Lockwood Smith has just accused John Key of not fulfilling the role of Prime Minister by not answering the question. Holy Fuck
Fascinating battle in Parliament right now, John Key is on the ropes and getting nailed. Watch Parliament TV right now if you can. John Key can not answer if he has confidence in Rodney Hide, they are fighting to not answer the question. LOCKWOOD SMITH HAS CAVED IN. Has a Speaker ever forced a PM like this in modern NZ Political history? Smith has claimed that John Key is responsible for Rodney Hides judgement outside his direct portfolio. It is blood on the floor today, the Prime Minister could not answer that he had confidence in Rodney Hide's judgement and hid from answering it even when challenged by Smith to do so.
The Labour Party should walk out right now, the Speaker has been challenged and defied by the Prime Minister. It is unbelievable.
posted by Bomber @ 2:50 pm
9 comments
9 Comments:
Wow!!!!
A seismic shift felt in beltway earlier today...meanwhile public was distracted by funny man Paul Henry...
Good on Smith for being hard on National - makes a change compared to the useless speakers the house has had to put up with recently. Those who accused him of being a partisan pick look like a bunch of clowns right about now.
It still grates to think of Wilson screeching "ORDER!!!!"
Dammit got any link to a copy of it?
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/5238
Anon check out
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz
Q: Hon Phil Goff to the Prime Minister 1 - 5
"Good on Smith for being hard on National - makes a change compared to the useless speakers the house has had to put up with recently. Those who accused him of being a partisan pick look like a bunch of clowns right about now."
Yeah like that labourite tool Wilson. Indicative of that entire party really. No sense of independent thought whatsoever and if someone does speak truth to power like Chris Carter then they're outski. Loyalty is rewarded in kind in labour no matter what crime you have committed a la Phillip Taito Field
Hot show on Stratos tonight Bomber, bloody awesome.
thx for heads up re Lockwood, nice...
Random thing happened today...watched Parliament TV for first time.OMG! I couldn't believe my eyes! Gerry Brownlee's rude behaviour was unbelievable.It was about 45minutes of full-on challenge to the Speaker of the House's authority. By the end he'd bullied Lockwood Smith into reserving judgement; despite him making it there and then, three times! If it was a kid speaking like that to his/her parent they would have been told to 'pull their bleedin head in and do as they're told' before the clocked ticked 5minutes, never mind 45!
WHY OH WHY do MP's carry on like this? Making a mock of our institutions, getting all pompous and holier-than-thou...then have the hubris to act surprised when we call them hypocrites. Peanut Brownlee deliberately blocked attempts to make the PM answer a legitimate question,his long-winded citing of points of order were completely out of order!
If Brownlee was so bloody hung up on principles he should give the people of Canterbury their democratically elected Regional Council back!
Smith ruled that the PM's role includes answering questions in the House regarding the behaviour of all Minister's who make up his Govt, regardless of party affiliations.John Key just refused to answer, sat there and let Peanut Brownlee bully and challenge the speaker's directive?!?!
In John Key's defence, he doesn't really understand Parliament that well.He doesn't "get it" that if you're "The Boss"...that's where the Buck Stops.Sooner he goes back to Wall St the better.Today he just looked out of his depth, too many big words flying around...and when Smith referred to The Cabinet Manual and used that word "Ethics"...Johnkey looked like he'd been sworn at!
All because Philly asked if he had confidence in Rodney Hides' judgement faculties given the Garrett fiasco. Hide has clearly stated in Media Interviews that he(Hide) has shown poor judgement with regards to Garrett. Fair enough that the PM be asked if he has confidence in Rodney's judgement, especially as Richard Worth (Another lawyer) was sacked for much lesser sins than stealing a dead baby's identity.Johnkey gave the reason for that sacking as being because he had lost confidence in Worth's judgement skills (Over familiar with the Ladies,just like Garrett).
Life can get So complicated when you're principles and ethics are (mis)guided by popularity polls....poor Johnkey.
I must admit to watching quite a bit of question times - normaly on the computer after work.
One of the problems with the process, which was made worse under Wilson in particular, is the requirement to address the question. And so it seems that the only questions that are actually answered are the patsys asked by the ministers own team.
Consider
"What reports has the minister seen that state that he is a good guy" - would get a long answer
the supplementary would be
"What other reports has the minister seen that state that he is a good guy?" equally long answer.
Then the opposition ask a question, and the requirement is only to address one part of the question.
Now National's defense yesterday was the right one tactically. You can blunt the question by having 30 mins of points of order - and if they seem relavent, the speaker will let you get away with it. Nationals' point was that Key had no ministerial responsibility for the decisions made by a party leader before that leader became a minister. And I think on that narrow point, they are correct. Evoking memories of the past government really just made the point of how bad a speaker Wilson was. National were hoping Smith would look after them the way Wilson did - nope, he is better than that.
Key ultimately did what he had to do - send the troops to defend you, delay it, and then only address the question in the broadest sense possible, keep it short, sit down.
Is it not about time the whole process was reformed, and ministers be required to answer as opposed to address?
@sdm
If you look behind what "you" think is the right thing to do here clearly the head of the house stated 3 times that the Prime Minister was to give an answer and if you really opened your eyes you would see there making sure by any means that particular question was not answered while the cameras were rolling and the head finally gave in by saying you can answer another day.
And why would you have an interest in him not telling his answer? You right in there trap defending them to the public, jeez WAKE UP.
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