Tamihere John: General Debate 
Tamihere John: General Debate 
[Volume:620;Page:15893] 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE (Minister of Youth Affairs) 
: 
 There we go—that was the temporary member for Helensville. He knows absolutely that he is the temporary member and that he has another 12 months to serve. People in West Harbour Kumeu and Whenuapai do like him but they do not like the party he represents. They do not like National’s leader and that is why Mr Key will be the shortest term MP that Helensville has ever had. Having said that I wanted to talk a bit to the House today about the “p” letter in terms of Parliament of performance and of a whole range of things. 
In the last 12 days we have seen one of the most bizarre and perverse coming-outs in the political history of this country and it has been bizarre. There is a connection between ACT and the National Party and what is that connection? It is the Business Roundtable. The person who writes the policy—the bridge the link—for both the National Party and the ACT party is Roger Kerr. That link between those two parties has now been absolutely destroyed. When the Business Roundtable rocks up anywhere to make a submission and when Roger Kerr rocks up anywhere to say anything on anything to anyone what will we now think? No longer will we see integrity and no longer will he have credibility. It is quite clear that the ménage à trois between Don Brash Roger Kerr and the leader of the ACT party— 
Government Member 
: Rodney Hide. 
Hon JOHN TAMIHERE 
: Yes that is right Rodney Hide—“Mr 1 Percent”. That member used to always be known out in the private sector as “20 Percent Rodney” but in this Chamber he is “Mr 1 Percent”. So Kiwis are starting to wake up and acknowledge very quickly and very clearly that members on the Opposition side of the House are gone. The speakers who have risen on that side today have acknowledged that. Normally Mr Key’s contribution is full of passion vim and vigour and it has some spark about it. We know that those members have gone that they are gutted and that Don Brash no longer has the spark and the sparkle. 
The Opposition members are supposed to make five speeches and to lead the policy debate. They had a go at the Horis—end of story. Secondly what did they do? They had a go at the prisoners or the crims—end of story. They were half shots and no shots. We are waiting for the other three big ones and they will not say anything. Why? We will—the “p” word—pinch the policy. We are on the policy front foot. There is no need to look across the House to the Opposition side. That side is absolutely bankrupt in regard to the way that its policy advisers led out of the Business Roundtable by Roger Kerr and co. link with the old policies of the old failed era that Don Brash is so very much the symbol of. It must be terrible to rock up to the National Party caucus on a Tuesday. When those members walk in there for their cream scones and teas the difficulty is palpable. We can sense it pervading through Parliament—that “p” word is a wonderful word. 
I wanted to spend a bit of time on the ACT party because it is really important when a party is under stress and difficulty to see how it responds. How did ACT respond? Well where was Rodney Hide? He was in Spain—sunning it in Majorca or whatever they call it with his mate Alan Gibbs. He was over there saying: “Gibbs me more Gibbs me more money because it’s dried up onshore. We’re down to 1 percent. Give us another couple of million. Gibbs me more Gibbs me more.” That is what Rodney Hide does. The beauty about Rodney is that it is a bit like Pavlov’s dogs which sit there and salivate. I have seen him. As soon as anybody with a chequebook walks around this Parliament as a lobbyist one sees Rodney Hide panting—absolutely panting behind that person. I find that “p” word absolutely disgraceful as well. There is no doubt that Rodney Hide Deborah Coddington and the rest of the ACT party caucus have passion. That party which was to be the opportunity for the National Party to maybe get near the Treasury benches is imploding. What a great day it is when members on the Government side can see a party that merely comes into this House and talks about rack and ruin. It is no longer on the policy front foot and no longer has any ideas. ACT is the party of no ideas—apart from being in touch with its masculine side and by the sound of it quite a bit of it.