Oh Peter, How Very Un-Christian

United Future Leader Peter Dunne obviously did not include his own conduct when he campaigned to lift standards of behaviour for MPs, in light of his rudeness toward a concerned correspondent, ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy said today.

"Faced with an email about medicinal cannabis use, from a health group working with severely ill patients, Mr Dunne - that champion of good behaviour - sent the decidedly un-Christian reply `this garbage is not worth replying to'," Mrs Roy said.

"This raises serious concerns about Mr Dunne's suitability to be in Parliament. Not only does his email indicate a double-standard, but it shows that he has ignored a fundamental duty of being an MP - which is to take into account all facts and public concerns.

"Whether he chose to be intentionally offensive to a concerned member of the public, or was simply trying to express his view to fellow MPs and staff, this email shows that the only opinion Mr Dunne respects is his own.

"This is nothing more than an example of Mr Dunne's arrogance - and perhaps also of his inability to understand the mechanics of email. Mr Dunne and his colleagues can no longer claim to take a principled stance on this issue - but, then, everyone already knows that their `principles' fly out the window as soon as Labour cracks its whip," Mrs Roy said.