Dyson Ruth: Financial Review Debate 
Dyson Ruth: Financial Review Debate 
[Volume:607;Page:4166] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister for ACC) 
: 
 That was the voice of the future of the National Party tragic though it will seem to the 40000 people who switched off their radios after hearing that the Speaker was calling the honourable member Mr Brash. That was the voice of the future of the National Party. 
I congratulate Mr Brash on his total absolute entrenched-in-concrete gob-smackingly arrogant consistent denials that his views his vision for the future and his policies for our country have been rejected have failed and are past their use-by dates. That is the truth and I wish only that someone else in the National Party would come forward with some vision that could perhaps offer some intellectual rigour to the debate that we have previously enjoyed. The once-great National Party is now reliant on a man who wants to raise the age New Zealanders have to reach before they get the pension and to encourage literacy rates by slashing people’s benefits. That is the voice of the future for National. No wonder that it is now going down the gurgler even further than it was. 
I welcome Dr Brash as the Opposition spokesperson on senior citizens. I look forward to standing up in front of every Grey Power meeting around the country arguing against his proposal that people should be 75 at least before they get the basic superannuation and seeing the reaction of ordinary hard-working retired New Zealand citizens to that proposal. That is the future face of National. 
But it is no surprise to any of us on this side of the House that National is looking for a future face. When National’s leader—I’ve forgotten his name—Bill English took over as the party leader after he and his colleagues tipped out Jenny Shipley who was a good strong leader—regardless of what I thought of her policies one has to admire her strength as leader—21 percent of New Zealanders had Bill English as their preferred Prime Minister. Since that time his support has dropped not by a little but by a lot. There has been a 250 percent plummet in his popularity as the most preferred Prime Minister and now only 6 percent of the population think that. Of course people are never asked to identify their close family relationship with the person they are identifying as their preferred Prime Minister. 
Six percent of the population want Bill English as their Prime Minister so no wonder the National Party is looking around for a future leader. If it is not Don Brash and if it is not the member who spoke previously Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith who has even more out-of-date ideas then my Canterbury colleagues and I will continue to back Gerry Brownlee. This is one of the few areas— 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: No I want Maurice! 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I am sorry but I do not think Mr Williamson is putting his name forward—yet. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: He might be. He would make a great double act with Gerry. 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: He might but I do not think he is. He would make a great leader. I have heard strong endorsement of Gerry Brownlee and not just from my Canterbury colleagues—in fact those of us from Canterbury who are in the Labour Party are very very keen to have Gerry Brownlee as a leader. There would be very few things better for us than having Bill English as a leader but having Gerry Brownlee I am sure would be one of them. 
Maurice Williamson has been really supporting his colleagues. When Aucklanders and Cantabrians are united on an issue—outside of sporting events of course where we are hardly ever united—we know we are on to a winner. Maurice Williamson said recently that he thought Gerry Brownlee was a really good MP that he was effective in the House that he has a good style and a manner that people warm to that he has a fantastic sense of humour and that he has a common touch but a good nose for politics. That is a ringing endorsement. He was not saying that about his leader; in fact he is saying less and less about his leader. I do not know why frankly. He can hardly be demoted further than he already is. Those of us who have not yet gone to the “Bring back Maurice” campaign are very keen to support Gerry Brownlee as leader. The National Party has to get a decent leader so we can have some decent debate about policies rather than the failed rhetoric of the past. 
I am very proud to commend the progress of the Appropriation (2001/02 Financial Review) Bill through the House. We have a lot to be proud of as we look at the appropriation measures outlined in the bill. We can be proud of our strong growing economy; the strong leadership that we have provided in Government; and our commitment to rebuilding on a continued basis the public services and infrastructure of our country so that we can deliver high-quality accessible health-care education services and the basic public health services that all New Zealand citizens deserve from the time they are born to the time they retire in dignity—not at 75 with a miserable pension as they would under Don Brash but at 65 with a secure income and support for their future which they are getting from our Government. I commend the progress of the bill to the House.