Trans-Tasman makes a rare mistake

Trans-Tasman this week said:

Given the jockeying for the Speaker’s role inside National, why not offer the post to the man who has got a burning desire to preside over the House, deputy Speaker Ross Robertson? At one stroke, it could strengthen the coalition’s majority. After all, there’s a precedent, when Jim Bolger enticed Labour’s Peter Tapsell to take the Speaker’s chair back in 1993. On the other hand, it might be seen as just a tad too Machiavellian…….

Not machiavellian, just totally ineffective.

Trans-Tasman should know that the Speaker has had a deliberative vote since around 1996, when MMP came in. The party the Speaker comes from has no impact on the Government’s majority in the House.