Labour asked for an urgent debate in the House today on the Waterview announcement. Smith denied it because the announcement hadn’t then taken place. A minute later Joyce made the announcement. Labour then asked leave of the House for an urgent question to Joyce, Brownlee denied leave.
What are they so afraid of? When did you ever read the headline ‘Government collapses after urgent debate’ or ‘Govt’s polls tumble after question in the House’?
It got me thinking that there is a weird pattern of cowardice to the whole way National acts. Really weird – they’ve got a solid majority.
Waterview – don’t just say ‘look we want a slightly cheaper option, stuff the community’ instead give out misleading costs and hold off announcing until the last moment to avoid questions in the House before the recess.
Supercity – come up with a plan in secret. Refuse to give details. Publish the Bills at the last minute. Ram the first one through under Urgency (don’t get me started on the Maori Party, big brave speech against the Supercity, then vote for going into Urgency to pass the Bills like good house slaves).
Why don’t they just come out and say ‘we want a city that works in the interests of big business. This is our plan. We won’t be listening to your submissions (and we’ve stacked the select committee to make sure of it). You’re not getting a referendum because you would vote against it’? That would be brave but no.
Why don’t they have the courage to say ‘we’re pro-privatisation, anti-controls on business that’s why we’re going to privatise ACC, setting up SOEs for privatisation, and why we’re gutting the RMA and the Cullen Fund’? That would be the truth but they’re scared to say it.
Go back to the campaign. National didn’t run on its principles – low regulation, low tax for the rich, low public services. It ran on ‘tax cuts: like manna from heaven and a cure for all ills’.
It shows how much they really believe in tax cuts that they’re the first thing they drop (oops, ‘defer’, must run the line if I ever want to be a real journalist). If they really believed in tax cuts they would be keeping them and slashing Working For Families or something else they oppose. They’re afraid to do what they believe in because of the cost in the polls (oops, ‘deferring tax cuts won’t hurt National, forgot the line again).
If they had the courage of their convictions, National would be open about them and encourage debate secure in the knowledge their ideals would prevail. Instead they go into overkill trying to prevent any chance for debate and always misrepresenting their own aims.
Cowardly, really.
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