No new Ministers

Clark has just confirmed on midday TV that there will be no new Ministers with this reshuffle. This is not news, as it had been signalled for some time, but what was interesting is that there may not even be new appointments after Wilson becomes Speaker and the SFO report on Tamihere comes out.

Clark said that after the election, they may need to have a coalition partner who wants seats in Cabinet, so it is useful to have a couple of seats empty so they can be accommodated without sacking existing Ministers.

Obvious reference to the Greens wanting Cabinet seats next time. So Keith Locke for Minister of Defence, Nandor as Minister of Justice, Sue Bradford for Social Welfare and Jeannte Fitzsimons in charge of transport!