13 September 2005

Anderton Sure NZ First Ready To Support National

"The NZ First Party has placed a large advertisement on its so-called 'post-election position' in today's New Zealand Herald which contradicts the strongly-worded statement party leader Winston Peters issued on Monday.

"Today's advertisement says NZ First will 'work constructively with whoever forms the next government.

"Yesterday's press statement said 'that the party with the most votes is entitled to form a government,' and that NZ First will facilitate this to happen.

"What is clear is that if NZ First emerges on Saturday holding the balance of power, it will have outlined such a muddy set of so-called principles that it will be able to try and rationalize whatever decision it makes on the basis of its so-called 'post-election position' which no one ever understood anyway.

"The reason NZ First is being so utterly confusing is precisely because the party doesn't want potential voters to know what its post-election intentions actually are.

"In regard to its post-election intentions, the only thing that counts is not NZ First's latest set of words or phrases but its actual record.

"In the 1996 election campaign, NZ First campaigned as the 'only party you can trust' to get rid of then Prime Minister Bolger and other National cabinet ministers.

"After the 1996 election, the Alliance offered a three-year confidence and supply agreement to a Labour-NZ First coalition, but NZ First chose instead to go into coalition with Jim Bolger and the other National cabinet ministers whom he had promised to get rid of throughout the election campaign.

"NZ First specialises in getting votes from modest and low income households and translating that support into centre-right seats in Parliament.

"There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that if NZ First emerges on Saturday holding the balance of power to choose between a Labour-led or a National-led government, then NZ First will always choose to go with National."

ENDS

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