Hubris in pink

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 pm, March 27th, 2012 - 23 comments
Categories: articles, Deep stuff, internet, john key, Judith Collins, leadership, national, newspapers - Tags:

“Crusher Collins up close” is the headline for a two-page article by Andrea Vance in the Saturday March 10 DomPost. It’s not on the Stuff or DomPost website but can be viewed via Google on PressDisplay.

It’s a very good article – Andrea Vance didn’t write for the News of the World for nothing – and deserves a wider audience. It starts off:

Judith Collins is a formidable force in Key’s cabinet and has carved out a political career based on self confidence and steely determination. Is there a softer side?

Doesn’t sound like it.  The article goes on:

If you want Judith Collins to do something, tell her she can’t. If there was anything left of the glass ceiling in New Zealand politics, she has shoulder-barged her way through it and crushed the shards under her stilettos.

And God help those who have got in her way.

For this she is unapologetic. “You can’t make an omelette without crushing eggs and all that stuff.” she says.

Collins is definitely big on crushing things. Poor old Warren Kyd got crushed on her way into Parliament. We learn:

…a sitting member asked her to be his electorate chairman.

Silly Warren. No surprises what happened next:

She went one better – and decided to stand. “I tend to get involved in things where I can add value” she says with characteristic self-confidence. “Someone suggested Clevedon; the only hiccup was that incumbent MP Warren Kyd hadn’t decided to retire.”

I know Warren so I rang him – the timeline for making a decision was really short – and said: “Are you standing or not?” We he hadn’t made up his mind. And I said: “Well if you haven’t made up your mind I tell you its two days to go so I’m going to make up mine. So I did.”

Vance wanted to know:

Did she feel even a twinge of guilt?

Feel? Get out of my way!

“yeah well I felt bad that at the end of the day Warren hadn’t yet come to that decision. But at the end of the day I felt I could really add value. And I think I have.”

Later on we discover:

Ms Collins doesn’t shy away from having exacting standards when it comes to her staff.

She also has a reputation for ruthlessness among her colleagues, which she shrugs off.

And at the end of the day, to use one of her favourite cliches’

So if there is nothing she can’t do, is she interestged in being National’s next leader?

“Ahm. I am very happy with the Prime Minister we’ve got, actually,” she says firmly. “Oh look, people speculate on all sorts of things. But actually I’m very happy with the work he’s doing.”

That must make him feel good. That ‘Ahm’ is very telling. Collins goes on:

“I want to be the very best Minister of Justice I can be, the very best Minister of ACC and the very best Minister of Ethnic Affairs. I do all that and be a great member for Papakura, I’ll be fine.”

Andrea Vance has the final word:

Of course all that could change if someone tells her she can’t be Prime Minister.

Maybe John Key’s holiday in France wasn’t a good idea. Perhaps he should have a talk to Jim Bolger as well as Warren Kyd – remember what happened to Jim after an overseas trip.

Andrea Vance has written a very interesting and very revealing article – I think it should be up on the Stuff website as it deserves a wider audience.

23 comments on “Hubris in pink ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Colonial Viper 1
    27 March 2012 at 9:40 pm

    Maybe John Key could help Crusher’s decision making process by saying to her “yeah, not that sure whether or not I’ll stand in 2014”.

    Oh shit – I’m getting tingles about a Hekia vs Crusher mud wrestling showdown for the top spot!!!

    • fender 1.1
      27 March 2012 at 10:05 pm

      I can’t imagine what people see in Hekia as leadership potential. Makes a good groupie for the rock star she idolises and clearly spends time learning the playbook lines, but surely is years away from leadership material.
      If it’s a race to be the first Maori woman PM I’d like to see substance like Nanaia Mahuta.

      Crusher would be in the same catagory as Joyce in my opinion, unfit to be PM due to a lack of personality capable of tricking the public into thinking they are human.

