Brash expresses himself

A Herald report says;

This year he will push even harder his well-worn line that New Zealand has to become more prosperous than Australia if it is to survive.

"I had swallowed the Government line that we had been doing relatively well relative to Australia, but that of course is crap."

Now that last word is an unusual choice for Don. Somebody complained when I used it
(as a respresentative of ACT) on a Tax Freedom Day protest banner.

Unfortunately there is no other polite word that conveys the same feeling. It won't hurt Don Brash to throw off some stuffiness.