English’s cabinet reshuffle a noose for his own neck while Matthew Hooton rubs his greasy mitts with glee

1. “Paula Bennett has gained Minister of Women’s Affairs in a desperate attempt to humanise her.”

   Impossible.

2. Good luck humanising Bennett. That’s going to be like persuading the general populace a hessian sack full of broken glass and anthrax is actually a cashmere sweater. And poor old Louise Upston. Handed the poison chalice that so effectively annihilated Sam Lotu-Iiga. Brace yourself Louise. It’s going to get much, much worse before it gets better. If it gets better at all. Which I very much doubt. Face it, you’re doomed.

   And what about Nick “Minister of Incompetence” Smith? I mean, just how many times does one man have to fuck shit up before he gets thrown under the bus? Unbelievable. Still… at least McCully’s been chucked on the bonfire, and not before time.

   • I agree withe Louise Upston comments. She has taken on much more than she probably realises with Corrections. Once the public wake up to the vast increases in spending to satisfy the incessant calls to lock people up ($1b plus running costs just for another 1800 beds). They may also be starting to wake up to the possibility that the Serco problems are not only in their prisons – take a look at the record of the Department run prisons and Mount Eden since they “stepped in”.
     She will be toast.

3. Perhaps we should look at English more like a kind of caretaker PM, a transition PM, while there are other ambitious candidates waiting in the wings. I have a feeling that Bill English may himself leave politics at some time soon after the next elections.

   Bennett has only got her deputy job, because Bill English has treated her like an apprentice over the years, also used her as the face of welfare reforms, using carrot and stick (more stick than carrot of course), as a former sole parent with a kind of “human touch” (albeit rather fake).

   Judith Collins will now start preparing a coup of sorts in the next year or two, I think, she knows that her time in politics will not last forever, she is getting older by the year, and having two important portfolios that she cherished taken off her, that will infuriate her.

   She will work on other National MPs and try to get her numbers. If she cannot see a chance to roll English or take over once he has signaled he had enough, she will probably resign herself from Parliament. But I sense the battle lines are drawn now.

   When English goes, then Bennett will also go soon afterwards, she may be popular with some in the party, but she has embarrassed herself and the government too often, to become PM herself, she will not have the numbers.

   Simon Bridges as PM is what Mr Hooton may consider realistic, I am not so sure. He may be smart and capable in some ways, but I feel he is not that much of a bridge builder and diplomat to work with the more hard-nosed people within the National Party.

   It is my presumption that the Nats will lose next election, as there will be some signs of disunity and also confusion re the future direction. It will be more muddling through, while the economy will slow down soon. People will see the writing on the wall, and worry about their future, and finally give Labour and Greens a chance.

   What Labour and Greens need to do is work out a firm and resolute plan and agenda, present convincing alternatives and stick to the word and what they propose.

   It will perhaps not be the kind of government many of us desire, but at least we may get rid of the Nats and that ACT hanger on from Epsom running the show. Also watch Ohariu, Mr Dunne may get a real challenger, and once he is gone, the cards need to be mixed again.

4. I have to agree about Louise Upston, why didn’t English demote her right from the start, now it will only be a short time and she will be completely overwhelmed with her new Cabinet post and sacked for incompetence. Talk about dying by a thousand cuts. She is stupid but should have been culled before this appointment ends up a debacle. If this is planned and he wants her gone he should have had the bottle to do it now.

   Crusher will have fun plotting away merrily – one should always keep your enemies close – English hasn’t a clue about survival.

5. Same ultra right wing zealots that wouldn’t even know what “National” was meant to stand for Martyn.

   National stands for the “people of the country” and this lot will eagerly sell everything remaining if they find anything left to squander so they will leave nothing for “the people of the country”.

6. Hilarious. And Orwellian.

   Minister for Climate Change Issues

   Minister of Conservation

   Minister of Justice

   Minister for Sport and Recreation

   Minister for Food Safety

   Minister for Racing

   But there seems to be an oversight: who is Minister for Silly-Walks?

7. You have to assume all those years of 2IC to JFK has convinced Srr English that we are still as stupid as we needed to be to believe the tall tales.
   Trouble is… the pixie dust had vanished with the morning sun. All the children who followed the pied piper, woke up as from a dark dream, looked at each other in wonder and wandered home, ‘cept home had vanished and in its place a pumpkin car.

   An invisible Housing Minister only works when under the magic cloak Bill. Merry Christmas, ho, ho ho.

8. Bring it on. The scene has been set and the only major hurdle left is the media.

9. A useful list to tick off for the gallows after the revolutionaries storm OUR parliament.

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