3 April 2002

United Future leader, Hon Peter Dunne, says that today's announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton that he will be standing for a different political vehicle at the next election is hardly news.

"All today's announcement does is confirm what most people have suspected since December last year!"

"Nor are the beat up stories of a threat to the government's stability worth any serious consideration."

"When you add the 49 Labour MPs to the 7 MPs with Mr Anderton, and the 7 Greens, there are still 63 votes out of 120 for the present government on matters of confidence and supply."

"New Zealand First has taken to abstaining on confidence votes which makes the maximum total votes available to the Opposition now 49 (39 National, 9 ACT, 1 United Future)."

"There is no threat to confidence or supply or the governments' ongoing ability to govern."

"The 3 votes of the Harre faction are neither here nor there, whatever they decide to do, and I suspect hell would have to freeze over before they would ever consider voting with National!" Mr Dunne says.

Mr Dunne says the fact that commentators and other political parties have taken the Alliance Wars seriously shows the superficial level to which politics and analysis has slumped.

"It is all a big yawn, and should properly be treated as such," Mr Dunne says.

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