A face-off over who faces who
Well, you heard it here first yesterday.
NZPA has this morning picked up the brewing stoush over seating arrangement in The House.
Mr Brown said although the Greens planned to abstain from giving the Government confidence and supply votes, he believed NZ First should have first call to sit on the opposition benches.
“The Greens campaigned on supporting a Labour-led government and have said they could not support National, so we think they should sit with the Government.”
Mr Brown said he did not see it as a problem that Mr Peters would have to answer questions relating to his ministerial portfolios on behalf of the Government.
“Winston is a minister outside Cabinet and I’m sure he can handle questions from anywhere in the House.”
Rod replies:
But Greens co-leader Rod Donald said today NZ First’s desire to sit away from the Government was outrageous.
He said NZ First and United Future were supporting the Government on confidence votes, whereas the Greens were not.
Therefore those two parties should be sitting alongside the Government, not the Greens.
“It is the height of arrogance for NZ First to effectively veto the Greens involvement in the Government and then claim that we sit as part of the Government, while they who have taken a ministerial position sit in opposition,” he told NZPA.
“It’s very devious of them to take a ministerial post and then claim they are not part of the Government.”
Rod has just put out a media release on this.
October 21st, 2005 at 12:02 pm
Maybe I’ve been watching too much ‘Supernanny’, but methinks Mr. Brown and Co. should be sent to the Naughty Room until they stop being so bloody silly.
Memo to Winston: Nobody believes that you’re a political TARDIS, both inside and outside the Government at the same time.
October 21st, 2005 at 12:25 pm
Perhaps he is related to the fabulous Oozlum bird, which flies in ever diminishing circles until it disappears….
October 21st, 2005 at 2:41 pm
even some fascists saying would be more real to have green in Government than the selfish dishonest tyrant, [ i slap up their faces with a section 59 plus for say this of course, honesty one thing, admitiing another ]
but wait, i fortgets, yous get $12 by 2007, and no trade deal china, winston the tyrant he go Green fwwog,
October 21st, 2005 at 3:31 pm
Well said Craig.
October 21st, 2005 at 8:42 pm
Do you think the parties ought to step back and realise how little anyone actually cares about this out in the public? I mean, what better way to prove that they’re serious people…
October 21st, 2005 at 8:58 pm
How long did the US and Vietnam haggle over the shape of the table at the end of that war? Politicians are by nature somewhat disconnected from the priorities of the real world. It’s better here than in most places, but appearance is reality to them. That’s one of the things that keep Greens a little apart from the rest of the mobs.
respectfully
BJ
October 21st, 2005 at 9:52 pm
Plebian:
Indeed. It’s like the equally stupid stoush developing over the office assignments, reported in the DomPost last week. You really wonder why Members of Parliament constantly rank as our least respected occupational group…