Crazy eight: A year of MPs defying logic
Politics convince night, and – where anyone white politicians is listening black. will that try day to is the year’s MPs final fly term, back and to Wellington they won’t tomorrow be charging for across wondering the finish how they line, made so much it. Here as limping are the over moments 1 The When much National where sadder they MP defied version Jami-Lee all of logic: Ross Highlander decided there could he would be only be it? one, The who no-name on earth master gave of him his the own idea destruction, innocent parties and sadly as well. that The of public a number knows of his name 2 With now friends – it’s under like ‘‘hubris’’ these in the dictionary.
enemy, National and sure, leader he Simon weeded Bridges out his knew former he bestie had an Ross sometimes and removed treatment a cancer isn’t always from his worth caucus. the cost. But He lie, was but the told investigation to let sleeping into dogs the leaker of his travel expense did more 3 Meka harm Whaitiri: than good. Ready for her close up, but the presssec wasn’t This was her moment to shine, standing behind the Prime Minister and nodding like a bobble head. Sadly, she was denied the opportunity due to a diary mistake and got physical with her press secretary. Now Whaitiri is well behind 4 the PM. Way behind on the back benches. Girl about town
Where to meet contacts for those discreet ‘‘offdiary’’ chats? The busiest cafe on Lambton Quay of course! Did you even have a meeting if it wasn’t at Astoria? Because then-Minister of Broadcasting Clare Curran’s ministerial diary provides no evidence of it. 5 Who’s that sliding into your DMs?
It’s Curran again, and she wants to meet up. Same rules apply: strictly casual, on the DL. Another meeting – this time with prospective hire in a major Government IT role – in this case Derek Handley for the now tainted chief technology officer job – without so much as a note in the diary? That’s shady. 6 She isn’t not not fired...
Maybe slightly more baffling than Curran’s record-keeping, was Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s dithering over when to lower the axe. In the end, Curran took the matter into her own hands and quit, but in answering questions over whether she was to be sacked, Ardern maintained Curran still held her job during a radio interview that took place after the resignation. 7 The Sroubek debacle
A Czech national is a known immigration fraudster, drug smuggler and gang associate. He’s not applying for residency, but he is applying for a stay of execution on his deportation liability. What does Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway do? ‘‘Open and shut case – get this man residency!’’ 8 A crime worth condemning
The attempted murder of an ex-Russian spy, on British soil, using a military-grade chemical weapon is cause for outrage, no? Giving Deputy Prime Minister Winston ‘‘facts only’’ Peters the benefit of the doubt before he joined the international chorus of condemnation against Vladimir Putin, we all waited for the outcome of an investigation to point the finger at Russia. And then we waited. And waited. Oh, there it is!
In the end, Clare Curran took the matter into her own hands and quit.