Tamihere on tug muscles

An amusing interview in the SST with John Tamihere. Some extracts:

He talked for a long while about “the middle-class capture of welfare programmes”, how he thought “private-public sector partnerships are absolutely essential to unlock the talent in this country”, and the necessity of raising teacher’s salaries “but the quid pro quo of that is that there has to be some performance measures. It’s just like state houses. They’re not a lifetime right. There’s only 60,000 of them. And you get into situations where there are four income earners in the place with a renter down the back! I know these sorts of things, because I’m in the community.”

Tamihere nails one of the flaws in the current housing policy.

Did he ever seriously entertain the chatter about becoming New Zealand’s first Maori Prime Minister? “No, never. Unlike some guys who… Like, there’s a little tug-muscle who stands for Otaki. Darren Hughes. And Clayton Cosgrove, too – from the time they’re 14, they’re destined. They know what they’re going to do. They’re fully focused.

Oh dear, I’m not quite sure what a tug-muscle is, but it doesn’t sound complimentary.

“I have the highest regard for Michael Cullen. Always will, regardless of what goes on. One, because he fascinates me with his intellectual rigour, secondly, his work acumen I found legendary, and thirdly, his door was always open to anyone in that caucus, and he would give you quality time. It wasn’t just – you know, my meetings with Maharey were just pointless!”

Indeed.