Foss Craig: General Debate 
Foss Craig: General Debate 
[Volume:655;Page:4838] 
CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) 
: 
 I note that the chief Opposition whip has been taking very good notes because of the challenging and undermining of the leadership of the Hon Phil Goff by the previous speaker. That member was challenging his ideas his principles and the whakapapa of his ideas and tracing them back to the 1980s a time the Opposition constantly criticises. I find that very interesting because that time saw the genesis of their current leader’s ideas and thoughts. So it will be very interesting to see where Labour goes. Phil Goff has been talked about as yesterday’s man I understand but perhaps he has been undermined somewhat by today’s woman tomorrow’s woman or tomorrow’s man. Of the various MPs who sit alongside him perhaps one or two tower over him as they get themselves in the media talking about various financial issues. This is the new face of Labour; back 25-odd years ago Labour had some good ideas at the time I guess. 
But we recently had a glimpse of the true Phil Goff coming through I suppose with his “encouragement” shall we say in the selection and now election of the gentleman yet to be sworn in Mr Shearer who has ideas about privatisation and efficiencies in the Ministry of Defence. Perhaps that is the true sign of the old Phil Goff coming through or re-emerging; I am not too sure. I wait not quite with bated breath but we shall see anyway. Yes the true colours are coming through occasionally as under that example but the contradictions are being seen all over the place now that the gentleman is in Opposition. Perhaps it is the reverse of a “Mahareyism”—the thing one says in Government is not necessarily the thing one says in Opposition. I think Mr Maharey had it around the other way when challenged. At the same time at least he was quite upfront about the positions he took. 
Normally I sit beside my benchmate on the cross benches Sir Roger Douglas. It is very interesting to hear some of the comments he makes because he sat in the same caucus and the same Cabinet as many of the members on the Opposition side including its current leader. Some of the things that he tells me are quite admirable because we talk about some of the ideas he originally had when he came into the House as a fresh face and perhaps as a bit of a reformist. So what has happened now? Where are we now? Suddenly the idea of the home-owning democracy does not seem to work any more. Mickey Savage would be turning in his grave because what was previously agreed to and endorsed by the current Leader of the Opposition—which would give families the ability to buy their State houses their homes—is suddenly not a good idea. Why? The other day we heard the now legendary Hon Phil Heatley answer questions from Moana Mackey about housing but that member constantly and totally undermined her leader. Mr Goff’s statements had been right on the money and Mr Heatley had offered further advice jointly with Mr Goff at the time about the rights this National-led Government was giving families to enter into homeownership. Yet that member Moana Mackey started to buy into what is currently in vogue on the other side of the House and therefore undermined the Opposition leader. If anybody wants to have a look at the exchange I tell them it is quite a legendary YouTube; I know the member opposite watches that a fair bit. 
Regarding comments made post-Budget because the previous speaker was talking about there being no jobs and things like that I tell members there is no magic wand. If we look at some of the statements made in the past in the previous recession by the current Leader of the Opposition we see there is no magic wand. All we can do is try to stop the depth of the recession hitting New Zealand families and businesses as hard as it is hitting offshore. There is nothing we can do to stand in the way of a global recession. Even the previous Minister of Finance the Hon Michael Cullen was making that point as late as the middle of last year. 
Finally in relation to rail I say that unfortunately the member who raised that has not spoken about it any more since then but the day after the Budget he scoffed at the credit upgrade that New Zealand had been given. Actually the importance of that upgrade for jobs for families for working capital and for New Zealand cannot be overstated. It is so important; 150 points on people’s mortgages have been saved because of the robustness and the pragmatism of the recent Budget. Hard decisions were made which actually adhered to some of the principles that the current Labour leader once held in the 1980s as some of his statements show. He has secretly held those principles all the way through; I am quite sure he holds them now. We will be very interested to see the new defence policy come out once the new Labour member is sworn in. Perhaps the true colours of the current Leader of the Opposition will then come through.