Peter Dunne is hoping for a deal before the next election.
Peter Dunne is hoping for a deal before the next election.
KEY POINTS:
United Future leader Peter Dunne, whose party is Labour's support partner, last night blasted Helen Clark's team for taking his party for granted and effectively began a courtship with National.
"It's not good enough to treat support parties as toys on a shelf, to be picked up anddusted off as needed and then dumped unceremoniously once a new game comes along," he told the Tawa Rotary Club.
Mr Dunne wants some recognition from Labour now of United Future's possible relevance after the next election.
Not only that, he wants National to begin developing a relationship with his party now - while he is a Labour support partner - "to the point where people can see a viable government arrangement emerging".
Mr Dunne, who has a confidence and money supply agreement to support Labour, criticised Labour for having a "wandering eye" for the Greens, who have an agreement only to abstain on confidence votes.
"What is the point of being the loyal and dutiful one when the other party is out there playing fast and loose with the field?
"To use the analogy of a marriage, there comes a time even in the most stable and productive of relationships when the wandering eye of one partner ceases to be just an annoyance and becomes a major problem."
Mr Dunne also attacked National deputy leader Bill English for discussions he had had with "business audiences in private meetings" about the possibility of the Maori Party supporting National after the next election.
He saw it as "an arrogant dismissal" by National of United Future and New Zealand First, Labour's other support partner.
Mr Dunne's caucus has been cut to just two after the defection the day before the Budget of Gordon Copeland.
Mr Dunne, also the Minister of Revenue, was reported yesterday as saying that adjustment to tax rate thresholds would be the best way to deliver tax cuts in the next Budget.
Finance Minister Dr Cullen dismissed it as "very much his view".
"We have got a long way to go before we are looking at next year's Budget and looking at what a long-term programme from the Labour Party's perspective might look like."
