Pettis Jill: General Debates 
Pettis Jill: General Debates 
[Volume:608;Page:5193] 
JILL PETTIS (NZ Labour—Whanganui) 
: 
 It does not matter how much is written about the tragic performance of the National Party the most revealing thing is the body language exhibited in this House. A picture says as much as a thousand words and when we sit on this side of the House and observe what is happening—particularly on the front bench of the National Party—it speaks volumes. Today in response to question No. 4 to the Minister of Education the only ones laughing were Mr Brash Mr Brownlee Mr Power and Mr Williamson. The rest of the National Party looked ashen. They were crestfallen. 
I want to give the National Party some advice: for goodness’ sake take your leader aside and teach him a few political lessons! Teach him that when he goes into the Koru lounge or Copperfields café in Parliament he should take somebody with him so that he is not left sitting on his own. It is very obvious when the leader of the National Party walks into the Koru lounge—there is a bunch of National Party MPs sitting here another bunch sitting there and he goes and sits on his own right in the corner. When he goes into Copperfields—that most public place—the same thing happens and none of his mates join him. So poor old Bill “No Mates”—as my kids used to say when they were teenagers—cannot even find somebody to sit with him. Just give him some advice! His performance on Pam Corkery’s show the other night reminded me of a mother whose child is on the far side of the room and the mother is sitting there thinking: “For God’s sake shut up you little devil. Just wait till I get you!”. There he was on television blithering on blathering on. It was so embarrassing—one wanted to put a paper over one’s face because of embarrassment for the poor sod. 
I want to give the member some more advice. I notice on page A9 of today’s  
Dominion Post 
 that Bill English is speaking on Massey University student radio tonight. He is speaking on  
The Porritt Show 
 which goes on air at 8 p.m. Nobody will be listening but the station is 88.7 and 107.4FM. I say to members opposite for goodness’ sake protect him! Tell him not to go on. Last week on that show the announcers got intoxicated— 
Government Members 
: Ha ha! 
JILL PETTIS 
: —on air it says in the paper and it is in the  
Dominion Post  
so it must be true. He is just walking into a minefield. We feel sorry for him; no one would treat a sick dog that badly. I do not know why they are sending him in there because it is just like the Christians being fed to the lions. They should look after him because he is all they have got. There is no one else; otherwise he would have been replaced by now. 
I want say to Roger Sowry: “I’m sorry Roger that you’re getting such a hard time and you’re nowhere near as fat as you looked in that Webb cartoon in the— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I take offence at that as everybody else does. The member will withdraw and apologise. 
JILL PETTIS 
: I will. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will withdraw and apologise. 
JILL PETTIS 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I well recall that when a National member made that sort of remark about a Labour member the member was instantly kicked out. So what is the standard whereby it is now OK for women members to make such references about National members? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member’s recollection is wrong. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Also I am really surprised today about the untimely and inappropriate comments the leader of the National Party made this afternoon about our major trading partners. That was very unwise. I just wish the National Party would take him aside and counsel him about those kinds of matters. It was not very sensible at all. 
Mr English’s comments about his own colleagues just remind us of Mark Antony who said: “I come to bury Caesar not to praise him.” It is very very tragic. The irony of this situation is that here we have waiting in the wings a man who is only 5 years younger than the National Party itself—Mr Brash. He is not in his prime.