Gallagher Martin: General Debates 
Gallagher Martin: General Debates 
[Volume:611;Page:8542] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (NZ Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 Today I want to reflect a little bit on that very fiery spirited address by the current leader of the National Opposition. Frankly I do not believe he is Leader of the Opposition. Not wanting to give faint praise I do not think he is the Leader of the Opposition; I think the “Leader of the Opposition” is sitting further along the bench. Bluntly no wonder Mr English— 
Pita Paraone 
: What’s his name? Winston Peters. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Well yes and I do not want to give Mr Peters faint praise but it is pretty obvious that the member for Tauranga can do 100 percent better than the member who spoke at the beginning of this general debate. When I listened to the Hon Bill English I was reminded that really the voice was rising. There was a concept of the rope supporting the condemned man and as the rope was being pulled tighter the voice was obviously reaching a higher octave. 
I believe that Maurice Williamson’s contribution and current situation are very very interesting. I do not know—and we are running bets on this side of the House—how long Maurice can and will stay quiet. We are running a bit of a sweepstake and the odds in my view are shortening. How much can Maurice stay quiet and will Maurice sit over there on the other side of the House with his binoculars looking on at proceedings— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I refer the member to Speaker’s ruling 6/1 (Supplement). The member may not use Christian names in the House. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Mr Williamson the member for Pakuranga. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: That’s better. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Absolutely—and just how long will the member for Pakuranga sit there with his binoculars and stay silent? Because in his heart of hearts even though Maurice has been told— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member but if he looks at Speaker’s ruling 6/1 (Supplement) he will see that he may not use a person’s first name. Members must be referred to by their titles their portfolios or their full names. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: OK. Even though the suspended National Party member for Pakuranga—currently suspended which means he has to seal his lips; I guess over time those sealed lips will start to crack at the edges—because you know in his heart of hearts that he will say— 
Richard Worth 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Again that member is infringing the Standing Orders by now drawing you into the debate with the use of the word “you”. He is a senior member. Why does he foot fault so often? 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I call the honourable member. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: I appreciate the acknowledgement that I am a senior member and I thank the member for that. 
Maurice Williamson said there was little point in debating policies if National was never going to be in a position to implement them. Again in his heart members know that he believes “It’s a bit rich to blame the assistant tea boy when the ship’s sinking rather than the captain and the first officer up on the bridge.” That quote is from the  
New Zealand Herald  
on 29 July 2003. What is that programme with the line “My lips are sealed.”? 
Richard Worth 
:  
Teletubbies 
. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: OK. Indeed my lips are sealed but we know that in his heart of hearts that is what Maurice is seeking. The only crime Maurice has committed is that he is saying— 
Richard Worth 
: Point of order— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: I know what the member is going to say. The member on his feet has again drawn the Speaker into the debate. He must refer to the honourable member or to the honourable Minister when he is referring to other people. He must not bring the Speaker into the debate. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Thank you Mr Speaker and I do apologise to you. Such is my enthusiasm for Maurice Williamson’s message. I believe that Maurice Williamson does have a message for this country and that he very eloquently shared it with the country until his lips were sealed by his colleagues. In their heart of hearts those colleagues from that bit of the Opposition know that Maurice Williamson is very very right in his observation of the destiny of that party under the leadership of Mr Bill English. In their heart of hearts they are scared of the member for Tauranga. They know that they are very very close frankly to being eclipsed by the member for Tauranga and that New Zealand First has the potential for being a major player in the Opposition. They know that and when we come to an election the best they can do is win 28 percent of the vote.