Bill English National Deputy Leader

8 June 2001

Clark's attempt to piggy back laughable

National's Deputy Leader Bill English today extended his congratulations to Tony Blair for his decisive re-election as British Prime Minister.

"However I can not allow Helen Clark's risible attempt to piggy back on Mr Blair's victory to pass without comment.

"The situation between Britain and New Zealand is markedly different and Miss Clark's attempts to bathe in reflective glory are deceptive.

"Tony Blair campaigned on health and education. If New Zealand's Prime Minister attempted to emulate his campaign platforms she'd be mocked. Her Government has downgraded both sectors with insufficient funding in its recent Budget and 18 months of muddled thinking.

"Any intelligent observer could enumerate numerous and profound differences between the actions of the Blair Government in Britain and the Clark Government in New Zealand.

"Our Government has already decided on superannuation as an election issue. We're now keen for them to also adopt the troubled sectors of health and education as election issues," Bill English said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>