Alliance Party says it will take more than a motorbike to fix what is wrong with Labour

Alliance Party media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday 14 September 2009

The Alliance Party has welcomed the Labour Party taking on board two of its central policies – but is asking why they have suddenly changed tack when they are outside Government after nine years of doing nothing on these two important issues.

Labour leader Phil Goff recently confused the public by praising capitalism at a time when the global economic system is in meltdown and distancing Labour from its historical roots.

But now Mr Goff seems to have a different message: that Labour is prepared to do something about electricity and capital gains taxes.

Alliance Party co-leader Kay Murray welcomed his admission that Labour had failed to do anything about electricity in nine years of Government.

Ms Murray says the Alliance has long campaigned on the public control of electricity for affordable power, while Labour and National both supported the current unfair system.

"Is Mr Goff going to commit Labour to the public control of electricity for affordable power for New Zealanders, or is this just another throwaway promise?"

Labour is also looking at a capital gains tax to rein in speculation and massive price hikes in housing prices that have put home ownership out of the reach of many New Zealanders.

Ms Murray says a capital gains tax is another policy that the Alliance has long promoted – but Labour wouldn't touch with a barge pole when they had the chance to do something about it.

"Of course the question could be asked why Labour did nothing about these two very important issues and why Phil Goff seems to have a different message for different audiences."

"Perhaps it could be because their leadership has a long history of abandoning their working class voters while in Government, then conveniently 'coming home' when they are outside Government."

Ms Murray says the test for Labour will be whether it admits it was also wrong on user pays education, allowing casualization to take hold in the workforce, implementing tax cuts which benefited the better off, and free trade policies and a deregulated economy which have contributed to an unequal society.

She says that even Mr Goff's recent Labour Party conference entrance on a motorbike was embarrassing and unoriginal, as the stunt had previously been used by another has been politician desperate for attention, Winston Peters.

The Alliance represents policies that benefit the majority. And we don't just represent them when it is convenient and forget them when it is expedient. The Alliance Party is a principled party – and to get principles back into Parliament, and to keep Labour accountable – support the Alliance Party.

ENDS

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