Benson-Pope David: General Debates 
Benson-Pope David: General Debates 
[Volume:613;Page:10157] 
DAVID BENSON-POPE (Labour—Dunedin South) 
: 
I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for making such a contribution to party membership and I mean Labour Party membership. I was in my electorate office and came out of a meeting with a constituent last Friday. I was pleased to see a woman I had not met before sitting at the front desk with the Labour Party membership book signing up. After welcoming her and having a chat to her about what she did and so on and the many new tasks that she was prepared to adopt for the party I asked her what had made her join Labour. She said to me that she had been thinking about it for some time but Don Brash for her was the final straw. I think there are many people around the country who like that woman are pleased to know what the National Party stands for. I am pleased that Dr Brash now makes no bones about National policy. He is certainly keen to give the party some bite! In fact I had a taxi driver the same day last week ask me why Dr Brash had not yet shown his teeth. Rather uncharitably he suggested that they might have been left in a glass beside the bed.  
But seriously I would like to wish Dr Brash well. It is an important day for him—his first meeting of the National Party board at age 63. I know he will make it clear to the board today that he wants further privatisation of whatever assets remain owned by this country: TVNZ the remaining power companies which he has mentioned since day one and Air New Zealand should we ever be unfortunate enough for him to get his hands on it. We know Dr Brash will make it clear to the board that he will limit health care that he will raise the age of eligibility for superannuation that he is clearly determined to give tax breaks to the rich—I guess that is most of the National Party board—and that he supports a capital gains tax. We all know that Dr Brash will not brook any objection; he has already shown himself to be er decisive! We know he communicates well with the media 24/7 as we say these days—except for last weekend of course when that wee glitch just turned into 0/72. And what a knack Dr Brash has for public relations. Dr Brash even turned the Chen and Palmer Christmas party into what John Campbell called a “National Party get-together”.  
I think Dr Brash is the perfect leader for the National Party. Who else would one want to lead an uninspiring and unimaginative lot like those members? National is a party with no solutions other than the policies already rejected by the electorate a party that in the words of Jane Clifton “could barely organise a coup plot so why would you trust them with a country—people who genuinely think they could save the National Party by destroying it?”. So that is what we have: a moribund leader for a moribund party. What could be more appropriate than that—someone to add a little intellectual rigor? Well it looks more like rigor mortis to me with a disintegrating National Party. We can combine that with National’s tainted friends from ACT: doubtful Donna Awatere Huata and her double-dipping friend Deborah Coddington Rodney Hide the star of stage and screen and Fiji and Richard Prebble himself the man who left the oh so embarrassing file on the plane.  
Now it is easy to understand why Mr Prebble would be preoccupied. He has a lot on his mind. Mainfreight obviously demands a lot of his time; otherwise it would not be paying him $35000 to be a director. There are a lot of important decisions to be made in the Australasian transport industry and Mr Prebble would want to be very sure that his interests were not in any way in conflict with ACT transport policy. And as ACT transport spokesperson where better to read a file and leave it than on a plane? Well I tell Mr Prebble that Mr McCardle has certainly got the cartoon character he wants! His problem now is that he has such a feast of humour available he will not be able to choose. Who will be the new cartoon face of ACT? Well “Super Simich” and “Winnie-the-Pooh” have already gone but there is no shortage of choice in ACT. What about “Daffy Duck” or “Betty Boop”? Some of those may not be appropriate but “Heckle and Jeckyl” certainly rings a chord—[ 
Interruption 
] Perhaps with an interjection from that person “Porky Pig” or “Fat Albert” may be more appropriate.  
But nothing matches the shambles opposite on the National benches. We have witnessed the ultimate sadism being demonstrated in this House this week. What did Dr Brash do with his trusted and respected deputy of 3 weeks ago—that intelligent and hard-working builder of bridges? He dumped him before he started and rewarded him with a seat between his successor Gerry Brownlee and David Carter the Brash numbers man. To sit Nick Smith between David Carter and Gerry Brownlee—what an act of political sadism that is. Let us just dwell for a moment on the actual scenario of last week. The honeymoon is well and truly over. The best thing that Dr Brash can do is to put on his hair shirt and drink a glass of lant.