Bennett David: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Bennett David: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:637;Page:7373] 
DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East) 
: 
 Yesterday might well have been Friday the 13th for Helen Clark and Michael Cullen because yesterday the Prime Minister made a listless and unsupported attempt to wrestle the mantle from National. The new leader of the Labour Party Phil Goff started on his campaign. The two “Cs” of New Zealand politics Helen Clark and Michael Cullen were gassed out by Phillip Field and then the Government had to rely on the Greens for support for its administration. It was the beginning of the end of the Helen Clark and Michael Cullen duo; the beginning of the end of the Labour-led Government. 
National and more important this country have been waiting for such a change. The people of New Zealand demand and they will receive in John Key a leader of vision passion enthusiasm and compassion for our country—a leader who wants the best for all New Zealanders a leader who is not interested in self-preservation and a leader who will become one of New Zealand’s greatest Prime Ministers and a world leader of repute which are the things Helen Clark dreamed of but never achieved. That is what John Key will achieve. 
The only Valentine’s Day gifts Helen Clark will receive if she is lucky will be poisoned roses from Mr Phil Goff for yesterday the poisoned chalice of the Labour leadership was transferred to Mr Goff. He stood up when the Prime Minister failed. He showed he wants to be Labour’s new leader. Now let the internal power struggle begin. 
Everyone knows that Michael Cullen is a lame duck just like his protégé Mr Mallard who admitted today that he joined the 1981 Springbok Tour protest in Hamilton then 2 weeks later was a spectator at the Auckland game. But it was Helen Clark who really sunk yesterday in her maiden voyage for the year. Not only did she misread public opinion in a speech that was well off the mark but her comrades were uninterested and unsupportive. Only the pretence of 20 hours’ free childcare education received any applause albeit muted and clearly contrived as even the most aloof Labour MPs will know that such a promise has already failed and has no chance in reality. Only 10 percent of local childcare proprietors in Hamilton recorded their intentions to take up the scheme. 
Bob Clarkson 
: How many? 
DAVID BENNETT 
: Ten percent. It is a failure. 
Then to top off a horrible day for the Prime Minister Phillip Field dropped a bombshell. He is no longer going to be afraid of the Labour Party machine. This was treated with glee from two factions—the contender for the leadership and the Green Party. So I wish Phil Goff the most likely contender good luck. He can be assured that many many of his colleagues want a change in leadership. They know like we know that Helen Clark does not have the support of the Government and she misreads public opinion time and time again. 
The other winner of all this is the Green Party. It is now in the position to call the shots with the Labour Government. We say to the Greens that they should go for it but they should remember the way Labour stood them up at the altar on a number of occasions. I say to them: “Go get ’em! Take them hard too.” The Helen Clark and Michael Cullen duo was the big loser yesterday. 
But let us not forget New Zealand First and the United Future parties. Both parties saw the impressive performance of John Key. At their first caucuses of the year they would have considered how to distance themselves from Labour and build alliances with John Key as they realised he will be the key to their political survival. With the Greens leapfrogging those parties in political importance these discussions will now demand actions from those parties. This will further serve to destabilise Helen Clark and Labour. 
A Prime Minister’s speech is supposed to be visionary. It is supposed to push the boundaries. It should make us question what we do where we stand as a country and what our people deserve. Instead we got what the commentators have called a Budget speech deliberately watered down and presented without any passion or reason. But there is a reason why the delivery from the Prime Minister and the response from Labour were lukewarm. They simply did not want Helen Clark to deliver that message. They do not believe in it. It is not in their hearts. They are merely saying what Labour strategists believe will gain the support of the Greens. There is nothing more than political self-preservation in that speech. 
When a party has to steal from the taxpayers to fund its campaign and does not believe in what it is saying it is truly a sad day in politics. This void will be filled by a strong National Party and we will give voters what they want. We are not too PC to admit that New Zealand has some major problems. We have generations of New Zealanders growing up in a world dominated by low aspirations youth gangs and poor self-esteem; where people have lost their pride and their hope for the future. Whatever these children’s backgrounds New Zealanders want everyone to have a fair chance. In our sense of fair play we want to see them all succeed. What is more in a modern world we need everyone to perform and achieve. That is what New Zealanders have been thinking about for a long time. They want health education and law and order to be tackled and they know it is better to treat the cause rather than try to cure the result. 
John Key has championed these issues for the last month. Labour strategy has been to deny that there is an issue. Well there is an issue and it is our job in this Parliament to sort it out. There is a whole generation of New Zealanders who need help. They do not need to be hidden away and ignored. They need to be given back their pride and dignity. They need to be given hope. A real Prime Minister would have delivered hope yesterday. Thankfully hope has been delivered over the last few weeks in the form of John Key. 
Labour is a party of slogans—20 hours’ free childcare education getting back into the top half of the OECD closing the gaps. They are all failed slogans. There is no substance just slogans. That is Labour. But in the Prime Minister’s speech we saw a new slogan—sustainability. What was most remarkable about Helen Clark’s speech was the way she transformed her language within a year. Last year’s statement at the helm concentrated on an ambitious programme of economic growth while this year’s statement concentrated on a sustainable programme of environmental management. There was neither any consistency nor any link between these messages. There was no reflection on whether the goals set last year had been achieved and there was no intent to build a concentrated programme over a number of years for our country. What we saw was a complete change of tack. Yes it was shallow and it was a big step to the left. Helen Clark sought to preserve her political position by cuddling up to the Greens. Little did she know that by Valentine’s Day she would be sleeping with them. 
Transport issues are a prime example of this change in tack. Throughout last year the Government emphasised its commitment to the roading programme through its Budget while the Greens consistently asked for greater investment in public transport. The Prime Minister’s statement last year spoke of growth and of how roads were vital in achieving this goal. In the Budget speech last year the Prime Minister emphasised the allocations of funds to the State highway network while this year Helen Clark talks about sustainability footprints and the need for public transport. This year Helen Clark talks only about the public transport components of funding and spins grandiose public plans around to lure the Green Party into the web of Labour. 
But what are the implications for motorists should the Greens join this union? Green leader Jeannette Fitzsimons has said that the Greens will be insisting on prioritising national funding for public transport rather than expensive new urban highways. Let us see the Prime Minister back up her slogans with that kind of substance in Auckland. If Helen Clark does that then even Phillip Field would have a chance of winning back his seat. 
The influence of the Greens will mean the postponement of many major projects. It will stop reforms to the Land Transport Act. It will mean that the rhetoric of the last year’s economic growth and transformation will never become a reality. It will mean economic chaos for New Zealand hence preventing any social reform. This is a perfect example of this Prime Minister’s lack of direction—her obsession with saying what she thinks people want to hear and the prostitution of political policy to preserve power. Beware I say to the Green Party: the Labour Party is saying only what the Greens want to hear. 
Not only was this a speech of slogans but it was a speech of reviews which is the Labour Party’s favourite way of dealing with issues. Instead of substance this speech focused on inquiries and aspirations to do things. New Zealanders do not want a Government to dream about eradicating child poverty; they want it to do something about it. New Zealanders want action. They want leadership; they do not want vague hopes for future plans. New Zealand was disappointed in the Prime Minister’s speech and the Labour caucus was disappointed in the speech.