Power Simon: General Debate 
Power Simon: General Debate 
[Volume:639;Page:9276] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 Paul Swain is the only member of the Labour Government who is smiling. On the day after the 2005 election he worked out that it would be a case of “good night nurse” for the Labour Government and he worked out his exit strategy. He is relaxed he knows he is going he is not worried about what is going on in the Labour caucus any more and he is a picture of serenity compared with the other Labour members. As Bill English said it is not just that Labour has lost the will to govern; when one looks at some members of that caucus it looks frankly like some of them have lost the will to live. 
We know that tomorrow the House will face the oddest of situations: a Budget will be passed not because a majority of the Parliament has confidence in the Government’s work programme but because the Greens will abstain. I find it curious—in fact I almost think it is acceptable—that a majority of the Parliament can pass a Budget and a minority party decides to abstain in those circumstances. But it is a difficult moral question to answer when a majority of the Parliament does not want to pass a Budget then the Greens decide to abstain on that basis. A party that holds itself to be one of principle should answer the accusation during this debate. 
We know that Labour MPs are preparing for change; we are hearing it all over Wellington. Clayton Cosgrove has announced four times a review into the real estate industry and we still have not seen a piece of paper telling us what will happen with that particular real estate review. We know he is keen—he has bought two new suits in the last 2 months and the only person who has bought more new suits than Clayton Cosgrove is our old friend David Cunliffe. He is buying up new suits like they are going out of fashion. He thinks he is going the whole way. 
Darren Hughes used to have time on his side then along came Nathan Guy. We know that Charles Chauvel is saying secretly that he came in at the wrong time in the political cycle—that he just got it wrong. The smartest guy of all Andrew Little is saying: “No thanks. I don’t want a bar of that in 2008. I might have a look at it in 2011 depending on how things are panning out but if you think I’m coming in to go into Opposition there is not a chance. Thanks very much Prime Minister take your offer elsewhere.” 
Senior Ministers like Annette King Trevor Mallard and Steve Maharey are actually trapped because they are looking for a way out before 2008. But they have no way out now because they are terrified that the diplomatic posts will close up if they abandon the ship as close to the end of the election cycle as this. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I’m really looking for a diplomatic post! 
SIMON POWER 
: We could think of plenty of places to send Trevor. We know that Labour members gave a big collective sigh of relief when they thought: “Oh that’s bad news but thank goodness Lesley Soper’s back. She’ll carry us over the line in 2008.” The fact that I have heard her speak twice since she came back through the list is beyond me. 
Maryan Street and my friend Shane Jones had a shocker of an adjournment. They were led to believe that the big promotion was coming and that over the adjournment break they would be going into Cabinet. But then the Prime Minister who has no political capital left in her caucus after the debate on section 59 had to say: “Sorry Shane Jones and Maryan Street. There will be a few more years on the Finance and Expenditure Committee. Sorry Mr Jones. There will be more patsy questions to Michael Cullen. We just couldn’t make the promotion happen over this adjournment break.” Actually what happened was that they just could not shift Dover Samuels. They said to him: “Time’s up Dover Samuels we need to bring in Shane Jones and Maryan Street.” And Dover pulled his hat down and said: “Try your best; I’m not moving.” 
The real problem is that Judith Tizard is not shifting either. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Well she can’t. 
SIMON POWER 
: Well—so who is smiling? I come back to where I started. The Hon Paul Swain is smiling because he worked it out months and months ago; he knows that all he has to do is be good enough and just hold the line long enough until 2008. As he disappears into a private life Parliament will remember him as one of those good guys around the place who was smart enough to learn that the Government was coming to an end but did not close off his own options. Good on you “Swainy”. 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member knows that he must not use a nickname.