Interview the leaders VI: United Future

Written By: - Date published: 4:47 pm, April 28th, 2008 - 19 comments
Categories: interview, united future - Tags: , , , , , , ,

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Thanks to ACT leader Rodney Hide for participating in our ‘Interview the leaders’ series this morning. Our next leader is the Maori Party’s Tariana Turia.

The general question remains:

Of which of your achievements in politics are you most proud?

For the two other questions we’ve gone with Higherstandard’s question:

Can you envisage a NZ when there is no need for Maori seats in parliamanent ?

and Daveo’s question:

Having an ethnic-based party makes a lot of sense when faced with a dominant settler majority often hostile to indigenous rights, but how do you intend to address the fundamental economic and class contradictions inherent in drawing support from both powerful Maori business interests and the large Maori working class?

While we haven’t been able to cover everything you asked we have emailed Turia a link to the questions post so she can have a look at your issues. We’re expecting to post her answers next Monday.

In the meantime, our next leader is the United Future’s Peter Dunne. You can place your questions for him in the comments section of this post. Reminder: tough but fair.

19 comments on “Interview the leaders VI: United Future ”

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  1. Santi 1
    28 April 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Question for Mr. Dunne:

    Could you please list the achievements of the Children’s Commission?

    Please be precise and offer tangible examples of what New Zealand families have gained over the past few years as a result of the Commission’s existence?

  2. Gooner 2
    28 April 2008 at 10:14 pm

    Peter, who cuts your hair?

  3. Wayne 3
    28 April 2008 at 10:52 pm

    Your values seem to be more in line with National’s than Labour’s. Why have you supported Labour rather than National over the last two terms?

  4. Felix 4
    28 April 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Hmm, awkward.

    This thread’s been open all evening with only one serious question being raised for Mr Dunne – and it’s about his hair.

    I guess no-one from Ohariu visits the Standard.

  5. r0b 5
    28 April 2008 at 11:57 pm

    (1) Given your record of supporting the EFB up to the final reading, then voting against it, how can United Future ever again be trusted to act with the courage of its convictions?

    (2) Social indicators over the last 18 years (9 years of National government, 9 years of Labour led government) conclusively show that the Labour has been better for families. How then can a family friendly party like UF contemplate supporting a National government after the next election?

    (3) Can you work in a formal coalition with the Greens or the Maori party? If not, why not?

  6. AncientGeek 6
    29 April 2008 at 12:35 am

    Your values seem to be more in line with National’s than Labour’s.

    Hey I can answer that. Probably the same reason I do. I’m distinctly center or even right of centre most of the time.

    But National has never had any imagination. They just keep saying tax-cuts and pulling out social issues of little consequence + the immigration, crime, and racism cards all of the time. They have screwed up in government far too often for me to give them another chance to do so.

    At least Labour has a track record of getting quite a lot right in government even when they do it with the very grudging approval of their left. They show imagination even when they don’t really want to.

    I liked the “Definition of Terms used” Richard Hurst used on NZ right wing Leftie. Apart from the “Anti- the Electoral Finance Act” – I’ve been involved in ground-level politics too long to agree with that.

  7. spanner 7
    29 April 2008 at 8:50 am

    Peter Dunne -why the increase in family breakdown and fatherlessness?
    What is the family commission doing about it?

  8. Ari 8
    30 April 2008 at 3:58 pm

    Felix- I’m from Ohariu, (sigh) but my moments of agreeing with Dunne are rare- restricted to isolated incidents usually based around the fact that he’s pro-human rights, at least when it doesn’t involve acknowledging white male privilege.

    My question would be: Why do you support the removal of the Maori seats when there is effectively a referendum on them every term, as Maori can decide which electoral role they are members of?

  9. Sam Dixon 9
    30 April 2008 at 4:06 pm

    whoo, not many serious questions for the Dunner.

    How about:

    You regularly call for cross-party concensus on issues, the latest being the Electoral Finance Act, broadband, and the Emissions Trading Scheme. Isn’t democracy about parties presenting different policy choices and the people having the chance to decide which they prefer?

  10. higherstandard 10
    2 May 2008 at 10:03 am

    The recently released Medicines NZ covers highlights a number of issues regarding pharmaceutical supply in NZ.

    Do you believe it will do anything to address the following.

    1 . delays that are being experienced with medicine registrations via Medsafe (delays of more than two years are not uncommon).

    2. PHARMAC’s continued blockade against funding new pharmaceuticals. While PHARMAC do an admirable job in keeping the prices down of available pharmaceuticals, clinicians in NZ have poor access to medicines which are commonly available overseas. As an anecdotal case in point bicalutamide for Prostate Cancer has been registered in NZ for many years but never funded – it was given a high priority by PHARMAC’s clinIcal advisors in May last year as it was less expensive and superior to the currently available alternative however it remains unfunded and my patients continue having to take an inferior medicine or pay for bicalutamide – this situation is patently absurd.

  11. Matthew Pilott 11
    2 May 2008 at 10:35 am

    What policy will your priority if you form part of the government after the 2008 election?

    What are potential dealbrakers to United Future joining a coalition with the other parties likely to be represented in the House after the election?

    (cap – matthew’s arrested – I hope that doesn’t prove to be strangely precient)

  12. George 12
    2 May 2008 at 2:19 pm

    Mr Dunne

    Why were you so grumpy before the last election?

  13. Robinsod 13
    2 May 2008 at 2:28 pm

    Peter – how do you define “common sense” and how does one recognise it?

  14. WendyC 14
    2 May 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Why do you continue to support a Government that has banned me from smacking my kids?

  15. Macky 15
    2 May 2008 at 3:11 pm

    Do you support free primary healthcare (GP visits)? Would this require a nationalised primary healthcare provider(s)?

  16. Ted 16
    2 May 2008 at 6:04 pm

    United Future has just released a pretty comprehensive health policy. When it comes to post-election negotiations, are concessions on health policy a high priority for United Future?

    Would you consider taking the post of Speaker in a future Government?

    Do you believe the modern Labour party is significantly different from the one you were part of when you first stood as a Labour candidate?

    Do you believe there is a clear preference amongst United Future voters as to which party you should support after the election?

    Which MP from a party other than your own do you find your views most closely align with?

  17. Peak Oil Conspiracy 17
    3 May 2008 at 1:44 am

    Ted:

    This is a great question:

    Which MP from a party other than your own do you find your views most closely align with?

    I would suggest modifying the wording slightly, to elicit more information:

    Which MP from a party other than your own do you find your views most closely align with; and why?

  18. George 18
    3 May 2008 at 8:08 pm

    How many votes do you think the Gordon Copeland Party and the taito Field Party may take from United Future at the election?

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