They let him off the hook this term – too dangerous. He would have frightened the voters away. It’s all on next term!

You’re right on the button!

Rodney Hide worked for Alan Gibbs as an economic adviser back in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s Gibbs – assisted by a few wealthy mates – bankrolled Act into existence and Rodney was installed as a full-time political operator. He entered parliament in 1996. Gibbs and co. continued to keep the party afloat, but switched most of the money back to National when Brash arrived on the scene. We’re talking huge bucks where these types are concerned of course and Rodney is their man in government!

So who’s the puppet on a string? John Key.

L

Thing is, Rod’s real value to National is the extra four MPs he carries around. They’d more likely run him elsewhere and give Boscowen the nod.

When does a PM get a veto over a coalition party’s internal discussions?

When they give him one, that’s when.

Key’s got godcomplex, and ACT lacks spine.

That kind of makes it look like National leaked the story, but you read what ACTies are saying and they hates them some Rodney Hide.

Could be multiple sources.

Nelson Muntz lol’d

Spot on ginge.

But more to do with these things didn’t get leaked till later.

The parlor game then becomes asking “who leaked?”

It makes ACT look pretty darned dysfunctional when you’ve got The Roy Roger Duo trying to roll him. Leaving aside the absolute nuttiness of these clowns who somehow imagine that they don’t owe Hide their survival, those pair are the braintrust/core of the institutional ACT party. If it was ol garret or whatever the hell his name is, you could put it down to him being a rebel outsider that the party can’t control, but Roy and Douglas?

Given there’s that much crazy going on, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was an ACT source for the story. There seems to be some ego flying around anyhoo.

If it was the Nats, then that’s some crafty skullduggery going on.

If ah put my speculatin hat on I see that Duggie an Heather just knows as much as they knows anything that they really do owe their existence to Hide. They may well have more support within ACT, but ACT need Hide’s seat and everyone knows it. So why would they feel the courage to do this?

Ol’ John Key might’nt have been in the business for ever, but he remembers the “No Brash, No Cash” episode well enough. He knows that ACT used to get quite a lot of cash money support, and that they used to be above that 5% back in those days of cash support. He also knows that that money shifted to National when Brash took the helm. If he suspected that money might be prepared to shift back, what better way to keep it at home than to tell it that if it runs away from National, it finds itself on the cross benches?

But all in all I suspect an ACT source, They have more true believers of different flavours likely to go all crazy.

What’s your guess on the leaker?

(as an aside, and for what it’s worth, that “hence why” construction often gets your sentences into trouble. Just go with “hence” and it becomes much easier, eg Hence they are being reported on now. )

L