Budget Speech Rt Hon Winston Peters

I would like to amend the amendment moved by the Leader of the National Party by adding the words that…..

“That this House also records that it has no confidence in this Government’s ability to govern as it only ACTS the part, and even then only in a shallow and hammish way.”

New Zealand First believes that there have been some Oscar winning performances across the House however and these will be recognised today.

The highly paid cabinet cast only ACT like Labour Ministers. They say one thing in election year and then do something entirely different whilst in Government.

It is time that these political thespians received the theatrical recognition they so richly deserve for their performances.

We have here some New Zealand First Oscars and in this case OSCAR stands for

OBSTINATELY SELFSERVING CARPING AND (WAIT FOR IT) RIDICULOUS

WHEN IT COMES TO THE INTERESTS OF ORDINARY NEW ZEALANDERS.

Mr Speaker ,

Today I want this House to recognise the failings of a number of Ministers and propose to do so by the presentation of these OSCARS. We want to immortalise these Ministers for their failings and induct them into Parliament’s Hall Of Shame.

And here are the OSCAR nominations:

The first Oscar is for scriptwriting AND acting. The best adaptation and performance of a responsible Budget.

For this, the Academy has nominated: MICHAEL CULLEN: An outstanding performance for acting as a Labour finance minister – yet achieving a Budget surplus of $4 billion in the face of social services starved of extra funding.

A Labour Finance Minister with a Budget surplus of $4 billion

while thousands of people are thrown off hospital waiting lists,

while police are under resourced,

while the education system is overloaded with foreigners and

while social systems are stressed.

Through his outstanding acting ability, Michael Cullen has fooled everyone – including his own party that he is a Labour cabinet minister when he is really a closet ACT supporter.

In fact the nomination for the OSCAR was signed by Dr Cullen’s old cabinet mate Richard Prebble.

We suspect that Michael Cullen actually voted ACT at the last election.

ACT should be proud that it finally has a strong supporter as Finance Minister.

GEORGE HAWKINS is also up for an Oscar: The Cabinet Minister who starred in the 21st century leaky building saga “Leak House” and now has a lead role in the movie he was made for: “Dumb and Dumber”.

He doesn’t have to act in that.

George is living walking proof that anyone with half a mind to become a cabinet minister can do so.

He has created an industry of traffic tickets. Never mind about serious crimes – George cuts down forests for traffic tickets.

He is a threat to the environment. Whole forests are being destroyed for traffic tickets.

New Zealand is losing its carbon sinks.

To be fair, George is presiding over New Zealand’s only real growth industry – CRIME!

The Pan Asian Congress has nominated LIANNE DALZIEL for an OSCAR for makeup artistry.

In only four years she has totally changed the face and sound of New Zealand through unlimited immigration.

Thanks to Lianne’s erratic and uncontrolled performance there are 300 thousand New Zealanders who don’t speak English.

If you are a qualified professional from Britain – New Zealand does not want you.

If you are from the Middle East, can’t speak English or are a suspected terrorist we welcome you.

If you are an overstayer and need medical treatment go to Lianne – she will make you an instant New Zealander and give you a work permit – even if you can’t work.

If you are a New Zealander, and have paid taxes all your life, and need a hip or eye operation – bad luck.

The needs of immigrants and overstayers come first with Lianne!

The nominee of the power companies is: “BLACKOUT PETE “ Hodgson.

He gets it for his starring role as the political NERO of New Zealand’s energy industry, fiddling while the people freeze.

New Zealanders will soon feel the bleak chill of the ides May, June, July and August 2003.

There is a nomination from the Al Gore re-election committee: HELEN CLARK for her starring role as a political stunt man in the movie “Free Trade”.

Helen Clark showed she was the only politician in the Western world who can talk on foreign affairs with both feet in her mouth.

Thanks to her brilliant performance on the overseas stage, New Zealand is now a staunch ally of possibly France.

Perhaps she should get a second OSCAR???

Thousands of people dragged off hospital waiting lists have enthusiastically nominated “Absent Annie King” for an OSCAR.

The mental health system has also put her name forward for “passing the buck over the cuckoo’s nest”.

The public health system is sick. More and more patients are being cut adrift from waiting lists.

Hospital staff are falling apart under the stress of an overloaded system.

New Zealanders have to wait in the queue – or out of the queue as the case may be while this government treats everyone else, not a New Zealander.

