McAnulty KieranKIERAN McANULTY (Labour): They just don't get it do they? They just don't get it and they can't get their heads around a very simple principle. The National Party are still packing a sad over the election result. Even today we see someone who normally oozes positivity—the Hon Maggie Barry—touch on the election result and essentially complain that it was unjust. But it's not just Maggie Barry; it is Honest John". "Let's bring John Howard to the National annual conference—what a good idea. Let's get the former Prime Minister of Australia to say the messages that we know New Zealanders are sick of hearing from ourselves."—that has to have been surely the conversation that the National Party executive came up with when they were planning their annual conference. Here comes John Howard and he says the messages that they want to say but can't say themselves—that this was an unjust result. They just don't get it. A majority of voters elected a Government and this is the Government that is working for New Zealanders and instead of holding that Government to account the National Party sit there and whinge and wish that things were different. If it's not on display just today you only needed to see what Maureen Pugh had to say on Twitter. Hon Ruth Dyson: Is she on Twitter? KIERAN McANULTY: She is on Twitter—she is on Twitter. Despite the National Government's previous poor record on establishing rural broadband Maureen Pugh is on Twitter and she complained about the Government saying that it was illegitimate. I couldn't believe it that a list MP—an MP who is here by virtue of MMP just like myself—was complaining about the very rules that brought her into Parliament and neglecting the fact that the previous Prime Minister Bill English was also a list MP. What I put to you is that the National Party cannot have it both ways. They can't say that MMP works when it suits them and they can't sit there for 10 months and whinge when it doesn't. Speaking of time frames let's look at the last six weeks. For the last six weeks the Prime Minister was on maternity leave. What a wonderful opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to take advantage and get his brand out there—to get his message out—so people would get to know who Simon Bridges was. Hon Member: He went right around the country and talked to 10000 people. KIERAN McANULTY: And one of the only gentlemen of the House Ian McKelvie mentions the road tour. Simon Bridges' medicine what's going to get him in the headlines—this is the silver bullet—is 60 to 70 meetings across the country: "Come and meet Simon. Once you get to know him you'll like him."—but what have we seen? We saw in the Hawke's Bay a prime example of what these meetings were like. Leading up to the meeting in Waipawa there was lots of social media activity. There was lots of flurry and excitement. "We're going to Waipawa with the Wairarapa MP Alastair Scott. This is going to be a great meeting. Let's do videos and posts about it." What did we see on social media after the meeting? Nothing—not one post. Could that be because no one turned up? Could that be because those that did turn up wanted to talk about Alastair Scott wanting to sell our hospitals or about Alastair Scott wanting to sell our schools? Could it be that the messages that the National Party under the leadership of Simon Bridges no longer resonate in what used to be their true-blue heartland? Could that also be why in the One News poll announced on Sunday after six weeks of the Prime Minister being on maternity leave and Simon Bridges getting out there and talking to as many people as would listen he went backwards—he went backwards. He was 12 percent—and even then he was criticised for being 12 percent—and now he's 10 percent and 10 percent is actually a lot worse than 12 percent so now he wishes he was 12 percent. What a wasted opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to talk about the things that resonate with New Zealand. I think it is a clear message to that Opposition to stop looking inwards stop talking about things that don't matter and actually get behind the Government that is working for this country."