Why I like Don
Follwing is an excerpt from Don Brash's interview with Simon Dallow on Agenda yesterday morning, in which he rips the Government to shreds in that cool manner that Don developed back when he was telling us that raising interest rates is good for us:
SIMON You alluded to collective responsibility a couple of moments ago, with the new government arrangements including Winston Peters and Peter Dunne as ministers outside of cabinet, how relevant is the notion collective responsibility now?
DON Well it's not just that they're outside cabinet, we've had plenty of ministers outside cabinet before but these are people who are ministers outside cabinet who want to reserve the right to oppose the government in everything but their own portfolio areas. Winston Peters party wanted to sit with the opposition, he's sitting now as far away from Helen Clark as Jeanette Fitzsimons is from me in the House. Now I mean he's either part of the government or he's not, he can't be part of the government and part of the opposition he's leading a kind of double life and I mean that’s in any kind of conventional sense, absurd.
SIMON Several constitutional experts have said though that essentially this convention, collective responsibility, is no more than a practice and that’s what the cabinet manual describes it as. Canterbury University constitutional expert Phillip Joseph said on Thursday 'it's just a practice that can be dispensed with modified or altered depending on what the public institution requires'.
DON Well I don’t think we've ever seen this – never seen this happen in New Zealand, we've never seen it happen in any other country of a western democracy type at all to my knowledge. Never have we seen someone who says I'm a minister but I want the right to oppose the government in everything other than my portfolio. I mean he's off to APEC next week, Winston Peters.
SIMON Not on his own.
DON Well no, but I mean when he's asked what do you think about the free trade agreement your government is negotiating with China, what does he say, I oppose it as Leader of the New Zealand First Party but support it as Foreign Minister? I mean it's a crazy situation.
SIMON What happens when he gets portfolio conflict, when you’ve got Foreign Affairs he has to say one thing yet on the other hand his own party will be demanding that it intersects say with Immigration or …
DON Indeed, I guess it's a question you'd have to ask Winston Peters. I mean I'll be fascinated to see what happens.
SIMON But it's a contradictory situation.
DON And that’s what prompted Gerry Brownlee's comment.
SIMON You alluded to collective responsibility a couple of moments ago, with the new government arrangements including Winston Peters and Peter Dunne as ministers outside of cabinet, how relevant is the notion collective responsibility now?
DON Well it's not just that they're outside cabinet, we've had plenty of ministers outside cabinet before but these are people who are ministers outside cabinet who want to reserve the right to oppose the government in everything but their own portfolio areas. Winston Peters party wanted to sit with the opposition, he's sitting now as far away from Helen Clark as Jeanette Fitzsimons is from me in the House. Now I mean he's either part of the government or he's not, he can't be part of the government and part of the opposition he's leading a kind of double life and I mean that’s in any kind of conventional sense, absurd.
SIMON Several constitutional experts have said though that essentially this convention, collective responsibility, is no more than a practice and that’s what the cabinet manual describes it as. Canterbury University constitutional expert Phillip Joseph said on Thursday 'it's just a practice that can be dispensed with modified or altered depending on what the public institution requires'.
DON Well I don’t think we've ever seen this – never seen this happen in New Zealand, we've never seen it happen in any other country of a western democracy type at all to my knowledge. Never have we seen someone who says I'm a minister but I want the right to oppose the government in everything other than my portfolio. I mean he's off to APEC next week, Winston Peters.
SIMON Not on his own.
DON Well no, but I mean when he's asked what do you think about the free trade agreement your government is negotiating with China, what does he say, I oppose it as Leader of the New Zealand First Party but support it as Foreign Minister? I mean it's a crazy situation.
SIMON What happens when he gets portfolio conflict, when you’ve got Foreign Affairs he has to say one thing yet on the other hand his own party will be demanding that it intersects say with Immigration or …
DON Indeed, I guess it's a question you'd have to ask Winston Peters. I mean I'll be fascinated to see what happens.
SIMON But it's a contradictory situation.
DON And that’s what prompted Gerry Brownlee's comment.
posted by Michael at
8:57 PM
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