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Leader's LetterJune 2006
Whipping up A StormThere have been harsh criticisms of us and there have been emotional criticisms. Largely they are all untrue. We, the MPs, are well aware of the critics who basically say we have become an appendage to Labour. In short, they are saying, we are just there to keep Labour in office. Well there might be some truth in the latter statement – some I say, for in a way we are there to keep the Government in office. Put simply, very few New Zealanders want an early election. That was the case shortly after the election and it is the case now. From a New Zealand First perspective, an early election would be disastrous. Make no mistake, if the Government falls over we will cop the blame. That might sound as if we have been captured, with no place to go. Some critics openly state that and conveniently overlook our side of the debate. But take a closer look at the position we found ourselves in after the last election. The election was held and the votes were counted. We were on record of saying we would remain in the centre, aligned to nobody. But was that possible? In reality when the “cards were dealt”, that was not an option. To sit unaligned would undoubtedly have resulted in a second election, certainly within the first year. Should we have worried? Should we have cared? Without a shadow of doubt, for us to remain unaligned would have adversely affected the ability of Labour to govern and, I might add, also National, if they had presented a workable alternative. An unstable government would have resulted and this would have led to an early election. One does not have to be Einstein to work out who would take the rap. For our part, we saw an opportunity. We saw the chance to not only gain significant acceptance of our major policy concerns but also, in the longer term, to influence the political direction of this great country. You are aware of the stipulations in the Confidence and Supply agreement but they are only the start. Over the coming months you can expect the New Zealand First team to gradually, one by one, outline positive political aims. This must not simply be an aim by our MPs; you can be involved. How you might ask? Simple, give thought to the issues and present remits to our October Convention. Oak trees grow from acorns and our Convention is your chance to plant an acorn. So to conclude, make no mistake, New Zealand First is nobody’s prisoner. We are not controlled by any ideology except the ideology of fairness, efficiency and being open minded. So, starting with a breeze, moving progressively to a gale, by 2008 we intend to be ‘whipping up a storm’ in true political fashion. Be with us and enjoy the weather! Peter Brown MP
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