“New Zealanders can expect the Labour-Alliance bloc to run a negative campaign based around personal denigration of the Prime Minister,” SOE Minister Tony Ryall said today.

“The Labour-Alliance Opposition were desperate for an early election date to avoid a policy debate. It had hoped to win this election on the basis of its personal attacks on our Prime Minister.

“But, with a longer election campaign there will be more time for voters to look beneath the Labour-Alliance rhetoric. Unfortunately for the Opposition, New Zealanders will find the cupboard is bare.

“The Opposition’s plan for employment is to bring back union control of the workplace, union control of the classroom, and increased costs for business.

“On the environment, Labour promises to break a deal it made with conservationists and West Coasters to allow a tiny amount of sustainable timber to be produced. Labour wants to shut down the West Coast and in the process much of New Zealand’s furniture industry.

“Labour’s law and order policy is to repeal National’s legislation increasing penalties for violent-home invaders, and make it easier for the Police to take fingerprints from juveniles – something the Police say they have no problem doing now.

“These are not policies developed after careful consideration. They are the policies of pressure groups like unions, politically-correct liberals, and professional activists like Nicky Hager.

“It’s no wonder Labour launched most of its policies during APEC week, and under the cover of state visits and the East Timor crisis. Labour-Alliance has left itself with no option but to step up its campaign against the Prime Minister.

“National is proud of New Zealand’s achievements. We have the ideas and the people to take New Zealand forward and keep it successful in the next century,” said Mr Ryall.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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>>