McCarten on a Labour-led Cabinet

Matt McCarten suggests this will be the Cabinet, if Clark wins a fourth term:

1. Helen Clark, PM
2. Michael Cullen, Finance
3. Jeanette Fitzsimons, Environment, Energy
4. Phil Goff, Foreign, Defence
5. Jim Anderton, Agriculture
6. Parekura Horomia,
7. David Cunliffe, Health
8. Trevor Mallard, Labour
9. Ruth Dyson, Employment
10. Chris Carter, Education
11. Sue Bradford, Social Development
12. Pete Hodgson, Economic Development
13. Lianne Dalziel, Justice or Attorney-General
14. Maryan Street, Housing
15. Shane Jones, Maori Affairs
16. Sue Kedgley

McCarten makes a number of contentions that are highly arguable:

1. That Clark won’t have Peters back as a Minister. I totally disagree. She has explicitly said she will if NZ First makes it back.
2. Claims Goff, Cunliffe and Jones will all become Leader at some stage. Unless they change leaders as often as National has been, they won’t all make it.
3. That this would be more of a fresh face than National. Well four of the top five entered Parliament when Muldoon was PM.

UPDATE: A reader points out that I am pushing the case to claim Anderton entered Parliament when Muldoon was PM. I was techically correct in that Anderton entered Parliament at the 1984 election on 14 July, and Muldoon was PM until 26 July 1984, but he wasn’t really there for the Muldoon era.