      • David H 1.1.1
        27 March 2012 at 11:05 pm

        About Nanaia I agree, way more substance than Parata. And as for Collins. UGG i’d rather have my teeth pulled.

        • muzza 1.1.1.1
          28 March 2012 at 9:58 am

          Let’s get this straight. NONE of the current mob are fit to run this country, and I am talking cross party!

          We settle for absolute base level in NZ, and some commentators actually seem to think it makes a difference!

          • Dr Terry 1.1.1.1.1
            28 March 2012 at 11:24 am

            I think many people see no real leadership material in either National (most certainly not Collins or Joyce) or Labour
            (should be Cunliffe of course!). How about the Greens? Let’s begin to stretch our minds a bit!

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.2
        28 March 2012 at 9:51 am

        I can’t imagine what people see in Hekia as leadership potential.

        Remember: National aren’t looking for actual leadership potential (proof: choice of John Key). They are looking for who can beat David Shearer in public appeal (“the first Maori, Woman PM” should do it) and win the 2014 election.

        • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.2.1
          28 March 2012 at 11:07 am

          Yep, from that perspective Collins would be quite the liability. If she’s going for any role, it ought to be the deputy PM that actually runs the show, ala English.

          • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1.1
            28 March 2012 at 11:38 am

            Yep. An English or Joyce role. Definitely not as the kinder, gentler face of National.

            • felix 1.1.2.1.1.1
              28 March 2012 at 11:42 am

              If she’d been around in the 90s, she’d have been a sure bet.

              Missed her window really.

  2. Kevin Welsh 2
    27 March 2012 at 10:02 pm

    I’ve come to the conclusion that everytime one of these Nactoids uses the word ‘actually’, they are lying through their teeth.

  3. bad12 3
    27 March 2012 at 10:21 pm

    The last comment pretty much sums up the word ”actually” when uttered by a member of the Parliamentary executive,

    ”At the end of the day” having far over-run its use by date so some new ”new speak” has had to be co-opted into the vocabulary of the shysters in an effort to confuse…

  4. Hami Shearlie 4
    27 March 2012 at 11:02 pm

    I’m getting sick of “What I CAN say is”! That and the ghastly “aspirational”!

  5. ianmac 5
    27 March 2012 at 11:53 pm

    Or “To be Honest….” Lies follow.

  6. Warren 6
    28 March 2012 at 1:09 am

    And “Committed” means
    “will drop it like a hot potato when the first plausible excuse presents itself”

  7. Craig Glen Eden 7
    28 March 2012 at 8:10 am

    I agree with all comments above re language but what really gets me is when the Leader of the opposition repeats their lines (argh err brighter future) .

  8. ghostwhowalksnz 8
    28 March 2012 at 9:41 am

    Key on holiday ? I know hes been in Korea but does that mean hes coming home via Paris after only 2 1/2 months since he was in Hawaii

    • felix 8.1
      28 March 2012 at 10:22 am

      Can’t have him answering embarrassing qs in parliament this week.

    • Fortran 8.2
      28 March 2012 at 1:32 pm

      Key and wife have gone to Paris for an Easter holiday to see their daughter, who lives there.

      And they pay their own way from Korea.

    • ianmac 8.3
      28 March 2012 at 1:58 pm

      Yes. Unable to answer questions due to pressing overseas business, unless he is home for the three sitting days next week 3,4,5 April. Wonder if he will be back for next week since after that no sitting until May.

  9. Te Reo Putake 9
    28 March 2012 at 12:09 pm

    If ignorance is bliss in the National caucus (and the rise of Paula Bennett suggests it is), then Collins is a shoo in for the leaders job. Take this comment yesterday, for example:
     
    “Our current privacy law has been in place for almost 20 years and predates the creation of the internet,” Collins said.
     
    Ok, she didn’t go on to talk about tubes or Al Gore, but, well … duh!

  10. Georgy 10
    28 March 2012 at 10:03 pm

    It’s all very dinnamic of course.

Links to post

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.