Barker Rick: General Debate 
Barker Rick: General Debate 
[Volume:624;Page:19059] 
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister for Courts) 
: 
 There is a crisis of confidence in the National Party. There is a crisis of confidence in its relationships and there is a crisis of confidence in its policy. The National Party is in meltdown. Its caucus is a toxic brew of poisoned personal relationships bruised feelings punctured egos and frustrated ambition. 
All the signs of this have spewed on to the front page of the  
Independent 
 today where the headline screams “Crisis in Nats’ caucus room”. According to the article Murray McCully the chief strategist and spinner for the National Party has told his caucus colleagues that they have little hope of winning this year’s election and this is confirmed by none other than Don Brash who said at the time he was elected as leader: “A lot of people who supported me said: ‘Look we probably won’t win in 2005 but we need to be sufficiently well placed so we can win in 2008.’ ” I wonder what Dr Brash now thinks when he reflects on that. This crisis of leadership should come as no surprise to the public or to the National Party. Dr Don Brash has been in the electoral process before: he stood twice in East Coast Bays and lost on both occasions. In short Dr Don Brash is unelectable; he could get into the House only on the National Party list. His worst trait is coming to the fore in how he manages people. 
The crisis in the National Party caucus room is well documented: Katherine Rich—sacked; Georgina te Heuheu—sacked; Nick Smith—according to his own words—“dorked” by his caucus and his leader; Bill English—shafted by his own caucus still bruised and trying to count back to 14; Lynda Scott—totally disillusioned so she has left politics; Roger Sowry—totally disillusioned by what has happened in the National Party; all the doors have been slammed on him and he is leaving as well. Brian Connell said that his leader was stupid. “Stupid” was the word that he used about the sacking of Katherine Rich. Simon Power has been demoted for revealing truthfully probably the National Party’s true defence policy. Maurice Williamson has been left languishing on the back bench. In fact it has just been revealed today that they are trying to push him out of his seat of Pakuranga to make way for the ACT party. Clem Simich is facing a brutal coup to shove him out of Tamaki. Paul Hutchison was passed over by a small-town lawyer for the health portfolio even though he is a doctor. Lindsay Tisch a former president of the National Party is still languishing on the back benches. He is constantly being passed over. Richard Worth has not been given any of the responsibilities that he believes are commensurate with his ability and his perceived talents. John Carter has resigned from the whip’s position because of the actions of the National caucus. Wayne Mapp has been demoted. 
The simple maths of this tells us that over half the members of the National Party caucus are disillusioned. In fact the disaffection index of the National Party caucus is now over 50 percent. The National Party caucus has gone—in nuclear power station terms—critical. Bells are clanging lights are flashing and hooters are hooting simply because there is such a crisis and it is all because the people are aggrieved or as Nick Smith said “dorked”; or in the words of Brian Connell they have been treated by a stupid leadership. This is a very fertile ground for the rising of a soufflé a second time. The National Party needs only 14 votes to become the leader again and today we witnessed yet again in the House that Bill English is outshining Dr Brash on every front. Any count that members may like to do on the work in this House will show that Bill English is well ahead of Dr Don Brash. He asks more substantive questions and more supplementary questions and he takes part in debates. 
It is interesting that here we are in the Wednesday general debate but yet again Dr Brash is sitting in the House silent. He will not take a call and take up the argument against the Government. He sits there silent letting his minions try to do it. That is pathetic. Maurice Williamson is the best weathervane one can have on the performance of Dr Don Brash. After all he was the person who promoted him the most. If one looks at Maurice Williamson’s face when Dr Brash speaks in the House one will see him looking at the ceiling of the Chamber and drumming his fingers with embarrassment. It has been very embarrassing. But this is not the worst part of the National Party’s crisis. It is not just the toxic personality clashes of the National Party; it is a crisis in policy. Its members cannot agree on one simple thing. Let us take for example 4 weeks’ annual leave. They have said they will get rid of it.