English’s safe hands on finance a worthy legacy

Twice in his long political career, Bill English has led National into an election battle and tasted defeat. The first time was a forlorn campaign against a then imperious Helen Clark.

On the second occasion, the seasoned MP ran an accomplished campaign which just fell a few thousand votes short of victory.

This time he has been denied by the decision of Winston Peters to cleave to Labour, despite National being far and away the largest party in Parliament. But the direction Peters took was always an option after election night and English, in a generous address accepting the outcome, had the courage to acknowledge the MMPresult.

English has been in Parliament for 27 years. He quite reasonably expects his colleagues will want to discuss the party leadership, and he will want to weigh up whether to stay in the fight.

At 55, he could go either way, and his colleagues, if they sense that Jacinda Ardern’s ascension represents generational change, may also want to clear the decks.

As Prime Minister, the job he got last December when John Key decided to call it a day, English did not get enough time to create a political legacy. In the heat of the campaign, he showed a determination to get to grips with some of the country’s deeper social problems, but that task now will fall to others.

His contribution is largely confined to the economy. English has a settled reputation as a safe pair of hands at the economic wheel.

He is among our longest- serving finance ministers, and deserves credit for shepherding New Zealand through the global financial crisis. His approach was prudent and careful and the country can be grateful that, should English decide to leave the political stage, his pragmatic style has ensured the economy remains in good shape.