. 
I want to say something in favour of the National Party. I want to defend it because I have heard it put around that the National Party is a party that does not believe in anything. I think that is wrong. National members do believe in anything and that is their problem. They will say yes to any lobby group that comes along. They have no credibility at all. They have no firm principles. The firm principle that “We will not have Maori seats unless we need Maori seats to get us into power.”—that is the strength of principle of the National Party! 
Six years and 6 months into Opposition that party has learnt nothing. That party is no closer to being the Government today than when Bill English stabbed Jenny Shipley in the back for the leadership or when Don Brash then stabbed Bill English in the back for leadership. Now there are three assassins trying to stab Don Brash in the back but what Don Brash has got going for him is that not one of those intending assassins is worth anything as a leader. That is why he dribbles along as the leader of the National Party—because there is no option. There is no alternative. In all of the years I have been in this Parliament I have never seen such a hopelessly incompetent Opposition.