No amount of wool can disguise that National is still a wolf

Green Co-Leader Rod Donald today warned New Zealanders not to be seduced by National’s apparent u-turn on state asset sales.

National Finance Spokesperson John Key indicated this morning that National would not sell off Kiwibank or TVNZ in its first term of office, but signalled that they would sell Landcorp farms and partially privatise Solid Energy.

“Voters should be under no illusion that National still plans to sell what is left of our family silver,” Mr Donald said.

“John Key’s claim that they would not sell Kiwibank and TVNZ in their first term is pure political opportunism.

“Clearly, National has finally figured out that selling Kiwibank, TVNZ, and Air New Zealand is a no-brainer. The overwhelming majority of New Zealanders are still outraged that the last National Government sold New Zealand Rail, Bank of New Zealand and Contact Energy, and that the Labour Government before it flogged off Telecom, Air New Zealand, and Postbank.”

“John Key has also belatedly discovered that Transpower, like Tranz Rail, is both a key strategic asset and a monopoly service provider and it must therefore remain in public ownership.”

However, Mr Donald said that Mr Key’s speech made it plain that National has not given up on its privatisation agenda.

“Mr Key fails to understand that Solid Energy is also a key strategic asset. Any sale would give away control over this important fuel and feed stock and make it more difficult for the Government to meet its Kyoto commitments. And if National ever got its hands on Landcorp you can guarantee that even more of New Zealand’s productive land would end up in foreign ownership, rather than in family farms for Kiwis.

“National’s agenda for Kiwibank and TVNZ is clear: privatisation won’t happen by lunchtime, but it will happen.

“No matter how many bits of wool John Key tries to stick on Don Brash, National is still a dangerous wolf.”

© Scoop Media