I never liked Dunne much. While his party gained a great deal from joining up with christian Future New Zealand, we always knew that he was only in the morality business for votes. Any vote in Parliament he’d always switch back to his true allegiances. Today he showed his true colours fully.
United Future is re-branding itself as a sensible, moderate centre party and leader Peter Dunne says membership is rising after the break with its Christian faction.
Since all the Christians have now left, it’s hardly surprising that membership is going up. That’s the only direction from zero.
Mr Dunne said during the party’s annual conference at the weekend that some had left but they were outweighed three to one by new members.
That I severely doubt. I suspect he’s talking himself up, hoping to make it true by saying it.
“There were people on the fringes who were interested in us but never really felt able to join because they saw us as being the self-appointed moral guardians of the nation, and now that’s not the case,” he said.
Don’t worry Peter – few ever say you as a moral guardian, no matter how much you spoke about the “pink agenda”.
“The hard core of the Christian moralist camp have gone but its opened the doors for a whole lot of other people.
“A lot of people we lost over the years have come back.”
Mr Dunne admits that when the merger took place he didn’t foresee some of the problems that were on the horizon.
“It became obvious after 2002, and it intensified during the term, that there were some people there with an agenda that was quite different, and it was holding us back,” he said.
You really have to wonder – how long this guys was in politics, and was still not able to tell someone’s agenda? It’s not like they were hiding the fact they were a christian based party. Perhaps he thought they were joking?
I guess those 7 other MPs did hold him back though. Next year, he’ll be able go back to his “instant caucus” mode.
Something should go here, maybe later. 