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Leader's LetterMarch 2006
ONWARD AND UPWARDWith the election well past, the Confidence and Supply Agreement finalised, and the holiday break over, we must now face the future with renewed vigour. We should not underestimate the tasks in front of us. With the loss of Tauranga and losing six talented and dedicated MPs the election was a huge disappointment. However, there was a significant plus. With the signing of the Confidence and Supply Agreement we are better able to deliver on several of our election commitments. True we cannot deliver on all of them, but nevertheless we have achieved a significant outcome. However, our task in the next three years is greater than that, far greater. We must focus on achieving six principal aims and they are all exceedingly important. Firstly we must ensure the commitments in the Confidence and Supply Agreement are delivered. This will require careful monitoring and, no doubt, fairly frequent discussions between our MPs and various Ministers. Secondly, although we are not part of government, we must ensure that there is political stability and that the government goes full term. An early election, called because of our inability to work positively with the Government, would be a disaster for us. By and large New Zealanders expect governments to go the full term. Failure for that to occur on our account (real or perceived) and we will undoubtedly be punished at the polls. This factor highlights the third aim. We must ensure that we maintain our identity. We must not be, nor appear to be, subsumed by Labour. If New Zealanders are left with that impression then we can expect the worst. Therefore, our fourth aim must be to effectively sell our message. New Zealanders must be made constantly aware of our achievements in the Confidence and Supply Agreement. Equally they must be made to know that we are a centre party which stands for a fair and just society. They should have no doubt we are a party which stands up for the rights of the average person. They must be made aware that we stand for private enterprise but also have a strong social conscience. The fifth aim is to develop our party infrastructure right throughout New Zealand. We must encourage new members and strengthen our electorates. The sixth aim of course is to develop our policies and keep up with new trends and modern ways of achieving desired outcomes. This does not mean we dispense with “old fashioned” values. Rather it is means keeping up with the play so that in 2008 when we release policies people will recognise them as being fair, operable, affordable and in the best interests of the country. These aims are not all equal, but are all very, very important. Failure or nonachievement of any one of them will cost us support. So the question is “are we up to the task?” From where I sit, the answer to that is a resounding “Yes”. So it truly is a case of “Onward and Upward”. Peter Brown MP
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