Media statement
For immediate release

Monday, 23 August 2004

''It’s the voters, stupid!''

United Future leader Peter Dunne says ACT leader Rodney Hide’s political inexperience is beginning to show through.

“Mr Hide has reportedly been misleading the few Auckland voters who bothered to turn up to an ACT meeting that the voters would punish me for not telling New Zealanders which major political party United Future would support after the next election,” said Mr Dunne.

“This simply shows Mr Hide has not been paying attention. Ever since the last election, United Future has consistently said it would, in the first instance, seek to negotiate a supporting arrangement with the party to whom the voters gave the greatest number of seats in Parliament.

“Even the meanest intelligence ought to be able to comprehend that.

“Mr Hide makes a great virtue out of the assertion that ACT would support National. That means nothing, of course, since no other party would even contemplate allying itself with a tiny, low-polling, far-right party that has consistently been rejected by the voters of New Zealand,” said Mr Dunne.

“By contrast, United Future, as a sensible, pragmatic, centrist party, is well-placed to co-operate with either of the major parties to deliver the Government New Zealanders want.”

Ends

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