Political briefs: Monday, May 30

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Politics

Treaty obligations to stay in SOE sales law McCully email thief could be Kiwi PSA disappointed Key won't discuss cuts Delays in privatising ACC work account No background checks on Education ministry staff Labour fears for Kiwis in ministry shake-up The one-seat threshold Today In Politics: Thursday, February 23 Police complaint over election programme McCully's emails revealed

JOHN KEY, KEEPER OF LABOUR POLICY

Prime Minister John Key took the unusual step of announcing Labour Party policy at the weekend. At yesterday's National Party northern region conference, Mr Key dismissed "scare-mongering" about partial asset sales. Unlike Labour, he said, his Government would not be raising taxes "and it won't be imposing a new capital gains tax". Either Mr Key has some inside knowledge on Labour's policy plans for a capital gains tax, or dare we say it, he was scare-mongering, because the Opposition actually has no such policy.

LINDSAY PERIGO TO SPIN ACT LEADER'S PARTY LINE

Newly appointed parliamentary leader of the ACT Party, John Boscawen, has found himself a new press secretary. Lindsay Perigo, a founding member and inaugural leader of the Libertarianz political party, was introduced late last week to the press gallery as Mr Boscawen's new media man. Mr Perigo has been noted for his colourful language – he famously denounced TVNZ as "brain dead" when he quit the state broadcaster in 1993, and has variously referred to "infanto-Nazis", "Bolshevik bulls..t" and "bludge-scum". His latest media role was at TV channel Stratos.