Quotes from Brash Speech
June 26th, 2005 at 12:02 pm by David FarrarThe entire speech is after the break, but the part which I think is most important is:
It has become clear to me that it is the ultimate in hypocrisy to claim a concern for the sick and the needy whilst slowly strangling the goose which will lay the golden eggs to pay for our hospitals, our schools, our housing and our social services.
And I say to Helen Clark and Michael Cullen today: there is no bigger threat to the quality of the healthcare which New Zealanders will enjoy in ten years
No tag for this post.
June 26th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Excellent well written speech which started strongly. He is presenting tax cuts as an investment in our future to encourage people to stay and back this country instead of chasing across the Tasman. One or two niggles stop using NCEA and call it “exams”. Like the stuff about voting Labour for years and his pascifist past, shows he has grown up, like that a lot. Makes it easier for people to move across to him.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 1:15 pm
I like how he put “marxism” in there as part of the failed way of thinking.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 1:27 pm
Yes, that was a remarkable revelation to me. I cvertwinly did not know Don Brash voted Labour for years. Possibly the most potent and powerful part of the whole speech. This should be used carefullt and well by the Gnat strategists. Play on it. He joins the company of Churchil and Giuliani. Should do much to demolish theLabour propoganda about Brash being impersonal, dry and uncaring. Of course the ACT people will hate it but where are they?
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
Having never voted Natiuonal in my life, I am now close to making that decision. We need a government that recognises the value of personal responsibility, and solid core family values. We haven’t seen this for a long time. I hope National will deliver, given the chance. Good on Brash for revealing little about himself and his roots.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Having never voted National in my life, I am now close to making that decision. We need a government that recognises the value of personal responsibility, and solid core family values. We haven’t seen this for a long time. I hope National will deliver, given the chance. Good on Brash for revealing little about himself and his roots.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 3:16 pm
Good to read from the excerpts that the Nats have at long last rejected the use of the word “cost” to discuss and defend their tax cuts. The left have constantly used this negative concept to argue against tax cuts. As Brash’s speech says so well, there is no real cost to tax cuts.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
Now we just have to hope that the media give his speech the fair airing that it deserves. Given the subtle and sometimes not so subtle bias of the NZ Herald for one, just watch the way they will distort Don Brash’s message.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Stunning, awesome speech. I’ve voted Labour all of my adult (as if) life, and now I don’t know which way to turn. I’m sick of being awarded pay rises and bonuses I don’t get to spend; I’m sick of struggling, week after week, to make sure the children in my house have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear when I’m allegedly rich. I’m still undecided, but I can tell you one thing: I will NOT be voting Labour this election. I’ve lost too much already, and can’t afford to lose any more.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 6:48 pm
Luke, she could ‘have’ said, if you don’t mind.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 6:48 pm
The ACT people are here Adolf….why do you think we will hate Brashs speech? He is after all more one of us than a Gnat…could that explain his desire to actually want to improve things rather than just wallow in a Socialist dream as National has done in Govt in the past…? Don’t forget that the poll rating you guys now enjoy was not won only by your efforts in the house but actually through Rodneys,Heathers Stephens,Muriels,Gerrys and Kens….least we forget!
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 6:57 pm
Brash talks about threats to future NZers. I wonder how he views Governemnt borrowing in that light? It’s our kids who have to pay it back.
…tom
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 7:20 pm
James, you are absolutely right but in politics as in business there is no justice, only reality. I sincerely hope Rodney Hide and some of his sidekicks are back in the house after September. They deserve to be but they have to get the votes. I can’t see how they will do that by attacking Gnats as appears to be the current strategy.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 8:28 pm
Adolf,Its not so much “attacking the Nats” as staking out our patch and keeping a healthy point of difference between us…Act will only be supporting a National Govt but being taken for granted is not something we will allow.When National enact policies that advance freedom and prosperity ACT will back them up…when they do not however..well anyway, National has only itself to blame for finding itself in the position of “needing to be watched”.National Mp’s have a habit of shedding all principle for the ease of pragmatism when it suits…thats why you get turfed out by Kiwis who won’t stand it any longer.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 9:14 pm
That really was a superb speech. I suspect that the National party might even get an application form from Jordan Carter after his post on personal responsibility and all. So long Labour.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 9:30 pm
James makes some valid points except it’s not just the current ACT MP’s the Gnats can thank but others like Prebble, Douglas et al. It was their visionary thinking thatl has led to Don’s speech being mainstream thinking right now.
