Claire makes a pretty sensible case for Tau not being the speaker.
God loves a trier but unfortunately the Prime Minister does not feel the same way about his latest trier – Tau Henare.
Without saying it out loud, Key made it perfectly clear Henare was the Eric the Eel of the race to be Speaker.
Rather than subside quietly back into the green leather of the backbenches, Henare showed he had learned something from the Prime Minister – optimism.
Tau is unlikely to be the speaker, but he has a lot of low rat cunning, and I think Claire has underrated his desire to give the top brass a bloody good tune up for leaving him rotting on the back benches. He figures he has nothing to lose so he might as well have a go and see what happens. Key can stop him from being Speaker, but at what cost?
The big problem for John Key is he has to let Tau down gently so Tau doesn’t say “I don’t think you are up to being PM and will vote based on this view.” Claire underrates how much damage one pissed off back bencher can do when you have an one seat majority. And she also underrates how disrespectful the senior ministers have been of back benchers, back benchers who’s vote the ministers depend on for their ministerial portfolio.
