Trevett on Question Time

Claire Trevett has a good article on question time yesterday:

Both sides went into the House primed for action – an Opposition ready to put the new National Government through the wringer and a Government eager to show what it was really made of.

Instead, those who had become so adept at answering questions over the previous nine years suddenly found they had little idea how to ask them. Those now responsible for answering them seemed to be under the misapprehension that the people in Opposition were still running the show.

It was very funny.

Three times Mr Carter stood up to ask the initial question and muffed it by adding extraneous words. He did no better on his follow-up questions, which fell foul of the rules because they did not begin with words such as how, why or when. Eventually Dr Cullen stood and used a point of order to give him a lesson on how to begin a question.

“Wassup?” yelled Mr Key – and by the time Mr Carter was done, the howls of laughter drowned Ms Tolley’s answers.

Poor Chris really had  shocker of a day.

Labour whip Darren Hughes showed the game of Gerry-baiting had lost none of its novelty – when Mr Key mentioned “stationary energy” Mr Hughes chipped in “we call that Gerry Brownlee”.

But Claire passed over Simon Power’s slam to Hughes earlier on

9. JOHN BOSCAWEN (ACT) to the Minister of Justice: On what date is the Government planning to repeal the Electoral Finance Act and introduce new electoral law?

Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) : As part of its first 100 days’ commitment the Government intends to repeal—

Hon Darren Hughes: Fight them on the beaches.

Hon SIMON POWER: Well, that member should go back to his seat. Oh, that is right, he does not have one.

Ouch.