Gerry Brownlee MP National Party Deputy Leader

05 March 2004

Helen Clark's hypocrisy knows no bounds

"Helen Clark must explain why she chose Christchurch Cathedral as the venue to delivering what was intended to be an attack on the National Party and its Leader, Don Brash," says National Party Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee.

"It's an insult that a woman whose 'personal interest is in a secular society' chose a church as an appropriate place to execute yet another 'flip-flop' on Maori policy.

"This, from a woman who during a dinner for the Queen in late January 2002, wore trousers, didn't say grace, and tried to sit down before the Queen.

"Later that same year in August, during the first session of the new Parliament, Ms Clark swore an oath - but not on the Bible.

"Of the party leaders, only she and Jeanette Fitzsimmons took that option.

"It now comes as a great shock that she chose to deliver such a highly charged political speech from the pulpit.

"It comes in the same week that Helen Clark shared her views on marriage with the gay and lesbian newspaper "The Express".

"In an interview for that paper she's reported as saying 'marriage has a lot of inappropriate connotations... it carries associations with religion, belief etc... my personal interest is in a secular society.'

"How, in all good conscience, can the Prime Minister reconcile those comments with her decision to launch a feeble attack on Don Brash from Christchurch Cathedral?

"New Zealanders will see this for what it is - out and out hypocrisy," says Mr Brownlee.

Ends

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