Bill English loses the plot

Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that the Leader of the Opposition’s bizarre and irresponsible statements about the SAS and New Zealand security further demonstrate his unfitness for public office.

“It is telling that the only support for Mr English’s call to bring the SAS home prematurely has come from Green MP Keith Locke, who never supported its deployment in the first place.

“In the raft of contradictory statements by Mr English he advises that he is going to Australia. He cannot expect any serious hearing in Australia on anything to do with defence and security having demonstrated his utter incompetence to deal with the issues at home.

“Having given interviews earlier today justifying his call to bring the SAS home, Mr English has now backtracked and blames his staff for putting out the statement. This will not wash. He issued it, and he gave interviews backing it up.

“The reality is that today’s bizarre behaviour by Mr English has started the tongues wagging again in the National Party about his unfitness to lead. That explains the rush to retract his earlier statement and the claim that he never meant what he said.

“The National Party cannot expect to be taken seriously as an opposition with leadership like this,” Helen Clark said.