Trust Labour? Yeah right!
Within one hour of Transit dropping the bombshell of a $685 million funding shortfall that would halt or delay long-overdue roading projects, the acting Finance Minister said this wasn't acceptable. However, the Transport Minister said during Parliament's question time on Wednesday that he couldn't guarantee that the Government could make up this shortfall. Oops!
Still the blunders continued. Today on National Radio the Transport Minister said the Government would somehow make up this gap, but the CEO of Transit went on to contradict the Minister by not giving an undertaking to change the programme until he saw the details of the funding plan. What a mess!
This highlights the lack of lateral thinking that exists within the Government and its agencies. Petrol tax and tolls shouldn't be the only two options for funding. Roads are a vital part of our long-term infrastructure and will benefit generations to come. More funding avenues should be explored with the long-term horizon in mind.
The Government's lack of credibility has been a main theme in Parliament since it resumed last week, and was the major theme in my reply to the Prime Minister's opening speech.
Every year the Prime Minister has the floor during the first session of Parliament to tell everyone about the Government's plans for the coming year, and most Prime Ministers manage to create some kind of atmosphere. This year, Helen Clark could barely keep her colleagues awake for the full 45 minutes of her speech. She used lots of vague terms, such as productivity and growth, without defining them, and gave no practical solutions beyond reviews to help our faltering economy or really improve living standards for all New Zealanders. The best thing Georgina Beyer could say in her speech following the Prime Minister's was that it was a ��pretty good statement' - that comment, along with Helen Clark's speech, is hardly the stuff that inspires nations.
I have noticed that Labour MPs have been looking dispirited and tired in the House. Losing 11 seats at the election was a huge blow, but worse is yet to come. Labour places its fortunes with Helen Clark, but she has used up all of her credit with the public.
Labour's overspending of campaign funds and the misuse of the Leader's fund for election purposes isn't the first time Helen Clark's integrity has been called into question. Why didn't she tell the charity that wanted her to paint an artwork that she couldn't? Why can't she tell New Zealand what she told a Sunday newspaper about what Peter Doone did or didn't say? Why did she put a civilian driver and police officers through the courts for a decision made by her entourage to go well over the speed limit? And the biggest question of all: Why hasn't she and Labour paid back the $440,000 they owe?
If Labour are looking to their new Ministers to provide inspiration, they will be disappointed. Take Immigration Minister David Cunliffe. On the front page of a recent edition of Indian Newslink he was pictured posing under the headline of ��Reprieve on the cards for overstayers'. Apparently he has decided that the number of overstayers is getting out of hand, so his solution is to allow these people to re-apply for their visas, permits or for residence. He says conditions for these people will be harsher than for those who apply from overseas.
This new policy lacks credibility for two reasons:
- Labour claimed in 2000 that their conditional amnesty policy was necessary because they inherited overstayers from the previous government. But under their management there are 21,000 overstayers in New Zealand.
- If overstayers can't meet conditions set out in the normal criteria, how would they be able to pass under tougher conditions? Where is the Minister's logic?
It is now widespread practise by Labour Ministers to tailor different messages for the ethnic and then the wider communities. When was David Cunliffe going to tell the rest of the country about his plans?
While New Zealand waits with bated breath to see if Helen Clark will come down off her pedestal and pay back the mis-used election pledge card funds, her credibility and that of Labour's will continue to spiral downward.
