Hide Rodney: General Debate 
Hide Rodney: General Debate 
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RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 Is it not great to hear the Labour Party saying that a person should front up? Do members remember the Prime Minister Helen Clark saying: “Here I am—I’m going to be a different sort of leader. I’m going to be the sort of leader who fronts up on the tough issues and my word is my word.”? Do they remember that? Then she launched “closing the gaps”. Maori and non-Maori would be brought together and everything would be happy but the public said it did not like that. The use of the phrase was banned—verboten! That was what the Prime Minister said; it was a goner and not allowed. Here is a Prime Minister bringing Maori and Pakeha together. Tariana Turia was turfed out. She went and now she is despised and hated by the Labour Party. 
Here is a Prime Minister who said: “Oh I’m prepared to be upfront. I’m a Prime Minister who is blunt. I’m a Prime Minister who says it like it is.” She was asked: “Tell me Prime Minister did you know that you were speeding?” She said: “I didn’t know how fast we were going.” Well when some person was doing 145 kilometres per hour and the peasants were scattering out of the way through Waimate as if that person were some South American potentate passing through with sirens going—the Prime Minister said I think that she did not know how fast she was going; it could have been 150 kilometres per hour or it could have been 151 kilometres per hour—the person would sure as heck know that that was speeding. And this is a Prime Minister! 
The police are investigating whether she was speeding. How long really do we think that will take? The ministerial driver who is under the control of the Prime Minister as Minister responsible for Ministerial Services has to write an incident report—and he did. It is a very serious thing when one goes through Waimate like the clappers scattering all and sundry to get the Prime Minister to a rugby game when she would rather be reading a book at home. She was asked whether he had written a report. The Prime Minister could not say. When asked in this House she did not know or could not say. She was quite happy to tell the press that she did not know how fast she was going. So when the Prime Minister—and remember that this is a Prime Minister who is upfront and to the point—was asked in the House whether she stood by that statement she answered that she was not prepared to. Here is a Prime Minister who is prepared to tell stories to the press and not confirm them in the House. 
By the way do members remember that this is a Prime Minister who forged paintings and then could not remember whether she had. She said that she was not about to be interviewed by the police—“I’m the Prime Minister of New Zealand.” Well I ask Trevor Mallard why he will not give the lesson that he has just given to Opposition members to his own Prime Minister. 
What will happen now? She will swan off to Hungary and Budapest to be with her lefty mates at the Progressive Governance Summit. She is so happy to go to that. Do members remember that the other time she went to it was 9/11? She got off the plane and learned about the twin towers attack going on. She got back on the plane flew to Italy—and they were all horrified. They said they were lefties but they had cancelled the conference. They did not even want to be seen with her because they wanted to go back and support the United States of America in its hour of need. But Helen Clark had just hopped on the plane so anxious was she to be amongst them. 
Hon Annette King 
: She came home. 
RODNEY HIDE 
:. She came home after she got to Italy and realised that no one else had come—and that they were appalled she had turned up. 
Darren Hughes throws his hands up. Why? He is like Steve Maharey. He is required by law in New Zealand to believe that everything Helen Clark says is true. That is what the law of New Zealand for the Labour caucus is—everything Helen Clark says is true. I ask Darren Hughes whether Helen Clark forged a painting. He is going all red in the face. That is quite humorous is it not? We should have the Darren Hughes barometer so that when one questions the Prime Minister’s integrity or her word we can see Labour Party members getting excited and Darren Hughes going red. That is the reddest he has ever been. I must have been the closest to the truth we have been on this issue. I say to Darren Hughes that that lesson should be for the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Helen Clark is a disgrace.