Brash pens 'Dear John' letter to PM
Former National Party leader uses resignation letter to accuse goverment of hanging on to Labour policies, going Green on emissions. PLUS: RAW Data - the letter in full.
Former National Party leader uses resignation letter to accuse goverment of hanging on to Labour policies, going Green on emissions. PLUS: RAW Data - the letter in full.
New Act leader Don Brash has released his resignation letter from the National Party, using the document as an opportunity to lay out hjs new party's agenda, and points of difference with government policy.
He just hates to write, but Dr Brash just has to let Mr Key know that he disagrees with interest-free student loans, the Working For Families marginal tax rate, and the "exorbitant cost" of KiwiSaver subsidies.
Dr Brash also accuses National of switching take on carbon emissions to follow a Green Party-style policy, "sending farmers the message to turn wealth-generating farm land into idle forests."
The government has widened the transtasman wage-gap, is spending too much, and taking on too much debt, the letter claims.
RAW DATA: Don Brash's 'Dear John' letter
Don Brash
Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
12 May 2011
Dear John,
It was with a very heavy heart that I felt obliged to resign my membership of the National Party and to seek the leadership of the ACT Party.
I reached my decision after watching with mounting dismay the performance of your Government.
You made great play of your ambition for New Zealand, and your determination to close the trans-Tasman wage gap and staunch the flow of our best young minds to more successful countries.
Yet you have done almost nothing to fulfill that ambition, and now appear to have given up on that goal.
I have not.
Why are you continuing Labour’s wasteful spending?
In Opposition, we both railed against the Clark Government’s squandering of our people’s hard-earned resources:
the waiving of interest on student loans, which Bill English rightly called “an election year bribe on an unprecedented scale”
the way the high marginal tax rates of Working for Families create an incentive not to work harder
the exorbitant cost of KiwiSaver subsidies
the unaffordable move from subsidizing doctors’ visits for the poor and chronically ill to subsidizing higher earners’ visits as well.
Yet your Government has done almost nothing to wind back this spending. Two and a half years on, the ratio of government spending to the size of the economy is higher now than it ever was under Labour.
As a result, the Government is borrowing over $300 million a week. That’s $300 added to the debt of every New Zealand family, every week.
That is totally irresponsible. It’s what Labour voters voted for, not National voters.
Why are you stopping young people from working?
In Opposition, National opposed getting rid of the minimum youth wage. One member, I recall, went so far as to suggest this was the route to communism.
You knew the worldwide pattern, as I did – that most employers will not hire teenagers if they’re forced to pay them the same as adults.
Yet in Government, you actually voted against a bill to bring back youth rates. You deprived another 12,000 young people of the chance to get a foot on the job ladder. Instead of allowing them to work for $10 an hour, you consigned them to the dole for $4.50.
That’s what Labour voters voted for, not National voters.
Why did you change your position so completely on the Emissions Trading Scheme?
In Opposition, we both hammered Labour for seeking to be world leaders in combating greenhouse gas emissions. We argued on behalf of our farmers – the lifeblood of this nation – that instead we should be fast followers.
Yet in Government, you’ve introduced the world’s first all-sectors, all-gases Emissions Trading Scheme, sending farmers the message to turn wealth-generating farm land into idle forests.
That’s what Green voters voted for, not National voters. 3
Why are you ignoring reality on superannuation?
In Opposition, I argued the crucial need to gradually raise the age of eligibility for New Zealand Superannuation, so that it will still be there when people need it.
Every informed observer agrees with me on this. Many other developed countries, including Australia, have already bitten the bullet and announced plans to raise the age of eligibility.
Yet you have promised to resign as Prime Minister rather than face up to this need to secure New Zealanders’ future.
This is just as irresponsible as Labour’s interest-free student loans or middle-class welfare. You are condemning older workers to a sudden shock, or younger workers to intolerably high taxes.
That’s what New Zealand First voters voted for, not National voters.
Why are you widening, not closing, the Transtasman wage gap?
In Opposition, we both expressed grave concern about the widening wage gap between New Zealand and Australia.
You gave an excellent speech just before the 2008 election committing any government which you led to bridging that gap.
After the election, you agreed to set up a Taskforce to advise how best to achieve that goal by 2025. You appointed me as chairman of that Taskforce.
Yet to date, you’ve dismissed virtually every recommendation the Taskforce has made. I’ve asked several times if we could meet and discuss our two reports. Each time you’ve declined to meet me.
From time to time, you’ve reaffirmed your commitment to the goal. But there’s not the slightest sign that you’re taking it seriously.
Now you’ve abolished the Taskforce. And of course, the gap continues to grow.
Nobody voted for that – certainly not National voters.