Principled MP Shipwrecks Unprincipled Government

Friday 30 Apr 2004 Richard Prebble Press Releases -- Treaty of Waitangi & Maori Affairs

Labour's unprincipled compromises on the foreshore have just been shipwrecked by a principled MP, ACT Leader Richard Prebble said today.

"While I think Tariana Turia is mistaken in her views on the foreshore, she is not mistaken in her belief that the Labour government's legislation is unprincipled.

"There is no coherent legal or moral principle underlying Labour's bill.

"Whoever in the Prime Minster's department thought it would be clever to set up Tariana Turia, by suggesting that she lie down in the back of the PM's car, only ensured that she would resign. There is no fury greater than an MP who has been humiliated.

"The by-election itself may be just a family dispute within the Labour party. It seems hard to believe that any other party could win the by-election but the implications of this dispute may bring down the government.

"It's not just a matter of votes in parliament, Tariana Turia has exposed that this government has no moral mandate and has been engaged in unprincipled expediency. We have to question whether Labour can effectively govern and there seems no doubt that they cannot resolve the foreshore dispute", Mr Prebble said.

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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