Barnett to be Chief Whip?

The NZ Herald reports that Tim Barnett is likely to be made Labour’s Chief Whip. That makes a lot of sense as Tim has experience in getting legislation passed etc.

They could have promoted their junior whip of course, but I guess they wanted a chief whip who had started shaving 🙂

The same story also reports how Helen has told Georgina Beyer, Russell Fairbrother, Di Yates, Jim Sutton and Dover Samuels to piss off out of caucus mid-term to let new MPs into Parliament.

I am surpised though at why, if she now doesn’t want them, did Helen have them all placed so high up on the list? Wouldn’t it have been more honest to give them a lower list ranking?