Soper Lesley: General Debate 
Soper Lesley: General Debate 
[Volume:639;Page:9851] 
LESLEY SOPER (Labour) 
: 
 I was a young worker in my first job when the National Government scrapped Norman Kirk’s superannuation scheme in 1975. I remember that and so do thousands of other New Zealand workers many of whom still tell me at public meetings about the betrayal they felt from that National Government. I remember that and I remember—as do thousands of other New Zealand workers—the lying National Government’s dancing Cossacks campaign. It was the lowest point reached in New Zealand political campaigning only to be matched by the hollow men in 2005. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: You can’t say that. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: Yes I can. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No the member will withdraw. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: I withdraw. The lowest point reached in New Zealand’s political campaigning was that vacuous dancing Cossacks campaign only to be matched by the hollow men and the hollow women in 2005. 
We see all the old retreads on the National benches today: English Ryall McCully Smith— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: No no. The member must use another member’s full name. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: Certainly. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: It is Speakers’ rulings 26/6 and 26/7. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. We see all the old retreads on the National benches today: Bill English Tony Ryall Murray McCully Nick Smith and of course Mr Williamson. Leading them all is the man of shallow ambition—all style and no substance—the man with that disquieting smile and nothing behind it: Mr John Key. Mr Key reportedly leads the National Party. This is the same party that destroyed superannuation in 1975 and the same party that cut New Zealand superannuation to 60 percent of the average wage. It is the same party that abolished the Apprenticeship Act instituted bed night charges in hospitals and slashed benefits. It is the same party that brought us the “mother of all Budgets” tax cuts for the rich bulk funding Work for the Dole national testing and vouchers and of course the selling of State assets. 
Mr Key leads a superficial party a party unable to come up with one new idea. It is a party with a leader that at the present time can only say that he will do everything Labour is doing but that people will get a tax cut as well. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Sounds like Muldoon. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: Yes funny that! National is a party that seems to be able to come up with nothing other than bribing New Zealanders with their children’s money. 
Hon Harry Duynhoven 
: Sounds like Muldoon too. 
LESLEY SOPER 
: It sounds like Muldoon to me. Tax cuts more roads billions spent on broadband bulk funding at the top rate—these are all some of the promises that have come from Mr Key and other National members recently. They are making promises left right and centre. Their numbers do not add up. How many nurses teachers and doctors will they have to cut to give their rich mates a tax cut? 
Members should look at National’s track record of broken promises. The record shows at the moment that Mr Key seems to want to outdo the previous broken promises. He is promising different things to different groups practically every day. He seems to be refusing to give straight answers on any questions at all. Instead he is telling people in every individual group what they might want to hear or what he as one of the hollow men assesses that he believes they want to hear. 
Interestingly of course the recycled leader-in-waiting Mr Bill English has had to contradict Mr Key a few times. They are obviously not agreeing on very much at the moment. And what do we think Mr Key’s real agenda is? It is the same agenda as that of the National Government in the 1990s—an agenda that drove good working-class New Zealanders into poverty. It is the same agenda as that which is detailed in  
The Hollow Men 
. In the end Mr Key and his party are just the same old Tories with the same old agenda. Mr Key will promise Kiwis they can have it all his party will promise Kiwis they can have it all and in the end they will deliver nothing—broken promises; no goods.