Deputy Clem

Good to see the parties have talked to each other and done a deal where Wilson stays Speaker but Clem gets to be Deputy Speaker. It would have been nice to get Clem made Speaker, but the coalition agreements Labour got the minor parties signed up to included voting for an agreed Speaker nominee, so that was impossible.

Less bipartisan is the wrangling over the Maori Affairs Select Committee. Michael Cullen offered the Deputy Chair to Pita Sharples, and this has outraged the Labour Maori Caucus.

Personally I think Sharples is looking to be excellent. He has labelled much of the Government Department’s use of Maori customs as being done just to be politically correct, and without understanding. I bet you no one calls him a racist for saying it!