And Adolf, don’t give up on us mate, we’re working bloody hard to ensure we’re there. If you don’t want Winston as immigration minister then vote for ACT.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 9:37 pm
She could not wait to announce the Israel thing on the day of Don Brash’s speech and then she lied on TV saying that was not her motivation. The TV reporter made the point that it would be usual to announce this after the Monday Cabinet news conference. Still it was a v good speech so Dr Brash can keep on repeating it. The public will be left with the memory of her denying today’s announcement was an attempt to spike Dr Brash. It also indicates the Goverment is worried about Dr Brash and a good thing too.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 9:48 pm
Yes Tim, Helen’s stunt was pathetic, the average tax-payer couldn’t care less about some foriegn affairs matter, that won’t put a cent in anyone’s pocket. Kyoto liabilities on the other hand … my cheque book snapped shut as soon as I heard how bad it really was.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 9:58 pm
National are on a roll and what Dr Brash is advocating are steps in the right direction and maybe there is hope after all. Labour will have disappointed a lot of people and if they get back in there will be 1200 people a week leaving the country not just 600.
Vote:June 26th, 2005 at 11:09 pm
Much as though Mr Brash is highly concerned about the exodus to Australia, it is worth remembering that their labour laws are more restrictive than ours, likewise unions play a far bigger role in things than in NZ. The buck does not soley stop with government policy, tho it does have a major influence…
Liked what Brash had to say, will wait for concrete policy announcements and what they mean for me before I choose a colour, red or blue.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 12:54 am
Looking Good. Can’t wait for part 2.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 8:43 am
redbaiter..”..As Brash’s speech says so well, there is no real cost to tax cuts…”
redbaiter..how are you on the tooth fairy.?.and i have this bridge in auckland for sale..we must talk/lunch..do i have a deal for you…
tim barclay..”..The public will be left with the memory of her denying today’s announcement was an attempt to spike Dr Brash..”
tim , what a refreshing attitude you have re the long term memory of the voting public..(btw..when was the last time you thought about the tsunami..?)
and i must say, i am a political junkie..but i couldn’t be bothered wading through brashs’ speech..and what that tells you is that the average punter sure as hell won’t be reading it…so possibly the chorus of your squeals of delight should be somewhat muted/restrained..
i’ll tell you what the public is thinking right now..it is, ‘you mentioned tax cuts?..just how much are we talking about here..?’
you lot have over-egged this too such a degree that the anti-climax following the revelations of the actual dosh in the hand will be of seismic proportions…(sorta like a big piha dumper on a bad day, eh?.)
this is what the voters will remember..not the minuitae of brashs’ burblings to the faithful…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 9:28 am
The Government is doing its best to talk up the size of the tax cuts and then they say they cannot be afforded. But it is giving the agenda to the National Party and is on ground that is of Dr Brash’s chosing. So sweat it out Phil U. Helen’s lies and manipulation of the Isreali thing is against the backdrop of the lies and manipulation over the Peter Doone affair and other examples like the speeding motorcade and paintergate and the defamation suits. It does not help her at all but keep up Helen. We are on your track until election day.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 10:07 am
“. So sweat it out Phil U…”
tim..sweating i ain’t…interested anticipation of an upcoming train wreck would cover it..any sweating needs to be going on over in your kneck of the woods, eh?..(ever heard of the term premature ejaculation..?)..
(when it all starts going pear-shaped for you..i recommend heavy medication, or yoga..:)
btw..did you see the poll in the sst..? greens on 8%..my prediction of cracking 10% on the night is looking good, eh?…:)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 10:31 am
10% is no good on the opposition benches Phil.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 11:37 am
no gooner..it’s coming down to the two horse race between the progressives(green /lab) and the reactionaries(nzfirst/nat…and i have to say the progs are looking good…
i think peters’ support will soften once the penny drops for the aged former labour voters over there that a vote for him is a vote for the dreaded nats..
and of course, as has already been canvassed, we have the upcoming backlash against national for their paltry tax cut offerings..
