With elections looming next year, more influential politicians have been making the rounds familiarising people about the opposition’s policies.
Visiting last week was Gerry Brownlee, former Leader of the House and a senior Government minister, who dropped into the Times office after an early morning business breakfast meeting arranged by Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown.
Brownlee spoke about various issues from “disruption in education, no targets for elective surgery to 16,000 new state houses– none of which were committed by the current government. They have not put any new housing areas in place, which is quite a worry,” he said.
“Everything they are doing now has been started last year by the National Party.
“There is a Prime Minister who is popular but the Government is failing on several points and if you take away the gloss it is not a very tidy picture.
“There is a growing angst about policies and while it is good to be talking about caring and kindness, we can’t let the spin of an attractive message blind people on to it.”
Asked about leadership rumblings between Simon Bridges and Judith Collins, the MP for Ilam said “we are a united caucus—all 55 of us”.
