Jones Dail: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Jones Dail: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5438] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 There was a time when I was formerly a member of Parliament when the first reaction of people on this side of the Chamber to any legislation of this kind would be: “What about the workers?”. I have heard nothing from this Labour Government that shows it is standing up for the workers. Government members have forgotten about the workers. I heard that sort of speech so many times from this side of the Chamber especially from the Hon Richard Prebble time and time again monotonously— 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: What did we say again? What about the workers? 
DAIL JONES 
: Yes what about the workers? This minority Labour Party Government supported by United Future and the Greens is showing in this bill that it has no regard for the workers. Those people who are now retired who have been workers but are now superannuitants and those people who are now workers might want to share in this mythical 22.9 percent bottle of gin if they could find it. What this Government is doing is depriving them of enjoying a cheap gin. It is preventing them from enjoying that drink. What about the workers if there is a whisky below 22.9 percent? It will be going up in price by 80 percent. What about the workers who enjoy a whisky at 22.9 percent or a gin or whatever? 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: No one is going to drink 32 percent alcohol gin any more; they’re going to drink 33 percent alcohol aren’t they? 
DAIL JONES 
: There is no distinction now. It seems that if it is over 14 percent one might as well try to drink the really top-shelf stuff if one can afford it bearing in mind that it starts at a higher price range. I say to this minority Labour Government and to the workers of New Zealand that if they do like the mythical cheap bottle of gin if they do like any mythical cheap bottle of whisky this minority Labour Party Government has just about doubled their tipple tonight. We will be reminding the workers of New Zealand about that time and time again. 
There was a time when the Hon Jim Anderton worked very hard for the workers of New Zealand. I remember how hard he used to work canvassing in Helensville and I recognise his concern for the Labour Party and how hard he stood up for the workers. Tonight he is in his swansong term in Parliament selling out on the workers of New Zealand. He does not care about them any more. He has come into the House time and time again on the back of the workers of New Zealand. What is he doing in his last term in the House? He is selling out those workers. The minority Labour Party Government does not care about them any more. Of course United Future does not care anyway. It has found the mythical bottle of gin. It is almost like a Holy Grail tonight. 
I wish we could find that mythical bottle of gin. Members opposite do not care about workers or retired workers who want their port and their sherry. I can imagine all the old ladies and men going to the bottle store on Friday or Saturday handing over the bottle and their $5 and instead of getting a full bottle getting only half a bottle. They will say: “But I gave you $5. Where’s my full bottle?”. I suspect that the answer at every bottle store will be—the Waitakere Licensing Trust the Portage Licensing Trust or anywhere—“Thanks to the Labour Party you’re now getting half your flagon half your half-g or whatever. That’s their present to you leading into a cold winter. They’re cutting your rations by half.” They are people who fought for this country who worked hard for this country and are now retired. That is the present to them from this minority Labour Party Government. Many of them are staunch workers. 
I can imagine the people on the West Coast who have supported the Labour Party day in day out all of their lives. They look forward to a little tipple but what is happening? Thanks to Jim Anderton thanks to Helen Clark and thanks to all those members opposite that tipple will be cut in half. They do not care about the workers. They do not care about elderly people on low incomes. The Hon Jim Anderton can shake his head until it falls off but that is the fact of the matter. He does not care about those people. There was a time as I say when people like Mick Connelly—do members remember Mick Connelly? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: A great man. 
DAIL JONES 
: Time and time again Mick Connelly would go on and on on behalf of the people of Wigram. Who represents them now or has represented them? I can remember Mick going on and on. No one ever took any notice of him but he went on and on and on. He could go on for half an hour. I am doing this for only 5 minutes. Mick could talk for half an hour and seem as fresh as— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: The workingmen’s pleasures. 
DAIL JONES 
: The workingmen’s pleasures are all gone. The likes of good old Gordon Christie—Curly more hair than brains— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Real men. 
DAIL JONES 
: Yes.