New Zealand First managed a ‘dedicated portion’ (of that $1b) to go to SuperGold Card Holders… oh YES! you read right! ‘Dedicated Portion!’

I wonder why, all of a sudden, New Zealand First is content with the Green’s leftovers? Surely they were in a more powerful negotiating position as soon as the Greens pledged their support to the ETS?

Would’ve been interesting to see what New Zealand First could have secured, had these questions of Winston Peters not been raised.

It was basically “how can you shut down the SFO when there are allegations your MFA is taking bribes”. Now, how do you ask that question without referring to the allegations that the MFA taking bribes?

The speaker asked him to do the impossible. Whether or not the issue of bribery was indeed before the courts should have been able to be simply resolved. Whether or not such a question in the house could be likely to seriously prejudice the alleged court cases was a matter for the speaker to subjectively decide. That’s what Brownlee was getting at, but that point was deflected by the speaker (which I have a dim view of).

Paul, I think you are missing the point. The answer wasn’t the interesting bit, the question was. He’s hardly going to come out and say ‘ah yes, that’s right, I overlooked that bribe I took’ is he. The more times the question could be asked, and the more time spent on it, the more media prominence it got.

No I’m not missing the point at all, but you’ve largely confirmed what I suspected; Hide’s got no expectation of being able to actually assist in determining what happened, his goal is to simply promote media interest – resolving the matter would put us all out of our misery, misery he’s hoping to take political advantage of… that’s politics however, I guess. My point earlier was the Rodney missed an opportunity in Parliament, not that the Nat’s could have done better, they clearly can’t (and probably don’t wish too) and so we’re none the wiser. Oddly, I don’t know what I want to be true? Winston being right is unpleasant enough, Hide being backed by Winston’s oponents worries me too.

Incidentally, will you/can you make the rulling available. This is an important matter; the fact that some members have very litigious tendencies could mean that a broad interpretation would exempt them from normal levels of Parliamentary scrutiny.

Rodney – well done. Looks like you have your fight back – and that is making me consider very seriously where my vote might go. I’ve voted ACT since you were formed, this was the year I was thinking of changing. On current performance, I’ll stay with you. I’m much more interested in genuine principles and beliefs than in dancing and swimming (although I acknowledge the difficulty in getting any airtime at all given the way our media think or fail to think).

You’ve said that the Speaker simply took Peters word and that this isn’t how Parliament works; yes it is. That was made very clear to you by the Speaker.

You know I agreed with what you said, and others said in support, that it’s critical that MPs ask questions; you’re uniquely privileged in this regard, but you must surely comply with Standing Orders and I don’t doubt you’re capability to do so. Therefore, the fact that you didn’t manage to ask the question is odd and not the fault of the Speaker.

We are witnessing one of the rare moments of truth in our Parliament a place that for too long has been allowed to act in a manner that is incompatible with the princples of good governance good ethics and good morals.

Alas most citizens now view the House as an irrelvancy its inhabitants creatures of another moral and ethical planet completely out of touch iwth reality.

It is up to the Members whether they want to continue to be viewed as clowns in a 3 ring circus or as worthy to govern.

the ball is in their court

Wilson would be out her depth in a pudlle of her own urine.

Mr Dennis

I suggested some time ago that the Nats should have put forward a motion of no confidence in Wilson – pity they didn’t as a second such motion would surely be a first in NZ if the first motion wasn;t. Has such a motion ever been put to parliament before?

I’m interested. How did I muck it up? My problem is that all the advice I have — and had — was that my question was not sub judice. I had no idea what was being objected to. The Speaker simply took Mr Peters’ word that anything he objected to was sub judice.

That’s not how Parliament operates.

I am genuinely interested in what options you think I had to ask the question about anything other than the abolition of the SFO?

Rodney

Kudos to National however; they’re cleverly enabling this. I wonder what reward will ACT seek, Douglas in Cabinet?.

I wish the Nats would grow some balls and say what they stand for and stick to their guns. At the moment the only party that doesn’t sell out at the slightest pressure is Act. I still haven’t forgiven John Key for selling us all out on the S.59 bill.

But Act went and recruited goddamn Roger Douglas. How’s a guy to vote?

If “the pooh” hasn’t committed to the ETS, shes stuck. She may not want to alienate him, but you don’t want to trample over your biggest donors credibility either.

and to Mr Dennis, wouldn’t that be great to watch!

If it happens again, they should all stand up & walk out with Mr Hide. That would shake things up a bit!

They could return at the end of question time. They would get far more publicity from walking out than they would from any question they could have asked.

Key must act. Today. Categorically rule out dealing with Winston who is a manifestly corrupt liar. As unfashionable as it might be to quote Sunday school memory verses… “Be sure your sins will find you out”!

Winston Peters
“His memory failed him”

Glenn’s comment of
“I agreed to help in the belief that this step would also assist the Labour Party in its relationship with Mr Peters. I supported the Labour Party.” fairly much ties Winston’s political future to Labour, totally destroying what ever pretense there was over being a “swing party”