National quick to make Govt look silly
National had promised it would flex its muscle as a large Opposition party, but Labour probably wasn’t expecting it to happen quite so soon — or quite so audaciously.
It came seconds after the MPs were sworn in — a ceremony replete with bonhomie and bipartisan good spirits.
But as the time came to elect Trevor Mallard Speaker, Shadow Leader of the House Simon Bridges realised the government parties were five MPs short and didn’t wait to pounce. Mallard’s face turned grey. Leader of the House Chris Hipkins scurried from Bridges and Brownlee to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Then he scurried back to Bridges and Brownlee. Hands were shaken. Some pink returned to Mallard’s face.
The vote was put and Mallard was elected unopposed. Afterwards it emerged National had used their hefty power to force Labour into a backdown on the number of select committee places for MPs.
Labour had planned to allow 96 places for MPs on the select committees that scrutinise the legislation before Parliament. National wanted — and got — at least 109. As it later transpired Labour could have won the vote — it had 58 to the Opposition’s 56. It had all been a brazen bluff. But forcing a vote would have been messy indeed and not a good start for a new government — or a new Speaker. The scenes of the Opposition holding the Government to ransom on day one were, as English later said, “unprecedented”. There are procedural hiccups for all new Governments — but rarely on the scale seen here.
Given National had already publicly said it would vote for Mallard as Speaker, it was also white-knuckle audacious. It bordered on political blackmail.
Ardern said later she had hoped that this Parliament would be different.
Her mistake was in thinking National would play along.
In terms of future intentions, National could not have made itself clearer. It made the Government look like fools. It was not joking when it said it would make the new Government’s life hell.