Ryall Tony: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRyall Tony: General Debate[Sitting date: 18 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18627. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health):It is a difficult day for Mr Cunliffe when the C-team is being rolled out in the general debate. We had David Parker and then we had Sue Moroney and then Moana Mackey a list MP for Labour. They are hardly a ringing endorsement from the Labour front bench. Look I know what they are going through. Having been in Parliament for 24 years I have seen a lot of this—leaders in terminal decline. You get your normal blusterers on the front bench who just keep chipping and chirping the whole time and not making any sense and then the only people who will front up in the debate to back you are the people who installed you as the leader. No one else will front. No one else will take a call. No one else will defend what has gone on here.What we have seen happen in the last 2 days—2 hours even—is another example of the fact that David Cunliffe lacks situational awareness. He never understands the fact that you cannot say one thing to somebody one minute and then another thing to somebody else a few moments later. We have seen it time and time again. Whether it is talking to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions whether it is talking to the teachers whether it is talking to people in business or whether it is talking to journalists there is a lack of situational awareness. There is a lack of actually knowing that what you say to one group is going to be reflected upon by another. We have seen that time and time again with David Cunliffe. We are seeing it time and time again with the Labour Party. It is spiralling out of control. It has a complete lack of leadership and no moral authority. But what is worse is it has no alternative vision for the future of this country.This is a Government that is focused on a plan of action and is focusing on the things that matter. This is a country where most people think the nation is heading in the right direction. This is a country where people think the Government is playing its part and New Zealand is heading in the right direction. More jobs more opportunity better education better health better targeted support—that is what New Zealanders think. This country is headed in the right direction and Labour Party members hate that. The reason why they hate that is because they are completely focused on their own problems. So here is Mr Cunliffe who only a few hours ago denied he had ever met Mr Liu and said the Labour Party never got any donations from Mr Liu. And here we have today a letter from Mr Cunliffe making representations on behalf of Mr Liu. It is just not consistent with what he has been saying previously. It is hugely embarrassing for Mr Cunliffe and for the Labour Party.Hon Member: Will he survive?Hon TONY RYALL: Will he survive? Look I think that when you consider the calls that have been made by senior and respected journalists the lack of participation from the front bench in this debate—in fact the lack of participation from any bench of the Labour Party and any bench opposite in this debate—speaks volumes. I will tell you what is happening. Those members are all in their little groups in their friends’ offices saying “Can he survive this? Do you believe what he said on this? What more is to come? What about these donations for the bottles of wine that haven’t been declared and is there anything more? What is going on with that?”.While the Opposition is focusing on its internal problems this is a Government that is on the move. It is a Government with a plan of action. It is a Government with a vision for New Zealand. I think that every day we see the benefits of the leadership of our Prime Minister John Key who is out there talking to world leaders about the opportunities for New Zealand in a vast growing world. The global opportunities for trade investment and wealth—that is what our Prime Minister is talking about. And here at home led by our Minister of Finance we have got a Government focused on the things that matter: creating the environment we need for people to take a risk and invest in their businesses and to grow jobs in this country. Indeed the contrast between the centre-right and the hard left could never be clearer than it is today.