By John
On Wednesday Simon Bridges was ejected from the house for making, according to the Speaker Trevor Mallard, barnyard noises. Simon denies this. On Thursday Nick Smith was named by the speaker after a verbal altercation and suspended from the house for 24 hours. Gerry Brownlee then, quite rightly, suggested the Speaker was a bully.
Last week Trevor Mallard likened the Hamilton East MP to a primate he had seen recently in Rwanda. In the Duck world, unlike the human world, evidently, the saying what’s good for the goose is good for the gander doesn’t apply.
Mallard is showing the most disgraceful behaviour. Like all bullies, he can dish it out but can’t take it. In his world, he thinks his exalted position gives him the right to ruffle Opposition members feathers but if they dare to ruffle his he’ll throw them out of the house.
Labour has had some pretty dire Speakers in the past but none worse than this buffoon. Just because we are having to endure the worst government in living memory, (I’m 72), it is no excuse for his behaviour. His constant protection of hapless ministers from Jacinda down day after day is not only tedious but it is bringing the Westminster system of government into total disrepute.
Mallard needs to waddle back to his Parliamentary quarters and work out which direction he’s supposed to be paddling in. Many of us had reservations about the man before he got the job. He might have the name of a duck but his personality is more like that of a bad-tempered goose which means that those reservations, like birds at night, are coming home to roost.
The way he is running Question Time is demeaning to his position and parliament as a whole. A boycott of Question Time by National for a week might just highlight the seriousness of the situation.