Collins Judith: General Debate 
Collins Judith: General Debate 
[Volume:643;Page:12862] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 If anyone wanted to see what the personification of the nanny State is well we have just had it—an utter diatribe about “We’re going to tell you how to live your lives and what we’ve done for you.” Well actually I have a message for that brand-new Minister and this is the message. The people of New Zealand do this for us we do not do it just for them. They are the people who create the jobs. They are the people who get out and pay the taxes. They are the people who look after their children. They are the people who make the roads. They are the people who pay us actually. They are the people; we are their servants they are not our servants. It is about time that that Minister and that Government remembered it. I ask the House this: who said this? “Tax cuts are a path to inequality. They are the promises of a visionless and intellectually bankrupt people.” Who said that? 
Chris Auchinvole 
: Many of them. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Well it was actually the Rt Hon Helen Clark. In fact she said that in this century in 2000. In fact she said in the weekend that actually tax cuts are really good and we should all have them. That is the new message and that is called: “I’m really getting worried that the people of New Zealand are sick of being told what to do with their own money while I should be able to go off and spend anything I like.” She is suddenly getting the message. 
She also said at the weekend: “I actually always did want to give tax cuts. In fact my whole caucus really wanted to give tax cuts and we couldn’t because Treasury said we couldn’t.” It was all Treasury’s fault—that is what she said. In fact what we know is that Treasury said in 2003 that structural surpluses were available for tax cuts. Treasury said that in 2003 not just in 2007 and it said so in 2005 as well. Now in 2007 Helen Clark has just heard that the surpluses are structural and not just one-offs. So it has taken her 7 years of being told by Treasury that there is actually money available for tax cuts. 
What we have seen over the last few days are some of the most amazing things in terms of a party that is falling apart. I opened up the  
New Zealand Herald 
 on Tuesday and saw that Russell Fairbrother the chair of the Social Services Committee was being challenged by one Stuart Nash and that one of the people who had signed Stuart Nash’s nomination form for the Labour Party selection was none other than the Hon Michael Cullen the Deputy Prime Minister. That is unheard-of backstabbing by one’s own deputy leader—unheard-of backstabbing. This is the same Michael Cullen who lives in the said electorate of Napier. This is the same Michael Cullen who promoted Russell Fairbrother in the first place and now he has turned on him. It is the same Michael Cullen who as Chris Tremain reminds me is one of his own constituents and I bet he is a troublesome one too. 
Hon Member 
: He’s welcome to come into the office at any time. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Good idea! That is what the Deputy Prime Minister is doing. Today we saw Russell Fairbrother effectively sit and say he would not ask a patsy question. He said that. He said: “I’m not going to do this.” He gave it to Darien Fenton who was more than happy to ask a patsy question. She will do anything at all because she is after George Hawkins’ seat in Manurewa. 
Simon Power 
: Oh! 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Oh yes. And Mr Hawkins will not give up easily either. Then we heard David Benson-Pope ask a patsy question and even though he is being attacked from all sides of the Labour Party he chose to ask the question because he likes doing what he is told. He is quite submissive on these issues. 
But what the House will want to know about is my mate George Hawkins. George Hawkins is under attack at the moment by the Labour Party because he will not leave. He will not do the “death with dignity” exit that Helen Clark has decreed he will have. He is fighting back and along the way he has been able to get the boundary changes he wants. So Manurewa is stronger than ever. He said in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 that he is coming out fighting. He said he has the best electorate membership in the whole Labour Party. He said he is going nowhere. So George Hawkins the mouse that roared has stood up to Helen Clark and Michael Cullen and he has told them where to get off. He has said that to them but Helen Clark has absolutely ignored that. She will not talk about that because it is nasty. It will get very nasty because the more they push George Hawkins the more George Hawkins will push back. He knows all the secrets and he will reveal a few.