Helen Clark is a Machiavellian Genius

This from the Herald
Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday attacked National leader Don Brash as a "corrosive and cancerous" person and unfit to lead New Zealand - just moments after she condemned the use of personal attacks and extreme rhetoric.

She also called him divisive and polarizing and invited the National Party caucus to get rid of him.

And of course Helen said that right after the Greens announced

In a move which ratchets up pressure on Labour, the Greens have joined the growing number of parties that will pay back any taxpayer money found to have been unlawfully spent on electioneering.

Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons yesterday unveiled her party's position in Wellington and said her MPs would not support legislation to validate unlawful spending.

"Despite the Auditor-General's interpretation of the rules being vastly different from ours and the other parties, the Green caucus has taken a decision that we will pay back whatever expenditure is ultimately determined to be unlawful," Ms Fitzsimons said.

"We want to make it clear that by doing this, we are not accepting any guilt - we are merely acknowledging that once there is a final legal ruling, we have to respect that."

So what is Helen doing? By telling the National Caucus to dump Don, she has cemented him in place (no opposition Caucus could be credible if it took the advice of the Prime Minister) so many will have to shelve their justifiable leadership ambitions and stand behind Don. Which is breathing space Helen needs now that the Greens have decided to do the honourable thing and agree to pay the $65 000 back. Notice how Helen came out with this after the Greens had announced they would – the pressure that would have created would have been immense, and throwing this attack at Don doesn’t harm her Labour base, but it does polarize National supports who will be justifiably furious, and let’s all note the irony that polarization is the very thing Helen is accusing Don of being.

I agree with Helen, Don is a cancer. The way he gave legitimacy to garden variety racism with his ‘Maaaari get too much speech”, and his follow up “Let’s force poor people to sell their infants into adoption” are icings to his “let’s dump the dole and force the unemployed to line up outside Post Offices and fight for work on a day to day basis” shitcake. HOWEVER – all that said this still doesn't let Helen off the $800 000 hook.

By attacking Don so viscously, she will energize the National party support as everyone blindly rushes in to support ‘the Leader’. This will make any coup against him impossible, which is exactly what Helen needs right now after the Greens have gone and done the right thing (Rod Donald would be smiling). By cementing Don in place she has a chance of winning the next election, and the way things are going, the “NEVER DON” vote could be all she has to keep her in. She is betting that there is one more person in the country who hates Don than hates her. That is the sad reality of what our Parliament has become.