In or out?

by frog

Just to show you that they talk to different people to write their stories, the two Sunday papers sing quite different tunes about the Greens’ role in formal government. The Sunday Star-Times leads with the headline:

Labour opens the door to Greens

Alluding to “insiders”, the story reads:

A Labour-Green government could be in place within a fortnight as Prime Minister Helen Clark considers allowing Green Party ministers in a formal coalition. Yesterday’s final election result after special votes were counted gave Clark 50 seats in parliament, enough to form a minority government. She was expected to try to run that with the Progressives’ one seat, and seek support on confidence and supply from other parties outside the government. But it now appears she may accede to the Greens’ demands. Insiders say Clark is adamantly opposed to giving the Greens major portfolios such as energy or transport, where their policy differs greatly from Labour. But she is not averse to giving them lesser Cabinet roles relating to environmental issues the price of Green support.

However, the Herald on Sunday strikes a more sombre tone:

Jostling for Cabinet positions will intensify this week as coalition horse-trading begins in earnest. But the minor party leaders may find themselves kept at a distance, with indications Helen Clark would prefer to form a minority Labour-Progressive coalition supported by others on confidence and supply.

I suspect that, as with the specials, we’re going to have to wait a good fortnight or so before the composition of the next government becomes clear. Journalists will at every opportunity try and second-guess the signals coming out of the Beehive, but the wise will be content to wait…