Power Simon: General Debate 
Power Simon: General Debate 
[Volume:624;Page:19480] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 What a different atmosphere it is in here having the general debate after dinner. It compares in atmosphere favourably to the normal 3 o’clock to 4 o’clock slot on a Wednesday afternoon. Although Government members might have smiles on their faces for various reasons at 25 to 8 on a Wednesday night one member most certainly does not have a smile on his face and that is poor old George Hawkins. 
Poor old George Hawkins—that man is really in trouble. He is in serious serious strife. On  
Breakfast 
 for the first time in 6½ years the Commissioner of Police broke ranks. He just put up his hands and said that enough was enough—that he could not take this any more and just could not defend this Minister for one moment longer. What did he say? He said: “I think certainly we do the very best that we can with the resources that we have.” He landed the Minister of Police right in it. 
But of course it is not the first time that the Minister of Police has been landed in it during 2005. In fact one of the best quotes of the year came from the  
Dominion Post 
 this week which stated: “Even senior party figures previously well-disposed toward him are now privately calling him ‘a serial dummy-spitter’ ”. Those are the people who used to protect George Hawkins; the people who used to stand beside him in times of strife and need. What do they say now? They say that he is just a serious dummy-spitter. Why? Because in 2002 George Hawkins was No. 15 on the Labour Party list. This time around he was offered No. 25. 
Actually I just happen to note that that is the spot Labour has given Ashraf Choudhary. I bet that David Cunliffe who works hard into the early hours of the morning is thrilled with the fact that Ashraf Choudhary has been made No. 25 while he is No. 31. Poor old David Cunliffe—No. 31! What did Ashraf Choudhary do to get the No. 25 slot? 
Rodney Hide 
: A vacant IQ! 
SIMON POWER 
: I tell Mr Hide that Mr Choudhary did more than nothing—he abstained. He abstained at the crucial time. When the pressure from the ninth floor came on during the prostitution law reform legislation where was he to be seen? He said: “I dunno I’ll abstain. What do I get in return?”. Well Mr Choudhary gets the No. 25 slot in return. 
Rodney Hide 
: How did David Cunliffe do? 
SIMON POWER 
: David Cunliffe is No. 31. Poor old David Cunliffe. What is surprising about that though is that Helen Clark Mike Williams or Michael Cullen did not have the courage to ring George Hawkins to tell him that he was No. 25; the media helpfully tells us that Annette King had to phone him. “Oh George it’s Annette here. A spot of bad news old chap. You’re going to be No. 25. I’ve been asked to ring you because I’m a mate of yours. So I said to the Prime Minister ‘No problem Prime Minister I’ll phone him I’ll tell him.’ ” The serial dummy-spitter spat the dummy and the whole thing went to custard. 
Now Mike Moore’s rump is left—it is not on the list. Outside of the feminist cabal is Mike Moore’s rump: John Tamihere Clayton Cosgrove Ross Robertson Harry Duynhoven Damien O’Connor and Tim Barnett—actually I should not put Tim Barnett in that category. All of them are there—Mike Moore’s rump. What is going on with those guys? They have just been left out. Marian Hobbs has come in at No. 9 because she knows she is gone. She knows that she cannot win Wellington Central. The insurance policy is locked into place. 
Russell Fairbrother the man who got the hospital pass of the year to chair the select committee considering the foreshore and seabed legislation is a guy who carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders for the best part of 6 months and he is No. 38. He is pleased that Ashraf Choudhary is No. 25. He is pleased that Ashraf Choudhary who did nothing—who abstained—is No. 25 while he carried the most important piece of legislation in this Parliament. What did he get? “Cheers thanks for coming Russell you’re No. 38. Thanks for your help we appreciate it. By the way we’ll make Choudhary No. 25.” That is a very good signal to the Labour Party caucus. It is unbelievable. 
Steve Chadwick the chairperson of the Health Committee is No. 33. Darren Hughes the junior whip like him or not beavers away here into the early hours of the night and he came in at No. 34. He is pleased that Ashraf Choudhary is No. 25 though. He is absolutely delighted that Ashraf Choudhary is No. 25. What does it tell people? It says that the Labour Party is in trouble is divided and will be conquered.