“you kept us all waiting for that!”..
so, all in all, the reactionaries/conservatives ain’t looing too good, eh?..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 12:16 pm
btw..re brashs’homophobic utterances on national radio this morning..cor!
when asked for his definition of the mainstream nz’ers he’s always banging on about, and asked if that mainstream included gays..his response was “no, of course not..”
as i said..cor!..double cor!..there goes the pink vote..eh?
hat-tip: frogblog
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
I don’t want a homophobic Prime Minister. I think we had the last one of those with Rob Muldoon.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
Jordan, would you like to provide some evidence that Muldoon was homophobic?
I’d be curious as to what you’ve got, so front up.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 1:40 pm
Forget it Chris. Jordan accuses everybody who doesn’t agree with him of being homophobic to try and divide the electorate. He accused Stephen Franks of it once and I obtained the select committee notes to prove he was wrong. Expect more of this rubbish as the election nears.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 1:41 pm
Chris: two words.
Colin Moyle.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 1:52 pm
There is in reality no such mental state as homophobia. It is a made up word. How many people have been treated for homophobia? How many people have been cured of homophobia? “Homophobia” is just another disgraceful attack on freedom of expression by progressive homosexuals who seek to marginalize anybody who opposes their political agenda as insane.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
redbaiter..’come in number 23..your time is up”..(cue spooky music..oo-er!..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 5:24 pm
Re Brash’s radio comment on gays not being mainstream, how deflating. Every time I get back to thinking favourably about the Nats, something happens to remind me about their dopey, no-brain instincts when it comes to gays. Most Nats don’t see gays as real people with mortgages and tax burdens, but as one of Labour’s weird subtribes and therefore to be ignored or bashed at will. Brash could have said “Gay people’s economic interests and ambitions are very much like most people’s and it’s wrong to think of them as marginal. National’s message is aimed at them too.” Wouldn’t have been so hard.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 6:43 pm
Jordan -
Well, I think you should look at Barry Gustafson’s account of the Moyle Affair in his biography of Muldoon. (pg 199 – 204 in my hardback copy.) Homophobic, I don’t think so. Someone you fucked with at your very great peril, indeed – and it’s often forgotten this occured in the context of a pretty nasty debate, in which Moyle was a full participant.
If Muldoon was so bloody homophobic, you have to wonder why he defended Marilyn Waring after she was outed by The Truth in 1976, often against attacks from MPs on both sides of the house.
Truth is always a little more complicated than the myth.
NickB –
Well, I don’t know how I’d stand up to one of Sean Plunkett’s patent diatribes pretending to be an interview. Instead of “have you stopped beating your wife, yet” it was “have you stopped bashing fags”. Frankly didn’t come away very impressed with either party to that interview, and am very comfortable giving Plunkett’s interviews a miss generally.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 6:50 pm
cor phule! did you actually listen to the interview? – it was as craig says a classic gotcha. and on the issues, are gays a minority – well yes of course they are, is civil union legislation yet another example of addressing a minority concern, yes of course it is. Does this mean that Brash is homophobic – not at all, did you not hear the bit where he said he would support the legislation?
it was a particularly foul interview though – Plunket at his finest , trying to create a bad impression of the guest and not interested in anything Brash had to say.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
no gazz.. i didn’t hear the interview..in my comment i hat-tipped frogblog…
but as was noted there..there is no actual group that is the majority..by definition the majority is made up of the different minorities of race/age/gender/class/sexuality etc etc..
therefor to single one of those minorities out as being not part of that mainstream in such a definite/emphatic/matter of fact manner most definitly leaves brash open to charges of (possibly unconcious?) homophobia..
what else could he be saying..if not singling out gays for exclusion/discrimination by his mainstream..
the most charitable you could be to brash would be to label his mainstream as a chimera..(the same as his tax policy..?)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
well phul, perhaps you should before you decide what “meaning” to take from it. Maybe head over to Jordan’s site and read Craig’s takedown.
any other conclusions you want to leap to while you are at it?
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
yep, sure gazz..national has shot it’s bolt..it’s all downhill from here..
and the greens will crack 10%
and act is knackered..
there you are gazz..there’s three for you to be going on with…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 10:29 pm
Mr Phil U. You are in breach of Penal Code 421 for Blatant Apostrophe Abuse.
Vote:“national has shot it’s bolt..it’s all downhill from here” should read “national has shot its bolt…it’s all downhill from here”.
Would normally let it go, but this time it was just too CRAZY.
