Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party Deputy Leader

20 December 2004

More of the same from the same 'tired old faces'

National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee says Helen Clark's reshuffle signals "more of the same ideological PC mumbo jumbo that the Prime Minister's presided over for the past five years".

"Suddenly nothing changed," says Mr Brownlee, who is commenting on today's reshuffle of the same "tired old faces" in the Labour Cabinet.

"Hard working Kiwis still won't get a share of New Zealand's economic gains because of a nanny state tax and spend philosophy. Meantime, Labour will allow the gap with Australia to grow further.

"The ingrained culture of welfare dependency won't change, and neither will the current Government's activist interpretation of the Treaty - no matter who's running the propaganda campaign.

"Parents will still be denied a choice in their children's education, patients will still be dying waiting for heart surgery and law-abiding Kiwis will still have to call 111 and scream if they want help from the police.

"This is not so much a reshuffle, but a convenient political fire-wall for Helen Clark and her ministers who will now try to absolve themselves of responsibility for the mistakes they've made over the past five years by blaming their predecessor.

"Labour has spent most of this year trying to give the impression it is making change. This reshuffle is merely part of that wider spin campaign.

"If New Zealanders want real change they have to vote National. Labour is a leopard that can't change its spots," says Mr Brownlee

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