INDEPENDENT NEWS

Peters : “Setting the Record Straight”

Published: Thu 30 Oct 2008 05:00 PM
Media Release – Embargoed Against Delivery
An address by Rt Hon Winston Peters to Waihi Advocacy Services Public Meeting, Waihi Friendship Hall, School Lane, Waihi at 1.30 pm, 30 October 2008
“Setting the Record Straight”
Thank you for the invitation to be here today.
New Zealand First has always enjoyed good support in the Coromandel.
You share the same values as New Zealand First – a future based on restoring New Zealand to its rightful place among the great nations of the world, a decent society that protects and saves its seniors and young people in troubled times, but most importantly it is a region that understands the sense of community that makes New Zealand great.
You have asked me to address the issue of rises in local government rates and their investments and expenditure.
We will do that – but we have also come today to talk about a travesty in our democracy.
It was New Zealand First who pushed for the Rates Review which highlighted several recommendations which have relevance for this community.
Let us briefly cover them.
First – many councils have abused the power of general competence given to them in 2002 and their spending and what they are spending on needs to be reined in.
Second – central government needs to wear many of the costs it has foisted on local councils so ratepayers are not over burdened.
And finally we must be realistic about what councils can do and how these projects should be funded.
Ultimately for New Zealand First this issue is about bringing rates under control, while delivering the services you all expect.
Now we have a question for you – are you as sick and tired as we are of the unrelenting attacks on New Zealand First?
Are you sick and tired of the half truths the foreign owned media spin – all targeting one party and one party leader?
Have you ever wondered why they are doing this?
Why have they singled out one party and have been so unrelenting in their attacks that they have worked themselves into a frenzy?
Have you ever wondered why when John Key gets caught out not telling the truth about his shares it is buried away on page six – and yet any old false accusation against Winston Peters is plastered all over the front page?
Have you ever wondered why the media are obsessing about a guy who didn’t even get an appointment – yet this is portrayed as a crime?
That when I make a decision based on the advice of my department this is a signal of wrongdoing?
Have you ever wondered why some are so low in their standards that they would harass the victim of a most violent crime to create a cheap headline to attack me?
Have you ever wondered why it is front page news every time someone falsely accuses New Zealand First and yet every time we are cleared of the same accusations the story is either not run or buried?
And that is the nub of the issue – every time an independent body has looked into New Zealand First we have been cleared.
So why the ongoing attacks – what is the truth of the matter?
Let me read you one of the supportive comments from the Herald’s own website which highlights exactly why New Zealand First is going to be back after this election.
This individual put his name on the comment but we will not publish it here.
He said:
“You know what? If the media wanted to look up some dirt on almost any other politician, I bet they would find a great deal more newsworthy story than this. This is boring.
Winston Peters makes good TV with his abrasive responses and this is maybe why the media "hate / love" him so much.
By making Winston Peters out as "the Devil" maybe someone is trying to make the rest of the house look squeaky clean when they are not, are they Mr Hide?
I am voting NZ First this election because I want the underdog to win, I want Winston to stay in Parliament and because I support New Zealand First's policies.
If Winston was a bit more of a "boring" politician, then this witch-hunt would never have gotten off the ground in the first place since there would be no entertainment value.
There are mongrels everywhere in this world. Winston is hardly one of them.”
This is typical of the response we are getting to these ongoing attacks.
In the same paper that they ran the Owen Glenn story again they gave no more prominence to a story of alarm bells ringing around Tauranga City Council’s controversial deal last year to buy Blue Chip Stadium from Bob Clarkson MP for $12 million.
Financial disclosures on Tuesday show the stadium is losing $1.1million above the amount on which the council based its decision.
Last year the council was told the stadium would run up a deficit for the first nine months of council ownership, followed by a $28,000 loss for 2008-9.
And already since October 2007 the stadium has lost $480,000 up to June 30th this year and expects a $760,000 deficit for the current financial year.
Remember the purchase took place with councillors forbidden to take home Mr Clarkson’s financial statements.
Councillors were only allowed to view the accounts and some related documents the day finance issues were debated at a public-barred council meeting.
The parliamentary rules apply to all MPs the same and here we have an MP socialising his losses on to the ratepayers’ backs and barely a question is asked.
This is the National party at its current best.
Involving itself in a lying campaign against an MP with a proud record of public service and yet quietly celebrating in Tauranga and in the caucus, the financial genius of their MP.
Meanwhile the ratepayers of Tauranga will go on paying for this stroke of public generosity by Bob Clarkson for the next fifty years.
If ever there was a white elephant this is it.
The truth of the matter is that there are forces at play in New Zealand who will do anything to take New Zealand First and Winston Peters out.
They are not interested in the facts.
They are not interested in balance.
They are not interested in what is best for ordinary New Zealanders.
Ask yourself this question – what is New Zealand First really guilty of?
Well we delivered the Supergold card and free off peak travel to seniors, plus over 5000 business outlets offering discounts – we are guilty of that.
We are guilty of increasing New Zealand Superannuation – that's true.
It is true that we lifted the minimum wage to $12 an hour – guilty as charged.
We are definitely guilty of putting 1000 more frontline police on the streets – we’ll put our hand up for that one.
We are guilty of cutting business taxes – yes it is all true.
We are guilty of putting $530 million extra into eldercare.
We are guilty of making sure immigration laws were re-written.
And we are even guilty of having another toll free bridge built for Tauranga.
We are guilty of saving the racing industry – yes that’s right we did it.
But do you know what our biggest sin is – and why these forces are gathered against us– we make MMP work.
You see we weren’t supposed to last three years.
According to these faceless manipulators New Zealand First was supposed to bring the government down.
But it didn’t happen.
So they got more and more desperate and started digging dirt like you would not believe.
When none was to be found they made it up.
They twisted and contorted everything we did to bring New Zealand First down.
These forces don’t want New Zealand First in parliament because they have a different plan for the country.
They want to cut New Zealand superannuation.
How do we know this?
Well for these people the words “economic crisis” and “benefit cuts” go hand in hand – just like they did with the super surtax and the benefit cuts of the nineties.
So it really does not matter what they say now – you have to read the code they are using to understand their real agenda.
They are going to cut wages – they have no commitment to raising the minimum wage.
How do we know this? Again look for the code.
Making it easier for businesses to do business is not what you and I think it means – for them it is about cutting every cost they can, including wages.
For us wages are sacrosanct – for them they are a cost that can and should be cut – they are just looking for the excuse to do it.
This does not mean we will not help businesses grow – quite the opposite – but it should not come at the expense of the workers.
These people have no interest in small and medium size businesses – rather only large faceless corporations intent on getting their own way.
We could go on.
But our promise to you today is that by working together – communities like yours and New Zealand First can stop them destroying this country.
And here is our promise to you.
After the next election we will be guilty of a whole lot more.
We will be guilty of increasing superannuation further.
We will be guilty of adding power discounts and lower medical costs to the SuperGold Card.
We will be guilty of taking on gangs and destroying the drug trade.
We will be guilty of protecting your jobs by cutting immigration.
We will be guilty of making Kiwibank big enough to take on the Aussie banks.
We will be guilty of rewriting the Reserve Bank Act to force interest rates down.
We will be guilty of lifting wages to $15 an hour.
And we will be guilty of growing our export industries through tax incentives.
We will be guilty of lowering GST to 10%
And we will be guilty of buying back more of your assets that were sold by thoughtless governments of the past.
So we ask you today – if you want us to be guilty of the above –give us your party vote.
A party vote for New Zealand First means we can continue to protect and save your New Zealand and help the right people win.
ENDS

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