Mallard Trevor: General Debates 
Mallard Trevor: General Debates 
[Volume:609;Page:6356] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 That member has twice been a Minister and twice failed. He does not stick it out and when the heat comes on he cuts and runs. That is the member who I never thought would join the Greens and what did we see today? We saw him join the Greens—I have never seen a bigger case of recycled nonsense than we saw in the House today. He said he had a big hit and he was going to do John Tamihere over. What did he do? He brought up the stuff that had been brought up before and explained in the House. Winston Peters is a green. That is a kiwifruit I suppose—brown on the outside and green in the middle. That is the new Winston Peters. That is the approach he is taking now. The one positive thing I can say for him is that he is doing a helluva lot better than Bill English. He might have cut and run twice as a Cabinet Minister—it got too hot in the kitchen so Winston threw in the towel—but I think that is probably something that Bill English should do now. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He can call me Winston Peters or Sir Winston but he cannot call me Winston. He should be more respectful. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is perfectly correct. I would ask the member to obey the rules. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: He threw in the towel. He threw it in twice when it got too hot in the kitchen. When he lost the argument when he lost sway when he was regarded as hopeless by the rest of Cabinet he tossed in the towel. But I wonder about Bill English. He said that the TV3 poll last time was nonsense and that it was far too low. He said that if he took another big hit he would go and I want to know whether that is true. I want to know whether if there is another hit and the National Party goes down in the TV3 poll tonight he will keep his word and resign. 
Hon Member 
: Let him stay in Washington. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: No we are not going to give him the job in Washington—let me make that absolutely clear. He will not be the ambassador in Washington if the TV3 poll says that the National Party has gone down. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to know what ability we have to deal with a matter that is patently untrue. The Minister on his feet knows full well that Mr English never made any of the comments that have been attributed to him. He never comments on any polls—he never has. The Minister should stop making it up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member knows that that is a political point not a point of order. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: I reiterate that it is my understanding that the Hon Bill English has given an undertaking to his caucus that things would go up and not down. 
Hon Roger Sowry 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member has absolutely no understanding of the National caucus—luckily for us. He should not keep making it up. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is a point of debate. The member should listen to what is being said; I thought it was very flattering. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: What is really important in this Parliament is to find out whether Bill English gave the undertaking that things would be going forward that National’s polling would be going up and that he would be delivering or he would go. Did he say that or not? 
Government Member 
: Of course he said it. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: Well they are not denying that he said it. There are no denials at all from the Opposition members so we will take them at their word. We will be watching television very very keenly tonight. We will see whether there is any expectation of delivery on the part of the National Party caucus for Bill English. Will he deliver or will he not? I see that John Key is going to speak. I ask Mr Key to say whether after Bill English’s promises he will be satisfied if the National Party goes down again. Will the member be satisfied? I think that Bill English is in the end quite honourable. He will keep his undertakings to the National Party and if that is the result I make another prediction and that is that John Key will be deputy leader of the National Party within the next 6 months.