Power Simon: Adjournment Sittings of the House 
Power Simon: Adjournment Sittings of the House 
[Volume:622;Page:18144] 
SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) 
: 
 It did not take long before the Government caved in on the urgency motion. It was very tough to start with. Dr Cullen stood in the House a week ago and proclaimed the legislation that would be passed under the urgency motion. But United Future had said that it was too soft for that. It agreed to go only to 6 o’clock on Friday. So what happens? The lawyers wait again as the Lawyers and Conveyancers Bill is thrown to one side and the soft Labour Party caves in ready to go home for a holiday that is not well deserved. But before making a contribution— 
Darren Hughes 
: You voted against the urgency motion. 
SIMON POWER 
: That was a great interjection from “Farrah Fawcett” Hughes! I thank you Mr Speaker for your guidance. I thank the Assistant Speaker and Deputy Speakers the Clerk of the House the select committee staff the messengers the security team the Bellamy’s staff the travel office and the Hansard staff. I thank the National leader’s office staff and researchers my staff and the Opposition whip’s office very much for their contribution this year. 
But sitting across on the Government’s side of the House is a hopeless old tired boring Government. Let us look at what could happen on Monday in the Cabinet reshuffle. The Hon Steve Maharey is obviously heading to be the next Minister of Youth Affairs so that he will finally understand the COOL IT programme. Trevor Mallard’s subtlety and intelligence will be welcomed as the next Attorney-General. Margaret Wilson was not a popular choice for Speaker to be fair. Nevertheless the taxi drivers around town in their discussion about that appointment will drive down the numbers that the Labour Party currently enjoys in its poll rankings. 
Phil Goff will be the next Minister of Health with particular responsibility for those who are hearing impaired. Mark Burton will be the next “Minister for the Terminally Misled and Disappointed”. He was promised the job month after month year after year after year but he was pipped at the post and will now be the next “Minister for the Terminally Misled and Disappointed”. 
Steve Chadwick will be the next caucus chair for the “Committee for Those Who Missed Out Again”. I invite Steve Chadwick to the Cheltenham Tavern which is 20 kilometres out of Feilding because I want her to be in the room—and I want to be with her—when she tells a shearer who has just shorn 300 sheep and is about to have his first pint with a roll-your-own that he cannot smoke. I want to be in the room when Steve Chadwick says that to the shepherd. 
Does anybody remember Judith Tizard? The “Minister for Champagne Flutes”! What a mess this Government has been in. Steve Maharey has had a nightmare in tertiary education. Bill English has emerged triumphant in the tertiary education debate this year. George Hawkins is holding on by the skin of his teeth. He was completely duped by Tony Ryall from the start to the end of this year. Lianne Dalziel is gone. John Tamihere is gone. The Prime Minister was gone at 180 kilometres per hour through the Canterbury Plains. We will see whether she gives evidence in February. That will be the most interesting question of the new year. 
But the highlight of the year for me was when David Cunliffe who had not been in the media for 6 months did what any good New Zealand man would do and bleached his hair. He arrived in the Chamber with bleached hair to get more media attention. 
So this Government goes home at the end of this year soft on the urgency motion caving in at the first sign of pressure with TVNZ in an absolute mess resignations demanded then not accepted and the Prime Minister is nowhere to be seen on this issue or on the foreshore and seabed issue. Where was she instead? She was doing an impersonation of Lady Diana outside the TajMahal and what an extraordinary sight that was! 
I just say to my friends in United Future that making amendments to drop tax rates then voting for a bill that does the opposite is not smart politics at all. In the end that party will be starved of political oxygen for longer than 21 days. I say to Mr Adams that they are in big trouble. 
National on the other hand has had a great year. Don Brash single-handedly rocked the political landscape of New Zealand with one speech. That is the Brash phenomenon. This caucus is united behind Dr Brash and we will see him elected Prime Minister next year. This Government is old tired and boring. Its time is up. Merry Christmas to you all!