Soper on Thursday’s reshuffle

Barry Soper writes:

The reshuffle will be minor because most of those who should be in Cabinet are already there.

That’s a polite way of saying there are few talented MPs.

Her kitchen Cabinet cobber Phil Twyford’s feet wouldn’t have touched the ground if a more experienced leader was wielding the machete with the KiwiBuild cock-ups and the trouble in transport.
But she likes him around so he’s likely to be left sitting at the table, but surely with a portfolio change.

Clark would have gelded Twyford by now.

And who could forget the Inspector Clouseau bumbling over the case involving drug runner Karel Sroubek? He didn’t know whether he was coming or going, and neither it seems did Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, telling him he could stay before deciding he had to go. Sroubek’s still here fighting his case and Lees-Galloway should be doing to same on Thursday.

It would be inexplicable if he were to keep Immigration.

Speaking of ‘fighting’, Meka Whaitiri’s done her time and at the very least should be restored to a Minister-in-Waiting outside of Cabinet. And the man who was doing her job and Clare Curran’s, Kris Faafoi, will almost certainly get the call into the inner sanctum.
Faafoi’s the rare exception of successfully making the transition from journalism, telling them how they should do it, to actually doing it.

Faafoi is a no brainer for Cabinet. Promoting Whaitiri when she still denies she assaulted a staffer would be a very bad look.