ACT Is Not An Inspirational Party
With regard to child abuse and neglect, Act MP Muriel Newman accuses the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child of
offering "no realistic suggestions on how to implement these changes".
Yet Muriel Newman herself offers no realistic suggestions on how to implement changes to reduce the incident of abuse
and harm levelled at children in New Zealand.
Like me, many of your readers will note that Muriel Newman's media statements are generally long on rhetoric and short
on specific solutions. She never fronts up with a price-tag for any policy initiative she proposes (which is a surprise
given that she has a PhD in mathematics education). She never provides a solution or policy suggestion that has been
independently costed and subject to rigorous analysis.
Muriel Newman's one attempt to explain the financial costings of her policies was a debacle. Subject to reasonable
questions posed by the media about the cost of Act's welfare agenda, she simply couldn't answer, instead pleading
publicly for Finance spokesperson Rodney Hide ("ooooo ummmm where's Rodney?") to step in and assist. Hopeless!
National MP Gerry Brownlee said recently that, "Act is not an inspirational party. They are a party that tends to offer
a threat before they offer a solution". Perhaps Gerry Brownlee was thinking of Muriel Newman when he offered this candid
critique.
Yours sincerely
Daniel Newman (no relation to Muriel)
Auckland