Every refugee, asylum seeker, genuine or not – and every overstayer.

This Minister has taken the habit of handwringing to new heights.

She agrees with every complaint about the health system but never does anything about it.

We must admit there were other OSCAR winning performances and some other Ministers got very close to an award.

There were a lot of nominations for Rick BARKER.

He was nominated by the Mongrel Mob for his unforgettable part as a freedom fighter in the political hit “Home Alone Detention”.

During his performance as the Minister of Freedom – especially for violent offenders - Rick Barker threw open the doors of the prison system – and left them open.

Rick, the Labour Party and every do-gooder woolly liberal in New Zealand is proud of you!

Everyone else thinks it’s a waste of space around a cabinet table.

Others are worthy of mention:

TREVOR MALLARD: For creating the movie “Red Education” and bringing in all surviving member of Mao’s Red Guard to act as extras.

MARGARET WILSON deserves a special commendation for creating the longest political soap opera in history, entitled “ The Treaty Settlement Millennium Programme”.

This soap is running for at least 156,000 weekly episodes at the present rate of progress.

JUDITH TIZARD: For miming in her role as the Minister of Auckland. Can anyone name one thing she has done for Auckland.

PAREKURA HOROMIA – the Invisible Minister of Maori Affairs – Nobody understands his lines – no one knows what he is talking about. Parliament is going to get an English interpreter to translate what he is saying in English.

MARK BURTON: The Arnold Schwarzenegger of New Zealand politics. Almost single-handed he has destroyed the New Zealand armed forces! Osama bin Laden could not have done better.

But back to the Budget and we must admit that this is a good Budget for some people.

It is a good budget – as long as you are not a pensioner trying to live on a fixed income with soaring power bills.

It is a good budget - as long as you don’t need an eye or hip operation and have been dumped off a hospital waiting list.

It is a good budget – as long as you are not an exporter trying to cope with a rising New Zealand dollar.

It is a good budget - as look as your house does not suffer from leaky building syndrome and you expect someone to be accountable.

It is a good budget – as long as you don’t mind a cold shower and long cold winter nights.

It is a good budget – as long as you are not a New Zealander squeezed out by foreigners while trying to get a proper education for your children in the school of your choice.

It is a good budget –if you don’t mind overseas companies taking all our resources and giving little in return.

It is a good budget – as long as you don’t mind the road and rail system being in a total shambles.

It is a good budget – as long as you are not a victim of crime trying desperately to get hold of a police officer.

It is a good budget – as long as you are not a Maori living on a dirt floor in Northland waiting for a job – a Treaty settlement or even some electricity.

It is a good budget – if you are not a struggling family trying to educate, clothe and feed your children.

It is a GREAT budget – if you are not a small business struggling with compliance costs and soaring overheads and bureaucratic red tape.

This in fact is a bogus budget for just about every New Zealander.

It tried to portray New Zealand as a nation basking in the warm glow of prosperity.

But the facade of prosperity that the Budget seeks to contrive rests on one factor - massive consumptive immigration.

And every sound economist in New Zealand will explain that to this bunch of actors, pretending to be a Labour government.

They have shamelessly used a flood of immigration to generate a phony feel good factor.

An unprecedented and ongoing infusion of migrants has created a superficial boom in consumption and housing expenditure.

This economic policy is akin to a drunken spree – exhilarating and euphoric while it lasts but with the day of reckoning to follow

The day of reckoning is fast approaching for this government

Below the facade the New Zealand economy is in deep trouble

No significant new industries or enterprises are emerging under this Government.

Our infrastructure – from electricity generation to transport - is in a woeful state.

Structural imbalances have been ignored.

The balance of payments is plunging deeply in deficit.

The hollowing out of the economic base has proceeded unchecked as productive assets have continued to pass into foreign hands.

And what is the price we have paid for this bogus boom?

The loss of New Zealand’s distinctive demographic and cultural identity.

Just like they did between 1984 and 1990 – the Labour government is betraying the rights of ordinary New Zealanders by giving away our country.

Immigrants and overstayers now have more rights and privileges than native New Zealanders.

This is tantamount to treachery and treason and it should be treated as such.

Never in my lifetime did I expect to see this country slump into the depths of the Third World.

It is happening in front of us and future generations will look back at these politicians who abused and sold their birthright with contempt and shame.

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