Ex-MP questions United Future's 'identity crisis'

The United Future Party promoted "Christianity over competence" and it has an "identity crisis" says ex-MP Marc Alexander, who just missed out returning to Parliament. The party was decimated in the election going from eight MPs last term to three: leader Peter Dunne, deputy Judy Turner and finance spokesman Gordon Copeland.

Mr Alexander, the only non-Christian in the caucus and the party's hardline law and order spokesman, was fourth on the list.

Mr Alexander thinks people should stop condemning Mr Dunne for his bad temper televised on election night after waiting outside the Backbencher Pub for 10 minutes

"It wasn't a particularly good look, but at the same time I think people should lay off.

"I don't think Peter should be crucified for one moment of a seemingly bad attitude on television."

Mr Alexander would not criticise his former colleagues but implied that No 5, Larry Baldock, and himself deserved higher places than Judy Turner or Mr Copeland.

He said the party board needed to have "a good cold hard look at itself".

Referring to Christians, he said: "I think there was a little bit of a capture by certain elements that probably ought not to have been there in the numbers that they were."

He did not believe the party used the talent it had to best advantage.

"Why was it our real talent was pushed back rather than pushed forward, and I think a lot of that had to do with the board and who they liked and who they didn't like.

"Larry Baldock for example. Why was he at No 5? He had much more talent than perhaps a few other people yet he was at No 5. How did that make sense?

"In a nutshell it was putting, in some sense, Christianity over competence."

Mr Alexander said the party needed to concentrate more on what it was supposed to be representing instead of becoming "side-tracked" with issues such as gay politics and prostitution: "To be obsessive about it is nutty".

"The other part of the identity crisis for United Future was that when push came to shove people wanted a clear line on whether we were closely affiliated with Labour or with National."

The party's position is to begin talks with the biggest party, which on provisional results is Labour. Mr Alexander favoured National.

"People actually wanted an opinion. They didn't want us to squirm and say we would go with whoever is bigger. In my opinion that's a real cop-out."