Eye To Eye With The PM Rt Hon. Helen Clark

EYE TO EYE with WILLIE JACKSON
TVONE SATURDAY 9.30am

Eye To Eye With The Prime Minister Rt Hon. Helen Clark

The Prime Minister has stepped back from the controversy surrounding the decision by Mighty River Power, a government owned enterprise, to cut the Muliaga family's power and is waiting for the issue to be dealt with in the courts.

This week Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson has an exclusive one-on-one interview with Prime Minister Helen Clark. Despite being the sole shareholder in Mighty River Power and receiving a $59billion dollar dividend Clark says supporting the state owned enterprise was political suicide.

"Think of the counter factual. If the government had put up the shutters, absolutely defended the SOE what would people be saying? That's just not a tenable position.

What's come out of this is that some companies have been disconnecting far too harshly. Others have better practises. The new guidelines are going to bring everyone up to standard. We have to send a signal that we expect SOE's above any company about how to treat vulnerable customers."

It’s been a tumultuous six months for the Labour government as they continue to battle National's growing popularity in the polls. Now, over a year out from Election 2008, how big a threat is the Maori Party to Labour's traditional but tenuous hold on the Maori seats?

No threat at all it seems, according to the Prime Minister, who says her Maori MP's are exceptional performers.

"It's part of the heritage of the Labour party. Steeped in our mythology is the relationship that Michael Joseph savage formed with TW Ratana. We've got wonderful Ministers in the Maori seats and we're backing them to the hilt. We have Parekura who will have to be the best networker in Maoridom. You've got Nanaia who's incredibly able, incredibly able."

Helen Clark says she wants another term in government and is not fazed by John Key's growing popularity in the polls.

"He is the fifth leader of National that I've faced and every leader has been talked up. At the end of the day people are going to make a judgement who's delivered the goods."

This week Clark's close friend, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair handed over the reigns to his successor Gordon Brown. But the Prime Minister wouldn't be drawn in to naming her successor.

"I don't think you should ever name your successor. Tony said before this would be his last one. What I'm telling you is I'm in for the next. I love setting records. I've set a few in my time."

Watch Eye to Eye with Willie Jackson this week for our interview with Prime Minister Helen Clark - Saturday on TV1 at 9.30am.

EYE TO EYE CELEBRATES IT'S 100TH EPISODE!!

Join Willie and over 100 invited guests for his one-hour special to celebrate this very significant milestone. That's next Saturday 7 July 2007 on TV1 at the earlier time of 0900am.

ENDS

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