Peters: Events
new-zealand-first-party
Fri Jul 06 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Peters: Events
Friday, 6 July 2007, 5:08 pm
Speech: New Zealand First Party
Speech – EMBARGOED AGAINST DELIVERY
An address by Rt Hon Winston Peters to a public meeting in Christchurch on Friday 06 July 2007 in the Games Room, Cashmere Club, 50 Colombo St, Cashmere at 12:30pm
"Events".
It was former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who was once famously asked what kept him awake at night.
He replied, “Events, dear boy, events”.
There is nothing like an unexpected crisis or dealing with predictable, but unpalatable events to focus the minds of politicians.
We have had a number of events of late which have been great cause for concern to ordinary New Zealanders.
You see some New Zealanders are being kept awake at night because gangs are terrorising their neighbourhoods.
Even worse some are kept awake because our limp wristed PC system has meant that even when Housing New Zealand wants to kick gang families out, they can't.
This is outrageous.
Even worse, we have the unfortunate specter of gang apologist MPs telling us to let the gangs sort it out for themselves.
Well as we all know, the only thing gangs are sorting out is how to put more drugs and violence onto our streets and into our young people.
Their insidious practices and vile demeanor are a scourge on our society.
It is an image which Maoridom must shun and reject – rather than promote.
Maoridom is demeaned every time gangs, in all their paraphernalia, are blazoned across the six o'clock news.
How much better it was to have a prime example of Maori success built on discipline and commitment in the form of Corporal Bill Apiata of the New Zealand SAS, who received a Victoria Cross this week.
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A man far tougher than any gang member and yet a man of honour.
That is something Maoridom and all New Zealanders can take pride in.
The contrast is stark, and Corporal Apiata's success illustrates that Maori don't have to accept the gutter route of gangs to be tough – there are alternatives.
We have exporters who can't sleep at night because the high dollar is crippling them.
Some are being forced to make the gut-wrenching choice of having to close their doors and move offshore or even worse to close down altogether.
We have young people and their parents who stay awake wondering if they will ever be able to own their own home.
With sky-high interest rates and an immigration fuelled burgeoning house market, the prospect of young New Zealanders being able to own their own home gets fainter by the day.
Their parents are even more concerned that their children will actually abandon any hope of a future here in New Zealand and will join the hordes already overseas.
They wonder when and if they will ever get to see their grandchildren.
We have some in New Zealand who lie awake wondering how they will ever be able to pay their power bill.
With residential prices now 40% higher than they were five years ago, for some it has become a choice between heating and food.
This is terrible in a developed country such as ours.
We have some seniors stressed by the prospect of a National led government being cagey about stripping away their rights to increased superannuation and other policy developments.
National is developing the worst kind of split personality when it comes to critical policy matters.
John Key and Bill English have become the new "Jekyll and Hyde" of New Zealand politics.
You see we have already heard John Key rather foolishly try and defend Fay and Richwhite and now we are left wondering just what his real agenda actually is.
We hear Bill English bemoaning how generous our retirement income is – signaling that National may look to curb some of this spending. Seniors are worried.
Bill English should trying living on New Zealand Superannuation for a few weeks – then let him say its generous.
National's record when it comes to our seniors is a disgrace and John Key's soothing words will mean nothing when Bill English and his cohorts of the past again argue cut superannuation as they did in 1998.
The biggest threat to National is not Helen Clark or Labour – it is the "Jeckle and Hyde" inside their own leadership.
And while this goes on, sadly we have too many politicians of all stripes turning their head the other way saying there is nothing they can do.
That is what makes New Zealand First different from the rest – we tackle the issues the others won't.
We aren't afraid to say, ban the gangs.
We aren't afraid to say, rewrite the Reserve Bank Act.
We aren't afraid to say that high immigration has created a housing crisis which is fuelling inflation and hurting our exporters through an outrageously high dollar.
We aren't afraid to say that our seniors need a fair deal and protection. And while it may cost us a little money it is money well spent.
We stay awake at night trying to find solutions to the real problems confronting ordinary New Zealanders.
Unlike other political parties, we have been prepared to offer more than lip service to ordinary New Zealanders.
You see we in New Zealand First live by a simple motto – some talk, some do.
And we have chosen to take the path of doing.
ENDS
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