Hon Christopher Finlayson

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Attorney-General) : I will tell the House about two really inspirational events I have attended in the last few days—not just the National Party conference.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Porirua secondary schools’ Malaga production, and I am sure Winnie Laban would agree with me that the kids out there put in a great effort. After watching their dress rehearsal some weeks ago, it was fantastic to see their efforts pay off in a high-quality and enthusiastic performance. Last Saturday evening I attended the finals of the secondary schools’ chamber music competition in Christchurch. Four of the finalist groups were from Burnside High School, the former Prime Minister’s—the Prime Minister’s—old school. A Burnside High School trio eventually won the competition. I was wondering as I was watching both the groups just what makes them so good. The thing that turned them from enjoyable experiences to uplifting experiences was the sight of enthusiastic and positive young people putting their all into an enterprise and enjoying it. What a parallel is the attitude of those young people with the attitude of our Prime Minister! After 9 years of the brooding, Nixonian menace of a woman with chips on both shoulders, perhaps we have grown used to Helen Clark’s viciousness and unkindness. But John Key is a completely different character. He is bright, positive, and very enthusiastic. Has there ever been a time in New Zealand’s political history when there has been a greater difference between the two parties?

Hon Trevor Mallard: That’s a very old one—very old. Don’t use that, Chris. Is the member proud of Muldoon’s lines?

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I regret to tell Mr Mallard that Labour is in worse shape than at any time in its history. I do not know whether the gravity of the situation has actually hit Labour members, but I suspect from their general look of despair and their braying that they know they face a very long time in Opposition.

New Zealand’s greatest political historian, Michael Bassett, wrote a book called Working with David, which could perhaps have been called “Working Against David”. He described the last caucus he attended in 1990 after Labour had been thumped, when Helen Clark stood up and promised she would do anything, no matter how unprincipled or vicious, to regain the Treasury benches. But that is the old Labour Party approach. The Listener tell us that Helen Clark is off in New York brooding, and plaguing her colleagues with texts. Indeed, she was so anxious to get the inside oil that she invited the Hon Darren Hughes over to visit her. So keen was she on having “Sir Darren” visit her that she arranged for Ministerial Services to take him to the airport in a Crown car.

She knows that the present-day Labour Party is in a shocking condition. It is in a worse condition than after Peter Fraser led it to defeat in 1949, after Walter Nash led it to defeat in 1960, and after Bill Rowling led it to defeat in 1975, and even worse than the state it was in after Mike Moore led it to defeat in 1990. The Labour Party really needs some advice, and, being the charitable sort of chap I am, I am here to provide it. I have some advice to offer the Labour Party. I offer it because I have great respect for the traditions of the Labour Party. I have great respect for the party. I believe that it has lost its way. So my advice to the Labour Party—and I hope the mother of the Electoral Finance Act listens very carefully—is to stop, take a breath, cut out the smearing, cut out the innuendo, and cut out the dirty tricks and the arrogance--

Hon Darren Hughes: This guy just slags people off all the time.

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: —I tell Mr Hughes, because New Zealanders do not like it. They did not like it during the last 9 years and they did not like it during the election campaign. My advice to the Labour Party is to concentrate on policy, get some new ideas, communicate those new ideas to the public, engage with the public, and listen to them. But until that happens, no amount of Listener articles with good shepherd - style photographs of Phil Goff will help Labour’s poll numbers. It is time the Labour Party listened to the advice. This is not a speech about personalities; this is a speech about contrasts and about advice I really want to offer the Labour Party. We are a positive Government. We are an optimistic Government. We have a great belief in the potential of New Zealand. But the Opposition is negative. It is stuck in the past and it needs to change.