Please consider staying back a year and redoing Standard 4. Or whatever they call it now.
Agent 86.
June 27th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
That’s just cruel – the lack of an apostrophe in its is counterintuitive. Possessive with no apostrophe, what’s that all about?
Speaking of “what’s that all about?”, why is Brash talking about our tax rates sending people to Australia? Their tax rates appear worse than ours to anyone who isn’t an accountant that actually bothers to work these things out. Does he really think that’s a factor more significant than the fact that it’s a much bigger pond with much higher salaries? ie, the same things that drive Aussies out to the States? Even if Don were to front up with a 5 or 10% tax cut, I’d still be way better off in Australia than NZ. Still, we should never underestimate the stupidity of the electorate I suppose.
Vote:June 27th, 2005 at 11:27 pm
oh anal one..we were both wrong..(I’m usually quite fussy about that..btw.have you read my ‘guide to good punctuation, and creative use of the fullstop’?)
philu(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 28th, 2005 at 2:25 pm
Let’s see the colour of the Nats’ money – who gets tax cuts and how much? Who gets superannuation, health care, sickness benefits etc and how little?
Vote:Whether you intend to vote for them or not, the least the Nats can do is stop treating the electorate like mushrooms, set out their policies clearly and convince the people to trust them. Until they do that, they’re not even in the game.
June 28th, 2005 at 2:41 pm
Michael, not only are they most definitely in the game, they are winning it right now. What was that all about? If National canwin the election without releasing any policy then they would do so, as would anyone else. They are not under any obligation to release it. Go beat another drum.
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 8:51 am
um gooner..i think michael was reflecting the view of us punters…this coy, fey, routine is wearing a bit thin..eh?..
although i can understand nationals’/brashs’ reluctance to ‘air his smalls’, as it were..
it’s called fear of backlash…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 8:58 am
My view Phil is that the punters have shown they don’t care so far. Am I to understand you saying you might consider voting for National as long as they will release their policies soon?
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 9:41 am
no, no, gooner..that was a collective ‘we’..excluding me..:)(for a variety of reasons i don’t think i’m part of that targeted ‘mainstream’..eh?)
and care may be too strong a word..but fading interest could cover it..(get the pun?..sorry..)
but..if the re-invented national..(after the alternate upcoming cock-ups..win or lose..you lose..eh?)..was to be a party with strong social/environmental policies/solutions..and labour stayed where they are, and the greens had vanished or become irrelevant..well..(that’s a lot of ifs and buts..eh?..and snowballs chance in hell would pretty much cover it for the current crop of desperate, fading, proponents of a desperate/faded ideology..:)
carry on
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 9:45 am
Michael –
And I wonder what all this exciting new policy Clark is promising for the campaign. Where’s your policy, Helen? And will it be fully costed, or surrounded with enough fudge to give Willy Wonka an orgasm?
And will The Cullenator explain to voters exactly what he meant when he told the Finance and Expenditure Committee that social spending would have to undergo “significant reprioritisation” on his watch? Spending cuts? Playing hardball on public sector wage demands? Cuts in infrastructure and service delivery? User charges and tax hikes? What?
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 9:51 am
Michael –
And I wonder what all this exciting new policy Clark is promising for the campaign. Where’s your policy, Helen? And will it be fully costed, or surrounded with enough fudge to give Willy Wonka an orgasm?
And will The Cullenator explain to voters exactly what he meant when he told the Finance and Expenditure Committee that social spending would have to undergo “significant reprioritisation” on his watch? Spending cuts? Playing hardball on public sector wage demands? Cuts in infrastructure and service delivery? User charges and tax hikes? What?
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
It’s not just the tax structure that is strangling initiative and hard work in NZ. It is also the bureaucratic busy-body culture so beloved of Labour. There has been a huge increase under Labour in the number of unelected officials paid by the state to interfere in the daily law abiding affairs of NZ citizens and stop them undertaking legitimate activities. Currently, around 300,000 people or about 1 in 5 earners work for central and local government and its various arms. National could do quite well by running a campaign at the forthcoming election similar to the one they ran during one of the 1970′s campaigns attacking pointless rules.
Vote:June 29th, 2005 at 9:23 pm
would you like some dancing cossacks with that, charles…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:August 1st, 2005 at 3:48 pm
Terrible speech. He didn
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