Thongs brandished in House 'flip-flop' war

Darren Hughes joins other Labour MPs in making fun of National's poll performance. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Gloating Government ministers taunted the National Party and leader Don Brash yesterday after its slump in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey.

The party's "flip-flop" in favour of the Superannuation Fund and Dr Brash's decision to oppose the Civil Union Bill that he once supported also came in for jibes.

For visual effect, Labour MPs pulled out thongs during the speech in Parliament of acting Prime Minister Michael Cullen whenever he used the word "flip-flop".

The poll showed National's support had fallen to 30.4 per cent and Labour's had grown to 50.1 per cent. In the preferred Prime Minister stakes, encumbent Helen Clark was on 57.8 per cent support and Dr Brash on 20.3 per cent.

Dr Brash was conducting a pre-recorded television interview at the time with Kim Hill and not in the House.

But Deputy Gerry Brownlee and longest-serving National MP Lockwood Smith counter-attacked on the Government's own "flip-flops", including its moratorium on the closure of schools and its decision to oppose race-based legislation.

Dr Cullen said National had got into a parlous state because it was weak and because of its "flip-flops".

He personalised his attack, saying National's strategy had combined "five fatal ingredients".

"Firstly, the moral strength and purpose of Murray McCully; secondly, the firm hand of Tony Ryall; thirdly, the stability and reliability of Nick Smith; fourthly, the intellect of Gerry Brownlee; and finally, the oratorical skills of Dr Brash himself.

"With all of that, the wonder is that they are still getting 30 per cent support."

Dr Cullen said National's decision on the Government's Superannuation Fund was "a better retreat than Rommel ever organised in the North African desert".

Energy Minister Pete Hodgson said National was "undecided, divided and derided".

Education Minister Trevor Mallard told the House about the sweepstake he had devised over possible new combinations for National Party leader and deputy.

The lowest odds were on former leader Bill English with finance spokesman John Key as deputy, 5 to 2, on a par with Mr Key as leader and Mr Brownlee as deputy.

Social Development Minister Steve Maharey disagreed with the view of Herald correspondent John Armstrong that it was not time for National to panic.

"My advice is: panic now.

"My advice is to run screaming through the corridors.

"My advice is to start wearing a placard that states on both sides 'The end is nigh'."

Mr Maharey said the only so-called leadership Dr Brash had shown was in his Orewa speech, "which was one of the most disgusting examples of trying to calculatedly divide New Zealanders over the race issue that this country has ever seen".

Dr Smith said it was all very well for the Government to gloat over the poll result - "a good poll result, I accept".

"But what they should remember is this: polls go up and polls can go down very fast. Remember one little word - Orewa.

"Orewa is in my electorate. I was there. I saw what happened and I saw this Labour Government not just flip-flop after Orewa - this Labour Government turned damned somersaults."

He said the Government had thought it had conned New Zealanders when it said it would no longer support racially based legislation, but "the public is not stupid".

Mr Brownlee said Mr Mallard "buckled like a cripple" after a little bit of pressure on the closure of public schools.

The Orewa speech had the Government "in complete panic" promising a review of race-based policies and it had done another "flip-flap" when it had not followed through.

"This is not a Government that has a clear idea of where New Zealand should be heading."