Stealing Policies Won't Save Bill Says Winston

Rt Hon Winston Peters has accused Bill English of political plagiarism and doing policy somersaults with his call today to abolish the Maori seats in Parliament.

Mr Peters said that in a desperate bid to keep the leadership of an outdated and unprincipled party, Bill English was stealing New Zealand First policies and trying to sell them as his own.

“The announcement today is a bit rich coming from a politician who has spent his career being a Treaty apologist, and who voted in Parliament to keep the Maori seats when the issue came before the House.

“Bill English cannot keep a consistent line on any subject. He seems to spend his political life pushing the views of the last National focus group he spoke to.”

Mr Peters said that New Zealand First had set out to prove to Maori why they did not need separate seats under MMP and had done so by the election of six Maori MPs who represented all New Zealanders.

“Bill English actually has little knowledge of things Maori. You cannot deal with serious constitutional issues like the Maori seats without thinking them through.

“The sad fact of life for Bill is that he is a political loser and his days are numbered no matter what policies he comes up with,” said Mr Peters.

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