Cunliffe David: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCunliffe David: General Debate[Sitting date: 04 November 2015. Volume:709;Page:7707. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Labour—New Lynn): Today is a blue-letter day. Today is the day that unemployment hits 6 percent that dairy prices are down another 10 percent and that 6 years after the global financial crisis in the middle of a new global credit boom the New Zealand economy is going backwards.Craig Foss—Hawke’s Bay’s answer to Rip Van Winkle—was crowing about National’s leadership conveniently forgetting Bolger to Shipley Shipley to English. Well that did not go too well so what about Don Brash? And then who jumps ship at the last minute? John Key. To hear Craig Foss it reminded me of the Lego movie. Remember the theme song “Everything is awesome”? Everything is awesome—oh actually it is more like Monty Python with “What have the Romans ever done for us?”. Well what those Romans have done for New Zealand is higher unemployment lower economic growth more families in crisis people being unable to afford their own homes and Kiwis losing hope. So why are the Romans still in Rome? Why is the National Party there? Well it cannot be Steven Joyce and his talent for inflatable sheep; it cannot be John Key peeing in the shower and the pockets of the All Blacks. It has got to be more important than that and it is.So I want to just reflect on the means of control by this Government because in rugby terms it is very simple. It is not that it has a faster back line it is not that it has faster forwards; it just screws the scrum. Here is how it does it: creeping influence in the media undermining Public Service neutrality politicising community groups and threatening those who object to it. And of course there is the legendary National Party dirty-tricks machine.It is a standing joke that prime-time TV is a choice between right—Paul Henry National candidate—and righter the irreplaceable Mike Hosking irreplaceable because he pops up just about everywhere. If you do not believe me just ask John Campbell Carol Hirschfeld Julian Wilcox Brian Rudman John Drinnan and so on and so forth. Contrary independent voices that have been removed from prime-time TV and newspapers and have taken refuge in the ark—Radio New Zealand. Well I wonder what is going to happen to Radio New Zealand given that New Zealand On Air is controlled by the Prime Minister’s electorate secretary. Is the Government going to stop funding that broadcaster that is run by a former National Prime Minister’s chief media adviser? Tell me it is not screwing the scrum ladies and gentlemen.The NGO sector has fared no better—cowered into submission. Tony Soprano would be proud. What about when the Problem Gambling Foundation was declared to be the problem? What happened to its funding? Everybody noticed. It was cut off at the knees.You might say that at least the Crown’s independent watchdogs are better. Well sorry no. The High Court just found that the Ombudsman acted illegally in not forcing Tim Groser to disclose more about the Trans-Pacific Partnership background brief. It is a shocker when the Ombudsman is found by the High Court not to be defending the public interest. No wonder it has got a year’s backlog—and that is why Ministers act with impunity not answering Official Information Act requests or parliamentary questions because they know that by the time the appeal is heard it will be too late. Why would it fund the Ombudsmen—it is just a nuisance. And so is the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and every other independent watchdog that has not had real-terms funding maintenance under this Government.Around Wellington public servants are saying in hushed tones that the Westminster tradition of free and frank advice is gone. When was the last time that you heard Iain Rennie the State Services Commissioner standing up for Public Service neutrality and independence? He has not said boo since the Roger Sutton debacle.So where to from here?Hon Craig Foss: He tried to and you hammered him about CERA.Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE: Well what about the Serious Fraud Office—Craig Foss knows all about that the Minister of commerce. Well it has gone belly-up because it no longer talks about taking criminals to justice; it just wants to recover a few pennies for National’s mates the investors. Oh yes the last Serious Fraud Office chief executive that actually stood up for New Zealanders’ rights got garrotted by Judith Collins and Cameron Slater—Cameron Slater who was exposed by Nicky Hager whose banking records were given to the police voluntarily by Simon Power’s bank. If that is not a scandal of top proportions!New Zealanders are sick to death of a do-nothing know-nothing care-nothing Government that is screwing the scrum and running down the democratic freedoms and institutions—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member’s time has expired.