Key all over the place on his own polling

Prime Minister John Key is all over the place in terms of listening to his own party’s polling, says Labour SOEs spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.

“Key abandoned the planned increase in class sizes because, in his own words, ‘it’s pretty obvious that we weren’t winning that public debate’,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“Well, it’s even more obvious ---- to most Kiwis, if not to the PM --- that the Government is losing the public debate on selling off New Zealand-owned assets like Mighty River Power, Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, Solid Energy and Air New Zealand.

“In fact, 80 per cent of Kiwis are opposed to the sales.

“National is not winning the public debate.

“After a rushed and disrespectful select committee process, with a majority on the committee committed to going ahead with the sales whatever the evidence showed and whatever Kiwis want, National is planning to push through the sale of our assets in the face of genuine and widespread public opposition.

“Hekia Parata can feel hard done by,” Clayton Cosgrove said. “She was sacrificed on the high altar of National’s own polling, but Key no doubt considered her expendable because she was just Bill English’s protégé after all, and it didn’t hurt to put her back in her box.

“If Key backed down on selling state assets, however, it would be a huge embarrassment for him personally and for his government.

“He has failed to win the argument and to get the public on side. That’s a personal failure. Kiwis simply don’t believe him when he says that asset sales will be in New Zealand’s long-term interests.”