Ardern Shane: General Debate 
Ardern Shane: General Debate 
[Volume:633;Page:4991] 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki-King Country) 
: 
 We have listened to a number of speeches from Labour members today and I say to them there is no doubt in my mind that Helen Clark and the core of their Government are political activists—and they have been for at least 30 years. They are very experienced political activists. To achieve their single-minded goal of becoming Government members on the Treasury benches they have achieved new levels of spin the likes of which this country has never seen before. They have achieved levels of spin never previously obtainable in politics in New Zealand. To use the Prime Minister’s own words the Wellington beltway or the beltway as she described it—that is the political commentators and suchlike around this country—would describe her as a very strong political manager. 
But the question that needs to be asked in this House today is does that make it right? When members are elected to this place they are elected not only to lead but also to do what is right. When we look at what has happened in recent events with regard to Taito Phillip Field we see no way that any fair-minded person could describe what we have seen unfold in this Parliament recently as being right. It is clearly wrong it is politically bankrupt and the Prime Minister should take account of what has happened. When Helen Clark was elected as Prime Minister she said she wanted to set new standards. Well I say to the Prime Minister that she should be careful in what she wishes for because she has achieved it. She has set a new all-time low standard with this recent case; it is lower than this Parliament has ever seen in its history. The spin and the media management of this process are nothing short of disgusting. 
When we look at the Prime Minister’s track record we see we have had “paintergate” we have had “corngate” we have had “speedgate” we have had “pledge card - gate” and we have had “election spending - gate”—the list goes on and on. The Prime Minister needs to come down to the House today and explain to us why not one single member of her caucus who has spoken in this general debate has come to the aid of his or her beleaguered colleague. The reason is obvious: not one of them would be game enough to do so—yet she allows this matter to go on. Well I can say to this Prime Minister that the beltway as she describes it has been overlooked in this regard and the stench from this issue has reached right out into wider New Zealand. It has reached right over the top of the beltway. People out there are now starting to know what goes on in this Government and they do not like it. The stench can be smelt from the Opposition side of the House. 
I say to Government members that when we line up the list of ex-Ministers—the Ministers who have been dumped for various misdemeanours while in this Government—there is no precedent for it. There has never been such a long list of ex-Ministers under any Government or under any leadership ever before in this country. This latest and last example of Taito Phillip Field is probably the best example I have ever seen in terms of the way this Government has tried to spin itself out of the situation. 
Winston Churchill once said: “You make a living by what you get you make a life by what you give.” Well there is no doubt that this Prime Minister and her Government have single-mindedly dedicated their lives to political activism. There is no question about that. Some could say that is something one can be proud of—but at what cost to New Zealand? What price has New Zealand paid for that single-minded ability of a group of people who have decided they are above the law and above the boundaries that normal New Zealanders have to live within? People who have been put in place to lead this country have led us into a position where we are now reaching an all-time low standard. 
I have to ask again whether that is right. And the answer is absolutely not. There is not a single member of this Parliament who does not know that and there is not a single member of this Parliament who would stand up and defend the actions of Taito Phillip Field. The Prime Minister knows that; she knows she is washing her hands of this matter. She knows she is doing the best she can to defend the undefendable and is on the rocks on this issue.