Clark comes out swinging over National policy

Prime Minister Helen Clark came out firing against National after a strategy meeting with her MPs today.

Behind in the polls, Miss Clark said the year so far had amounted to a phony war, but National policy on ACC and employment policy had given some political targets.

"Everyone knows what our vision for the future is. Everyone knows what our plan is... (But battling National) is like dealing with blancmange until you get these gems of policy that are let slip," Miss Clark said.

She jumped on the reported comments of National backbench MP Shane Ardern on KiwiSaver.

He told a local community paper that National would not initially make any changes to the scheme, but there needed to be variation in employers' contributions to take pressure off smaller employers.

Mr Ardern has been reported as saying he was reported out of context and his colleagues have said he does not know the policy.

Miss Clark said Mr Ardern's "frank" commitments showed National planned to reduce the amount of compulsory employer contributions.

If these contributions did not apply to small businesses many New Zealanders would not be able to benefit.

The caucus meeting today had agreed the election campaign was a marathon and not a sprint, she said.

The Government was determined to continue its policy programmes and wait for National to put out more policy.

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