Speaker Smith?
November 12th, 2008 at 7:39 am by David FarrarColin Espiner speculates that Lockwood Smith will be made Speaker.
Lockie is a former host of W3, so I guess that will be good training 
Colin also predicts portfolios:
- Welfare: Paula Bennett
- Corrections/Police: Judith Collins
- Justice: Simon Power
- Education: Anne Tolley
- Health: Tony Ryall
- Trade: Tim Groser
- Foreign: Murray McCully
Related posts:
- McCarten on a National Cabinet
- Dom Post rates the Ministers
- National’s Portfolios
- John Key’s Ministry
November 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
A blooper reel for W3 or It’s Academic contains the following exchange:
SMITH: What eight letter word means any living thing?
GIRLY SWOT: Orgasm?
SMITH: Correct.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Smith: Starter for ten…Will the ETS be in place by Christmas…?
…Hide, Epsom…
Hide: Over my dead body!
Smith: Correct!
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Worth? Has gravitas, more of a parliamentarian than a politician. Maybe a little too dignified and not “take charge enough”, but seems reasonably liked by most others.
Vote:Lockwood? Great work over the Thai Tiler saga undone by recent comments, but a dignified person otherwise. Intellectual powers would be an asset here.
John Carter? Long service, but probably not enough of a parliamentarian, more of a local MP. Probably not legally smart enough.
Roger Douglas? An outside choice, but would make scant choice of his policy background. May be rusty on standing orders given he is 18 years out of parliament.
Wayne Mapp? He would probably rather be a cabinet minister, but maybe one day he would be a good speaker. Has the gravitas.
Georgina Te Heu Heu? Outside chance. May not be strong enough a personality, but well liked around parliament.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Who is going to be the Minister for Broadcasting?
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 8:30 am
OECD, more to the point, will JK keep all the ministries and portfolios that his predecessor established.
Minister for the America’s Cup
Minister for the World Cup
Minister for Racing
Minister for Auckland Affairs
could go on …..
and on
and get into the “PC” miistries that do nothing to make NZ a better place.
Wimmens affairs
Family
etc
etc
Might not he take an axe to some of these but boost numbers (ie as deputy ministers, associate ministers and whatever else they are called) in the more important areas tio give some newbies experience without the capacity to cock up.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Lockwood once got to congratulate a now Australian journo on the confinement and authoritative manner in which he answered a question… incorrectly.
I look forward to him using similar lines on the former govermnet during a seies of please explain questions.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:03 am
While I can understand the logic of using the position of Speaker to dispose of a potentially embarrassing minister, I would lament that the position is regarded as so unimportant. Why not ask “Who is the best person to to be Speaker?” and then appoint them instead.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:21 am
cause maybe the best person for the job would be best as a cabinet minister..
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I agree with dime, I think. Someone who’d make the best speaker might at the same time make a good cabinet minister – wouldn’t want to lose them to such a position.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:35 am
David do you think Anne Tolley will handle tertiary education too or do we expect that to go elsewhere? If elsewhere to whom? Paul?
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:45 am
I think it is a shame Dunne has turned it down. Dunne won’t be in Parliament next time; his revenue portfolio is hardly overly challenging, and he has long campaigned on improving parliamentary standards. This could have been a great swan-song for him. He’s pompous enough and pedantic enough to have made a real fist of the job.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Damn good points Tim, but it’s all about HIM. Who the hell knows, maybe he’ll get absorbed into National, THEN he could take it next time.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Dunnee would be an excellent deputy assistant to the assistant deputy minister for arseholes – his nose is already brown.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Well … that might result in Speaker Cullen
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 10:41 am
did anyone else laugh ta loud the other night at tv3 news?
they were showing what MP’s were making before and after the election.. dunne unchanged on 195k + expenses. Ya just know that man is in it for the cash
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 10:49 am
If ever there was an example of mass media beat up it was the hysteria over Lockwood Smith’s comments during the campaign.
1. He was repeating to a reporter, what had been told to him by the employers
2. The next day a Maori contractor completely confirmed the accuracy of Lockwood Smith’s comments
3. Barry Soaphead said on NewstalkZB that Lockwood should have offset the “small asian hands comments” with something positive about the Polynesians.
Well Barry, IF YOU LISTENED TO THE ENTIRE AUDIO CLIP THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT LOCKWOOD DID SAY – BUT DON”T EVER LET THE FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY! (especially one that favoured the Labour Party)
Lockwood said, that while Asians smaller hands made them more suited to the finer work on the vines themselves, the strength of the Polynesians was a real asset on the vineyards for all the heavy work. All the employers were asking for, was to open up the vineyard workers scheme to a broader range of races, to enable the different types of work to be done more efficiently.
I think Lockwood would be a fair and effective speaker, and I think that he would be a pleasant and polite alternative to the shrieking ineffectiveness that was Margaret Wilson.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I rather think Michael Cullen would make an excellent Speaker, even with a National Parliament. He’s certainly the expert on House Matters, I think even the new Clerk of the House has been heard to say that. And, couldn’t you just see him giving it to Labour during questions? “Will the Right Honorable Helen Clark please ask a specific question or sit down and let the house get on with its business!” Priceless
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I too think Michael Cullen would make a great speaker, he would probably need to stop making fun of every one quite so much though.
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Before Smith gets the job can we hear him say “the minister has addressed the question”, this must be said with conviction. Plus, is he fit enough to jump up every two minutes and look very pissed off?
Vote:November 12th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I also believe that Cullen would be a marvellous speaker.
Vote:Imagine him in Question Time when some ill informed cabinet minister fails to answer a question, as we have heard for the past nine years.
“That answer would have been acceptable in the period 1999 – 2008 but it is not now. Answer the question or get out.”
A speaker with that kind of cheek would make question time worth watching on channel 94, rather than the dreadful vague stuff we have had for nine long years.
I never ever thought there would be a place for Cullen in public life as I believe that he did more good for National than any advertising agency ever could. Without Cullen much fewer New Zealanders would know the meaning of the word “supercilious”.