Mallard Trevor: General Debates 
Mallard Trevor: General Debates 
[Volume:607;Page:4976] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 What a great week to be a Government! During the late 1980s I was the junior and then the senior Government whip as we worked our way through leaders. It was an appalling situation to be in. We could see the polls going down. We would try one leader and they would go down again. We would have a crack at a third leader within a bit over a year. We knew that whatever we did we would lose. [ 
Interruption 
] We knew. The Speaker did actually know at the time. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No I am not to be brought into the debate. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Without bringing the Speaker into the debate the then member for somewhere out west Auckland certainly knew at the time that whatever change was made we were going to lose. We can just see it on the face of the Opposition. We can see the brat pack with their mouths down-turned. They know now that they moved too quickly on Jenny Shipley. They are all saying: “Why did we do it? We knew that we would lose anyway. Why didn’t we let Mr English come in afterwards?” 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: No patience! 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: That brat pack had no patience at all. Who has been the big loser this week? It was not Bill English not Don Brash but Mr Brownlee. It became clear during this week that he does not know where the second vote is coming from—very much like a local authority person quite close to me who ran for Cabinet at one stage. The only person in the National Party to support Mr Brownlee is Mr Brownlee. They were quietly putting their hands up around the place for Mr Brash or Mr English but who sank without a trace? Mr Brownlee sinking without a trace is a bit of a contradiction but I think members know what I mean. It was quite clear that he could not make any progress at all. 
What a pathetic character Bill English is. A group of students from a rural area was outside which gave him a wonderful opportunity to stride out and face up to the media. What did he do? He scuttled away and hid. He had a wonderful opportunity to take the lead for the National Party in the debate today. What has he done? He has scuttled away and hid. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the member cannot refer to the presence or absence of any member. 
Jill Pettis 
: He failed to maximise the opportunities. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: He certainly did fail to maximise the opportunity although I think he has maximised his opportunity and failed. What has become clear is that he is blaming two sets of people—one being Maurice Williamson. He did not apologise to Maurice Williamson. We did not expect it; Maurice Williamson did not expect it but everyone around here knew that not only was Maurice Williamson running him down a whole pile of others were running him down as well. 
Fancy blaming the Auckland business community! Those are the people who put money into the pockets of the National Party who have funded its campaigns for years and years. Even if Bill English knew it was them who were calling for a change would it not have been the brightest thing just to shut up and be quiet rather than run the long-term mates of the party down? Don Brash has looked a bit silly because he has signalled that he wants to take over in a month or two. It was not the brightest thing to do and it will not help him with the leadership. 
Mr Brownlee can get only one vote and the Leader of the Opposition is clearly permanently disabled. We knew from the time of that first vote on David Lange that eventually he would go but a lot of us worked hard at deferring it. Bill English will go. He will not be leader for the next election. All I can see is that one person is doing really well out of this. He is sitting in the front bench of the National Party now—Mr Power. He is the only one who has not made a fool of himself; he knows when to shut up. My prediction is that in a few weeks’ time he will be sitting up here.