Cull'n

As one star rises another fades. Little's EPMU/Labour dual act will continue in the meantime - making a mockery out of both Labour's and the EPMU's independence, esp. in relation to the now repealed Election Finance Act. When Cullen shuffles off to pick up his old-school parliamentary mega-pension it raises the spectre of Judith bloody Tizard returning (after Clark departs for the UN role of which no other contenders have emerged in our media) and this will damage Labour's prospects further.Cullen is turning game keeper after 9 years/25+ years of poaching. For the man who rammed through the Foreshore & Seabed confiscation law in 2004 (and the terra nullius colonial style racism of section 34 that philosophically underpins it) the turn around is gobsmacking.Dom Post reporting:

Former Treaty negotiations minister Michael Cullen is set to jump the fence and become a negotiator for central North Island iwi Tuwharetoa when he leaves Parliament.
Labour sources yesterday confirmed Dr Cullen would quit before the May 28 Budget, as reported by The Dominion Post on Wednesday, to take up the role

As amends for the law that this Englishman has passed it has at least some sort of symmetry about it. As DPF notes:

This is almost the opposite to National’s Chris Finlayson. Chris used to be Ngai Tahu’s lawyer, and now of course is the current Treaty Negotiations Minister.
It is possible Cullen could end up negotiating with Finlayson on behalf of Tuwharetoa. For their sake I hope Chris has forgiven Cullen for personally vetoeing Chris getting the QC in 2005!

Musical chairs is such fun - after the tune stops at the next election they might both find themselves trying to sit on the same seat.

To the critics of the Treaty process (and that includes Maori) this will confirm their suspicion that the Pakeha elite are gaining more out of it than the average Maori it is supposed to be helping.