by frog
National Leader Don Brash has called on Labour to debate “the issues that are important to New Zealanders” in the final week of the campaign. He says:
During this campaign voters have been served up distraction after distraction generated by our political opponents. They have constantly sought to divert attention away from the issues that matter.
This is self-important rubbish. That Brash’s credibility is on the election agenda is entirely of his own doing. He gave a speech back in May saying:
I certainly wanted no part in the culture of evasion, deceit and half-truth that has sometimes been seen as an inevitable part of politics, and which certainly pervades Helen Clark and the Labour Party. We have now seen eight Cabinet Ministers depart for a variety of reasons, including telling lies…
I want you to know that the credibility of Helen Clark, the ability of our Prime Minister to tell the truth, the ability of her Ministers to tell the truth and to give honest answers in our Parliament, is firmly on the agenda as an issue for the 2005 general election. I make no apology for that. New Zealanders have had enough of the culture of evasion, deceit and half-truth which characterises not just this Prime Minister but her Cabinet, and in a few weeks’ time they will have the opportunity to do something about it.
Now that Brash’s credibility is on the line – because, as he has admitted, he misled New Zealanders during an election campaign – it’s a “distraction”?!! What downright hypocrisy.
When Dr Brash says the election campaign should be about the issues important to New Zealanders, what he really means is that the only things he wants to talk about are tax cuts and “Maori privilege”. Also, what he really means is that he is only really qualified to talk about those two things, because on everything else he flaps around, hopelessly unable to master the detail of even his own party’s policies.
The war on Iraq is a diversion. Our anti-nuclear legislation is a diversion. His flip-flops on forestry and health subsidies are diversions. His ability to tell the truth to the public is a diversion (but Helen Clark’s is not). The only things that aren’t diversions are tax cuts and Maori stuff. There’s only one true path, and Dr Brash is telling the media where to find it.
Published in Campaign by frog on Sun, September 11th, 2005
Tags: environment
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
This is fanatastic!
He’s fallen in to his own trap!
Being forced to play to his weaknesses (ie. the real issues).
This can only be a good thing for the voters.
The best thing that labour could do (imo) is to ablige.
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But again, the things Brash says can’t possibly be diversions;
“my wife, who’s from Singapore”
“mainstream New Zealanders”
and what about the things he doesn’t say? Haven’t heard him mention “pakeha priviledge” once, never mind “male supremacy in Cabinet”. Katherine Rich must have superhuman powers of forgiveness/amnesia to be able to beat up anti-Labour stories in her electorate, given the contempt for her views expressed by Don Brash earlier this year.
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