September 9, 2015 11:00am by David Farrar

Can’t have it both ways Iain

Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway thought the Government was pathetically clutching for good economic news – and was ejected from Parliament for saying so.

The Labour MP continued to interject, despite a warning from Speaker David Carter, when Transport Minister Simon Bridges started talking about airline Jetstar’s new regional routes.

“My interjections were along the lines that he has no ministerial responsibility for commercial decisions made by an Australian airline,” Labour MP Lees-Galloway said outside the chamber on Tuesday.

“I thought it was pretty pathetic of the Government to be clutching for good economic news for claiming some responsibility for the commercial decisions of an Australian airline.”

Of course the Government doesn’t have responsibility for what a company decides to do. But it is no more surprising that the Government highlights decisions that benefit consumers, just as the Opposition demand the Government is responsible when the decisions do not.

Here’s recent press releases from Labour MPs condemning decisions of airlines, and blaming the Government for them:

So maybe Iain Lees-Galloway should talk to colleagues about his belief that decisions by airlines have nothing to do with the Government.