1 October 2004

Giving Up Already?

“Don Brash has effectively conceded the 2005 election if he seriously thinks this government cannot be challenged on its economic management, said the Rt Hon Winston Peters

Mr Peters was responding to media reports claiming that the National party would not be targeting the economy in the lead up to the next election.

“New Zealand has a serious balance of payments crisis, our income from exports is failing to keep pace with the cost of imports, our world ranking in wealth per capita has fallen to number 37 and we have the highest interest rates in the developed world. Over the past 20 years, following policies Mr Brash clearly agrees with, New Zealand has lagged, while Australia has grown more than 35% larger in real terms.

We saw $8.9 billion paid in interest and dividends remitted to overseas investors in the year to March 2004, $4.9 Billion of which came from investment over which the Overseas Investment Commission presided. This is significantly more than we could ever hope to receive from any future Free Trade Agreement – no matter who it was with.

Despite all this Mr Brash doesn’t want to debate the economy. He has forgotten that is what he is there for, to provide an alternative.

“But if Mr Brash wants to opt out of providing solutions, New Zealand First is more than happy to take on the government as the real opposition. We are a party of solutions and unlike Brash, are not scared to put our policies out for scrutiny. New Zealand First will have a credible economic plan for all New Zealanders for the next election, even if Brash won’t, said Mr Peters

“Where else in the western world would you find an opposition party leader unwilling to debate the economy – and in this case, as the statistics prove, a failing one”

ENDS

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