Don Brash’s resignation

I was in LAX having flown over from Auckland. The flight recontinued to London at 1.00 p.m. so just as it took off from LAX with me on board, Don Brash resigned as National Party Leader. If only they had Internet on Air NZ flights!

When I switched my phone on at Heathrow, there was a text message asking “Have you heard about Don?”. The fact that I didn’t then have to ask what was the nature of the news is as good a sign as any that it had been near inevitable these last couple of months.

I’ll post my thoughts on Don and his leadership in another thread. I’m sad to see him go, but glad that he made the decision to resign, rather than have an actual leadership challenge.

I understand Caucus will meet on Monday to elect a new leader. This will almost inevitably be John Key. There may not even be a contest. In theory the Deputy Leadership doesn’t have to come up for a vote, as there is no vacancy.

I’m pleased to see that Don is planning to stay on as an MP, and may take on a significant portfolio.

If John becomes Leader, one key challenge for him will be who replaces him as Finance Spokesperson to go up against Cullen. Bill English as a former Finance Minister seems the most logical. I would also expect a reshuffle which could range from minor to significant. At a minimum I would expect a couple new faces on the front bench. Names which pop up are Lockwood Smith, Wayne Mapp and David Carter. But this is all getting ahead of actually having a leadership ballot.

Finally my thoughts go out to all the staff of Don’s office. Their contracts terminate with the Leader, and while most will be reapointed by the new Leader, it is never a nice process to go through – finding out who stays and who doesn’t. I went through around seven or eight of these and even if you survive (as I did), it’s very hard seeing some of your colleagues and friends let go.