Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
Cosgrove Clayton: General Debate 
[Volume:628;Page:627] 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Minister for Building Issues) 
: 
 The only thing that member said that was relevant and that could be measured against his own performance was “an abysmally low level”. If he wants to quote from documents I will quote one back to him. After all it was Maurice Williamson that bastion of loyalty who showed that loyalty to his National Party leader. 
I will quote from an email by Peter Keenan given to me by a very reliable source. It is an email to Don Brash and says: “We are probably sitting on our base support level of 25 percent in spite of a messy deputy leadership issue and now the Maurice Williamson issue. Actually I will make a brief comment on that. Williamson did behave outrageously deserved to be sidelined and should only be allowed back in gradually. A delayed re-entry seems to be appropriate starting at the back bench and working back from there.” 
Hon Member 
: That’s what happened. 
Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: No no. Here’s the best bit the advice of Mr Keenan to Dr Brash: “Remember what he”—that is Maurice Williamson—“did to English others could do to you one day but enough of that.” 
What we have seen in the National Party of course not 2 months out from an election is a bunch of whingeing whining individuals in this House who for 6 years have proposed no policy or very little and who still cannot come to terms with the fact that they lost the election. Their election tactic was very interesting. It went like this: if they have no policy or if the people reject their policy or if they cannot persuade them then they will try to con them. And if that does not work they will try to bribe them with policies and if that does not work they will break the rules. They will be deceitful and they will break the law. We saw in the paper what has been divulged—$100000 of overspending. 
But there is more than that. Let us look at the Exclusive Brethren issue. I say to Mr Williamson who referred to the trade union movement that I simply rebut his point with this: for every billboard for every feature article for every newspaper page that was taken out by the union movement and others they unlike the Exclusive Brethren put their names to it. They declared their support. [ 
Interruption 
] It is a bit like that member Tau Henare who declared his support for I think four political parties: Mana Motuhake New Zealand First Mauri Pacific and now he says he is a National Party Tory. I say he always was a born-to-rule National Party Tory and he has found his roots. He has sold out every supporter in the four political parties he represented. 
I say that unlike the Brethren the trade union movement nailed its colours to the mast. We knew about it the country knew about it and the National Party knew about it but of course no one knew about the slimy secret deal that had been done with the National Party and a group of people—many of whom are constituents in my electorate. I say this in seriousness to those Exclusive Brethren who may be listening. I ask them to reflect on their religious beliefs and on the religious belief of honesty. I ask them to reflect very carefully on their actions after years of telling politicians including myself that they do not involve themselves in politics—and that is an honourable position to have—that they do not back political parties—and that is an honourable position to have—and that they hold dearly their religious beliefs. I respect them for that but they cannot have it both ways. They cannot then leap into bed with the Devil and pretend they never did. And for them to show their face in the National Party and front up as holier-than-thou—excuse the pun—I think is a bit rich. Front up! [ 
Interruption 
] I ask Tau Henare and Gerry Brownlee to stand up in this House and do what their leader could not do—tell us exactly what happened. 
They could not bribe the people in the end because the people are too smart. They could not con the people in the end because the people are too smart. So they broke the rules they broke the law but thank goodness the one thing we can always count on from good fair-minded Kiwis is that they do not like to be conned. As the nameless pamphlets came through the boxes in the electorates and as the scales fell from the eyes of the Kiwi public when the scheme was revealed they reacted to that. So I say to the Exclusive Brethren: “Reflect. I respect your views but reflect.” I say to the National Party members that they should get off their hind legs and front up.