Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
[Volume:634;Page:5646] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister for Building Issues) 
: 
 For the edification of listeners that last speaker was a version of the National Party blunderbuss Gerry Brownlee. Amongst his famed historical actions in politics he will be remembered for tossing people downstairs and a few other things. I think there was a breach of a law or two there but we would not want—I was going to say the “pot” calling the kettle black— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not sensitive to those sorts of remarks but I want to make it clear that I stood up in a court and took the medicine because that was the right thing to do and I want to know why the Labour Party finds that so objectionable. Why cannot the Labour Party stand up and take its medicine? And why whenever the Labour Party is in a tight spot do its members pick up mud and fling it? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Fair enough. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: He admitted he broke the law and I suppose that is good. I wonder how the person who got thrown down the stairs feels. 
I like to read the odd book; I am told Mr Brownlee likes to read the odd recipe book. I am reminded of the great man Abraham Lincoln. He said—and I think it applies directly to Mr Brownlee—“He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas better than any man I ever met.” I think that speaks volumes for Mr Brownlee the National Party blunderbuss. He talks about what New Zealanders like and dislike in respect of leadership. Well I ask him if he shares the view of New Zealanders in respect of Dr Brash who has forgetfulness about certain meetings. Does he share the view of New Zealanders who do not like leaders who say one thing and do another? They do not like leaders who say for instance that they never knew about Exclusive Brethren pamphlets. I know that Mr Brownlee deep deep down— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is a point of order that goes right to the heart of the matter. All I want to ask Mr Cosgrove is whether the Prime Minister did not understand or know she was going 180 kilometres an hour across the Canterbury Plains. Did the Prime Minister forget that she signed a painting? Did the Prime Minister forget the arrangement with Mr Yelash? 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: There has been a little bit of tit for tat. Mr Brownlee has had his 5 minutes and has gone close to 7 now so we will just leave that. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I really have to make some remarks about the tactics that Gerry Brownlee is using in this House at the moment. He stands up take points of order looks away from you and then ignores you. He is simply trifling with the Chair. I believe if he tries it again he should be ejected from this House. 
Hon Mark Burton 
: I could not do better than to agree with the member who has just resumed his seat. Mr Speaker you made an observation that Mr Brownlee had now extended his speech to 7 minutes at the expense of my colleague. Can I seek your reassurance that my colleague will get his 5 minutes and not lose them to Mr Brownlee’s rather unfortunate abuse of the Standing Orders. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: I thank members for raising those issues. I think Mr Brownlee will be well satisfied that he in fact has had an extended time with the issues he raised. That is OK. Mr Cosgrove the clock was stopped while those points of order went on. Thank you Mr Donnelly for your input to that. I will take it on board. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I am grateful for Mr Donnelly’s intervention but I have never in my life needed any protection from Mr Brownlee. No one does—apart from somebody who ended up at the bottom of a staircase and maybe one or two attendants at the local McDonald’s or Burger King. I do not know. 
But I ask what Mr Brownlee really thinks of Dr Brash deep down in places he will not talk about. I wonder what he really thought when Dr Brash went out and said “I didn’t meet them”—and we know whom we are talking about—and then came back and said he did. There is a word for that. I am reminded again of a wonderful quote by Harry S Truman. I am in quote mode today. Harry S Truman said—and I choose my words carefully; they are not about anyone in this House of course—about the then American President Richard Nixon: “He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and if he ever caught himself telling the truth he’d lie just to keep his hand in.” That is what Harry S said about “Tricky Dickie” but the question is: what does Gerry Brownlee the leader in waiting—so he thinks—really think about Dr Brash’s tactics? What does he really think about Dr Brash who said before the election there would be tax cuts across the board “no ifs no buts no maybes”. Somebody else said that but it is close enough. How does he feel now that Dr Brash comes out and says: “Well what I said before the election …” It is after the election and there is a flip-flop all over the place. There is a word that could replace “flip-flop” but we will not go into that. 
What does Gerry Brownlee really feel about that? Hang on the blunderbuss has deflated. He called me a “stuffed shirt” when I got up and interjected on him. At least my shirt is not stuffed with my lunch as his is. How does Gerry Brownlee feel about Dr Brash’s continuing— 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: Those remarks are becoming personal. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to make it absolutely clear that there is absolutely nothing on Mr Cosgrove that is as big as anything on me. 
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER 
: OK. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: It took a good 4 minutes to think about it. It is interesting to read what the  
Independent 
 said about Gerry Brownlee way back. It stated that Brownlee—that is Mr Brownlee—is an English supporter in the Brash - English leadership contest and voted for the latter for Mr English because he wanted to see “Brash eradicated as the future National Party leadership contender for all time.” The problem with Mr Brownlee is that he hitched his enormous saddlebags to the wagon train of Dr Brash and now if Dr Brash goes he is gone. 
Nobody would accuse Mr Brownlee of being a lightweight. He has had praise from that loyal member of the National Party Maurice Williamson. Maurice apparently said of him: “Gerry? I think Gerry is a good MP really effective in the House. He’s got style he’s got mana about him he’s a warm person.” I would have thought that getting praise from Maurice Williamson was a bit like getting praise from Attila the Hun—a death wish. But Gerry Brownlee sits there. 
There is a little bit of decency I think in Mr Brownlee. At least he does have a sense of humour. But I know and he knows deep down in places he will not talk about that he is very very uncomfortable with the direction in which Dr Brash is taking the National Party. He knows it; he as good as said so in respect of Dr Brash doing a Ronald Reagan. Dr Brash said: “I cannot recall who I met with after the election”—$1.2 million later. Then on  
Agenda  
a couple of weeks ago Dr Brash said: “I might have met with somebody from the Brethren but I am not sure.” Then he said: “I am not going to tell you.” and then he said: “I am not sure whether I took the diary entry in or out.” Gerry Brownlee is uncomfortable he knows it and he knows exactly where he is going.