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Collins crushed in political cruncher
WILLIE JACKSON
Judith Collins sacking was forced on John Key but the Prime Minister made sure it was dropped on a ‘slow news day.’
Key could have kicked his embattled MP to touch on the Friday, which would have made all the news that day and the next.
But he cleverly decided to release his highest ranking female MP from her cabinet duties on a Saturday.
That is traditionally the slowest news day of the week. It’s the day when stories that have made the headlines during the week are repackaged with a different spin.
And so just after mid-day last Saturday, the ministerial career of the once high flying and touted future National Party leader ended.
Crusher – nicknamed for her Boy Racer Car Crushing Bill – was crushed in her own political cruncher.
Key may well regret not having made the decision earlier.
The south Auckland MP was given more chances than three monopoly boards stacked together. While the final straw would appear to be issues she may have had with former Serious Fraud Office boss Adam Feeney, it was by no means the worst of what she actually did.
Collins should have been cut when the Oravinda Milk scandal was first raised.
The opposition made plenty of mileage out of that story and that gave them the opportunity to attack Key’s leadership. Key should have cut Collins then.
He had already done a great job of getting rid of Shane Jones by offering him a job he couldn’t refuse. Jones up to then was seen as a debater and scrapper who could take on the Nats and Key knew he was a threat and had public appeal and so took him out but for some reason he hesitated with Collins.
But unless you are Nostradamus, you could never have dreamed what the past few weeks would have done to the high flying National Party.
Anyone who has about politics knows National were never ever going to get 55 percent of the vote. That was pie in the eye figures.
But without the Dirty Politics scandal and the Collins sacking you would have tipped them to get up to 48 percent of the vote and rely on their United and Act colleagues to again get them over the line.
That is still a possibility but reality is, as I have touted on for many weeks, New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters will make the next Prime Minister.
Forget the latest polls that suggest Colin Craig might become the kingmaker, Winston is still in the box seat and with a fortnight left before the election expect his position to strengthen.
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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