Dalziel Lianne: General Debate 
Dalziel Lianne: General Debate 
[Volume:639;Page:9842] 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Commerce) 
: 
 Last Saturday the Christchurch  
Press  
ran a story with the headline “John Key overachiever”. It should have been headed “John Key over-promiser”. The entire story represents an individual who will say anything to get elected whose approach is to reflect the concerns of those he addresses no matter whether they represent the party’s policy or not. This story confirmed the story I heard about a presentation to the party faithful in Christchurch recently where John Key said: “I will be saying things you won’t like hearing over the next 18 months. Don’t worry I am going to get us elected to Government.” That is what he said: “I am going to be saying things you are not going to like hearing but don’t worry about it I am just saying these things to get elected.” That is what he is saying very privately. 
He is also saying more publicly that he will negotiate with any party because being in Government is what he wants to be. He does not care what he has to say or do in order to get here. That is because he has actually worked out something that Don Brash did not work out—that is that one needs partners under MMP. I have to say that despite his arrogant predictions of a landslide he has finally worked out that he needs someone to negotiate with and National has really trampled over every other party in this Parliament and now he says he needs friends. He says terrible things about the Greens behind their backs when he thinks nobody is listening but would offer them a Cabinet position in Government. All I can say to that is “Yeah right!”. 
I think this confirms what I read in the  
Independent 
 back in April. This is a quote from an article on 18 April 2007: “One Auckland businessman said he attended a small private dinner last month at which National’s deputy leader Bill English was a guest. English he said was open about the fact he and Key would do ‘whatever is needed’ to win next year’s election. National’s strategy if one existed was not about producing a coherent political vision or sensible policies to differentiate the Opposition from Labour. ‘They simply want to win at any cost’ the businessman said. ‘Where’s the principle in that?’ ”. 
Well the bottom line is that there is no principle in that. Another businessman quoted in the same article said the National Party disappointed him. “ ‘Where is National’s direction and where is its traction?’ he asks. … This businessman says he cannot believe National is naive enough to try to tell voters it’ll sort out policy once it becomes the government. ‘They won’t get away with that’ he says. ‘Voters aren’t stupid and National can’t constantly attack the government’s performance with no credible alternative. It takes a long time to put policy into place. We don’t have a hell of a lot of time and the expectations on the streets are enormous. But I don’t see too much articulate argument going on.’ ” I agree with that. I think that absolutely sums up the situation. 
Let us look at the  
Press 
 article. It states that John Key wants to know from the  
Press 
 political editor what he thinks of the Prime Minister speaking out about the Muliaga tragedy. He actually wants to gauge what the media thinks before he decides what he will say and do. In this article John Key is asked the question: “Why vote for Mr Key?”. “Aspiration” he says “And we’re really nice people as well.” That was the answer he gave to students who are going to be voting for the first time in the next general election. 
When he said National members were really nice people as well he did not mention Tony Ryall running hospitals or Judith Collins running social development and employment. That is because—and I have heard this from many sources now—behind the scenes he is telling people that if National did become the Government the last person running hospitals would be Tony Ryall and the last person in charge of social development and employment would be Judith Collins. He is telling people behind those members’ backs that they are holding those portfolios only in Opposition. 
If members look at that article the strategy that this guy has developed all becomes very clear. The students grilled him about whether National would keep Labour’s interest-free loan scheme. The answer was “probably”. As to whether tax cuts would drive up interest rates he said: “Not if it’s done properly.”