A fatal blunder

John Key has called it “mind blowing stupidity” and he is possibly being generous. What on earth was Damien O’Connor thinking when he brought a suspended prison officer out on tour with the Parliamentary rugby team (who won the parliamentary world cup again – well done team).

O’Connor is not a stupid man. He has struggled with Corrections, but that portfolio needs a more experienced Minister. But how on earth did neither he nor his staff think there wouldn’t be an issue in having a suspended prison officer fly overseas with and play rugby with the Minister of Corrections.

It does not matter if Jim Morgan is finally cleared or not. I hope he is. But how can there be confidence in the investigation into him now. What would you think if you were a mid level manager in the Department of Corrections investigating Morgan, and you saw he was off playing rugby in France with the Minister. I mean, really.

O’Connor’s blunder is unfair to Morgan as well as his Department.

Clark is yet to permanently assign the portfolios of David Benson-Pope. Surely this makes a full reshuffle look more and more likely. O’Connor must now be very likely to be sacked, along with Burton and Barker.