THE NEW WRITE

Official Newsletter of the New Zealand Young Nationals

4th December 2001

"I have been accused of vanity, and everyone knows that I am one of the most modest people in this Parliament."
-Winston Peters

1. EDITORIAL - POLLS, OR PRINCIPLES?
2. BAILOUT NOW COSTS $1B
3. GREENS WITHDRAW CONFIDENCE
4. WAFFLE OF THE WEEK
5. TOP TEN SIGNS YOU WORK FOR THE ALLIANCE
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

1. EDITORIAL: POLLS, OR PRINCIPLES?

The Prime Minister’s decision to keep Tariana Turia in her job, despite
breaking fundamental ministerial rules, is yet another example of the Labour
Party running the country via opinion polls.

In June last year Helen Clark promised that Dover Samuels would keep his
ministerial job if he was cleared of all charges. He was, but Clark changed
her mind and sacked him before police had even finished their
investigations. Why? Because polls showed Samuels was a liability.

Then late last year Helen Clark dropped a bombshell by scrapping the
“Closing the Gaps” programme. Less than 12 months earlier she described
this as the Government’s flagship policy, it’s most important measure of
success. Yet she dropped it because polls showed pakeha New Zealand was
unhappy with special treatment for Maori.

This cynical process has been repeated again and again. Hobbs and Bunkle
were also tried by media; the PM sacked them both when public opinion turned against them. Turia was spared because Maori supported her. And in probably the worst case, the Government dithered on supporting the US in the war against terrorism.

Immediately after the September 11 attacks, Helen Clark was lukewarm in supporting US military action. However within two weeks the PM had changed
tack and was pledging SAS troops. Why the change? The reason is a UMR poll (Labour always uses UMR) which found the public overwhelmingly in support of the US.

This is politics at its most cynical. Who needs an opinion poll to tell us
which side we should be on? The US are our friends, and true friends don’t
wait for spin doctoring advice before standing up to defend each other.

Some may ask what’s wrong with this approach – with listening to the
public and acting accordingly. But it shows an utter lack of principles, and
a lack of a belief in Right or Wrong. Labour are not concerned with making
the best decision for NZ; they are concerned with what will win the most
votes. Even the Alliance and Greens, although they are loony lefties,
deserve respect because at least they believe in something and are prepared
to stand up for it.

Labour’s approach also shows a lack of conviction. They are unprepared to
try and debate the issues, or to convince critics and the public that their
course of action is best. It is lazy politics, pandering to the lowest
denominator.

Labour will never have the internal ructions of the Alliance because they
have no principles to sell out. Their only ideology is to gain power. But as
Alexander Hamilton said, “Those who stand for nothing, will fall for
anything.”

2. BAILOUT NOW COSTS $1B

The Government bailout of Air New Zealand is now costing taxpayers over 1
billion dollars and there is no guarantee thats where it will end, says
Nationals Associate Finance spokesperson David Carter.

This follows last week's announcement that the Government is paying an
average of 26c per share and that it is coughing up a further $150 million
into the recapitalisation programme.

The public of New Zealand quite rightfully are wanting to know why the
Government wants to play airline investor when the health and education
sectors, the core functions of government, are in such a shambles, says Mr
Carter.

"What we have here is a Government way out of its depth in matters of
economic management. They are not business people - they have demonstrated this throughout the entire Air New Zealand saga."

National MP Murray McCully says that taxpayers have "been ripped".

"Because the omniscient St Helen was stupid enough to tell shareholders not
to sell their shares, cutting the ground completely out from under the Crown
negotiators. From that moment a strategy which would get 100% of the company for $885 million became impossible because of the need to protect St Helen's butt."

3. GREENS WITHDRAW CONFIDENCE

The Green Party has withdrawn it's confidence in the Government today in a
symbolic but meaningless move.

In Parliament the Greens abstained from a vote of confidence in support of
the Air NZ bailout and creating the new Super fund.

Green co-leader Rod Donald said the move was a "once-off" to show the
Government that their support could not be taken for granted.

National Leader Bill English said that the vote shows Labour is facing
growing instability. "The Government ends 2001 facing an election year
without a viable coalition partner and the Greens saying don't call us."

4. WAFFLE OF THE WEEK

This is not a joke - this is an actual statement made by Maori Affairs
Minister Parekura Horomia last week. There is a prize for anyone who can
tell me what he is actually saying.

"Quite clearly that sort of benchmark in the sense of employment proper in
the pure labour market is then aligned against a commerciality that doesn't
take cognisance, or is too friendly to Maori progression in the sense of
banking availability lined up against our multiplicity of our land tenure."

5. TOP TEN SIGNS YOU WORK FOR THE ALLIANCE

1. You get locked out of your office for supporting party policy.

2. You are one of twenty three people who knew that John Wright was the
Leader of the Democrats for ten years.

3. There used to be more furniture in the office until Alamein Kopu left.

4. The Democrats want to hold their conference in the stationery cupboard.

5. You keep mistaking Kevin Campbell for a parliamentary messenger.
(Yes, he's an MP. We checked.)

6. Grant Gillon keeps offering to lend you his 'Hustler' collection.

7. You wonder why your identity card says "Parliamentary Services" when all
you do is Alliance party work all day.

8. Matt McCarten borrows you to drive the mayoral campaign Skoda up and down Ponsonby Road.

9. Nine out of ten calls to your office are from old people with annoying
British accents.

10. Your contacts database crashes every time you search for Phillida
Bunkle's home address.

Courtesy of St Molesworth:
www.geocities.com/stmolesworth

6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

www.thelemonadegame.com

The original old school game from the 1980s which taught you to be a filthy
capitalist. See how much money you can make through selling lemonade - you have to buy your stock, set prices, make up a recipe and deal with the
fickle weather and customers.

Thanks to Clint Heine for this site, one of the few clean websites he has
ever sent me.

Any views expressed here are not necessarily those of New Zealand Young
Nationals, or the New Zealand National Party.

Contributions, feedback, articles and subscriptions welcome. Email
newwrite@national.org.nz

Editor: Phil Rennie

© Scoop Media