Making Headlines For All The Wrong Reasons

Sun, 21 Jul 2002

Green Co-leader Rod Donald is laughing off the latest Labour attempt to portray the party as anti-growth.

"Labour's 'headline' ad campaign is so bad it's funny," Rod Donald said.

"I invite any readers who have actually noticed the ads to try substituting real headlines for Labour's made-up ones.

"Their make-believe headlines weren't nearly as interesting as the real ones running in Saturday's papers: 'No time to ratify Kyoto,' 'Latest ban will keep 50,000 students home' and 'Air NZ - Qantas deal almost set.

' "Today, Labour upped the ante with a bigger ad in the Sunday Star-Times but, again, fact was more compelling than fiction.

How about 'Supporters surprised at Labour's insignificant impact on wages' or 'GE ban wouldn't cripple research' or 'Labour's last ditch begging blitz begins.

' from the same paper? "Voters don't need make-believe 'shock' headlines - this Government is generating more than enough of its own.

" Rather than losing jobs, the Green Party's Buy New Zealand Made strategy would in fact create 64,000 new positions by reducing reliance on imported goods like food, shoes and paper.

"New Zealand has run a trade deficit for six of the last seven years and every year we import more than we export, it effectively means we're shedding jobs.

" Rod Donald says the whole scare campaign is only a smokescreen.

"We're not buying into Labour's phoney war," he said.

"The 'safe hands' that Labour claims have been managing the economy for the last two and half years have been kept steady through Green support.

These ads are just desperate, final week electioneering, and have no other significance.

"Voters are wise enough to recognize that after the election Labour will be more than happy to talk to the Greens, as the only party that shares most of its social justice goals.

And if that means Labour extending the GE moratorium - don't be surprised."

Ends

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