Connell Brian: General Debate 
Connell Brian: General Debate 
[Volume:626;Page:21156] 
BRIAN CONNELL (National—Rakaia) 
: 
 One knows one has the Government on the run when it gets out the C team to take calls on the Government’s behalf—tired old speakers like Damien O’Connor and the very sophisticated Jill Pettis soon to be the former member for Whanganui. Her tongue should surely be bottled and sold as paint stripper. That is the sophisticated member from Wanganui. 
Let us look at the line-up of reasons why this Government is in free fall. This is a Government that has lost 10 percent of its core support in the last 2 months and we are not even into election mode yet. Let us look at the Budget. That was a real winner was it not. The  
Dominion Post 
 headline summed it up beautifully. It screamed “Is that it?”. Poor old Michael Cullen’s blood pressure must have gone through the roof when he woke up on the Friday morning after that Budget. He must have scratched his head and wondered why he had created an expectation that the Government would do something about tax when all it did was promise our poorest citizens a half a packet of chewing gum in 3 years’ time. This is a Government that is sitting on a surplus of $7 billion and he wonders why people do not embrace it. 
Then there is the Benson-Pope debacle. He is the only member in this House I can think of who has a mouth big enough to get a tennis ball in. Obviously he found a soulmate at Bayfield High School. Then there was the Prime Minister’s speeding motorcade. This is a Prime Minister who went through Timaru township scattering pedestrians like South American peasants and she wonders why people do not like her any more. And to rub salt into the wounds she is now hanging six good men out to dry just for political expediency. Jim Sutton was in that car and he was seen going through Timaru township. That is his home town and he wonders why Jo Goodhew is overtaking him in the polls. She will be an outstanding member of Parliament; she is just waiting in the wings and she will be here soon. 
Then we have Lianne Dalziel who told lies and was fired. Then we have poor old Dover Samuels who just got caught short. Then to top it all off we have John Tamihere. He went public with remarks about tossers queers smarmies and front-bums and he accused Michael Cullen of being duplicitous—and the whole country agreed with him. Do people remember the cartoon? Lianne Dalziel was fired for telling lies and poor old John Tamihere was fired for telling the truth. We must spare a thought for poor old Clayton Cosgrove. He was dumped on by John Tamihere for starting a hate campaign against the Prime Minister; he should have been in the Honours List on Monday for doing that. Having stood by John Tamihere for year after year Clayton Cosgrove was dumped on by him. Poor old Clayton Cosgrove does not need enemies when he has friends like that. 
Just last week we saw the Government pass legislation whereby vicious thugs in this country can get compensation and the Government has told victims that they have to sue for any money—and the Government wonders why it is lagging in the polls. I can tell the Labour members why they are lagging in the polls. It is because the public of New Zealand are sick of that type of duplicitous PC behaviour. They are sending a very clear signal to this Government that its number is up and that Government members should start brushing off their CVs and looking for a new job. They should start looking for other jobs. 
Darren Hughes 
: Speaking of CVs what about your CV? 
BRIAN CONNELL 
: I hear—what is his name—Mr Hughes calling out again. Why does he not go outside put on a pair of long pants and come back in again?