The leaseholder, the student and the bad boy
Wand often isn’t home. It loves having a company car, which it is allowed to drive for unlimited personal use.
When it is home, everybody else in the house is a little intimidated by this flatmate. They usually try to keep it happy. Labour lets it use the en suite, which it does quite liberally. Not only does it blatantly ignore the chore wheel, but it helps itself to food in the fridge without regard to whom it belongs.
NZ First isn’t that impressed with the Greens. When it comes to things like choosing a power company and internet plan, it insists on discussing the matter with Labour only. It’s not really interested in hearing the Greens’ ideas and insists that the ‘‘grown-ups’’ will be the one to make the decision. This puts Labour in a tricky position. It is the mutual friend in the relationship and so the burden falls on it to bridge the gap. It also can’t afford to lose either of the flatmates because it needs both to cover the rent. It has worked out that the best way to preserve things is to suck up to, and go along with, NZ First whenever it’s at home. When NZ First is on one of its frequent sales trips to the provinces, however, Labour goes out of its way to be accommodating to the Greens and commiserates with it over NZ First’s behaviour.
It’s not a perfect situation, but it’s generally workable. There haven’t been any major bust-ups so far. Nobody has threatened to leave yet.
Things have been a bit harder going lately, however. Labour’s been away for an extended family trip. This has allowed NZ First to assume the position of hegemonic flatmate. While it hasn’t been as bad as some may have feared, it’s clear the party has a liking for authority. It can only be hoped that when Labour returns, things will go back to normal.
It’s true that all governments since 1996 have been coalitions of one sort or another. The Clark and Key-english years, however, did not really fit this mould. The main party was just in a more dominant position.
Those years more closely resembled a professional couple, standing in jointly for the larger party, who owned their own house. To help offset their mortgage payments, they’ve let one of their mates stay in the sleepout. Their mate is technically a flatmate but there’s no real hint of a power struggle. There’s the occasional flare-up but there’s no doubt about whose house it is and who calls the shots.
This is the first time we’ve had flatmate government in a while. It remains to be seen just what New Zealand, which I guess is the landlord, will make of it when time comes to renew the tenancy. Assuming, that is, that all three want to renew – and can afford the rent.