Government on the run, says Peters

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Days after the Government toughened rules for immigrants, Winston Peters continued to claim credit for raising the concerns of ordinary New Zealanders.

At a public meeting billed as providing "the balanced version on uncontrolled immigration as it affects all New Zealanders - from the true Opposition leader", the New Zealand First leader said the Government was desperate to shut down the debate.

"We saw the Labour minority Government and its footstool allies suspend question time in Parliament while the House took urgency to pass legislation," he told a hometown audience of about 200 elderly fans in Tauranga yesterday.

"For some reason, the Government did not want to face any questioning. Anyone who watched the Immigration Minister stammering her way through a press conference on Tuesday could see that they are in trouble.

"Question time would have placed this minister under a political blowtorch, and the spin doctors and minders did not have time to coach her and teach her any new lines."

Mr Peters told his listeners, who nodded, murmured agreement and gave generous applause throughout, that the Government "leaned on its doormat friends to stop New Zealand First holding centre stage".

He asked why the immigration debate was not held before the election and accused the Government of making bewildering u-turns.

"Labour's glamour girls ... Helen Clark and Lianne Dalziel, are now taking more positions than Turkish bellydancers."

Mr Peters spent 40 minutes on his bandwagon preaching to the converted, a number of whom were immigrants from Britain.

One elderly man in the third row struggled to keep his eyes open, but there were no dissenters.

Mr Peters said New Zealand First was being swamped with immigration problems and reports of fraudulent activity, and had asked the Government to second a senior Immigration Service official to help handle the cases.

Herald feature: Immigration