Key’s Xmas Reshuffle; UPDATE + bonus Winston Peters zinger!

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, December 7th, 2015 - 49 comments
Categories: john key, Judith Collins, national/act government, Politics, same old national - Tags: , , ,

PM John Key has apparently confirmed that there will be a reshuffle of cabinet announced today. Expect a promotion for Arnold Rimmer and the return of Judith Collins on the ‘better in the tent pissing out’ principle. It will also be worth watching to see if Steve Joyce is re-positioned to set him up as Key’s replacement if golf with Obama becomes a better prospect than losing the next General Election.

It’s hard to predict which of Key’s cabinet team will be cut for non-performance as there are so many doing average work.

PS: Note to radio station The Sound: It’s really, really unlikely that DunnoKeyo will be returning Judith Tizard to cabinet. Thanks for the laugh, though.

UPDATE:

Trade Minister Tim Groser will leave Parliament ASAP to become New Zealand ambassador in Washington. National’s pet ACT MP, David Seymour has bitten the hand that feeds, turning down the positions of Minister for Regulatory Reform and Associate Minister of Education.

 

• Paula Bennett takes the Climate Change Issues portfolio from Groser.

• Todd McClay becomes Minister of Trade and hands over the Revenue portfolio to Michael Woodhouse.

• Michael Woodhouse gets Revenue and gives the Police portfolio to Judith Collins.

• Serco Sam Lotu-Iiga is sacked from the Corrections gig.  Collins picks it  up.

 

Winston Peters nails it:

“Judith Collins’ long running stream of denials about everything on Oravida showed John Key never had any standards. Finally, he found some criteria to demote her which begs the question, what’s the criteria now to bring her back?

It just shows how bereft of talent the National Party caucus is and reveals how much John Key is struggling.

This will not deflect from the flag issue.”

49 comments on “Key’s Xmas Reshuffle; UPDATE + bonus Winston Peters zinger! ”

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  1. LookingSouth 1
    7 December 2015 at 7:31 am

    Collins should have spent a lot more time being the MP for Papakura. Far too much of her time spent glitzing it on TV, doing her Paper Column and everything but being the MP for Papakura. MP’s in my mind always should be locals and someone who can connect with people of all walks of life, door knocking the affluent area of Karaka Lakes doesn’t count. Here is hoping in 2017 that Labour’s Candidate which is hopefully Jerome Mika again can finally knock Judith out of the park and instal someone who is local and committed to helping everyone in the electorate.

    • Mr Nobody 1.1
      8 December 2015 at 1:29 pm

      Until Labour actually make some effort in the area I doubt that will happen.

      Its been really depressing attending a number of local community events where Collins has been front and centre and Labour have failed (despite invitiations) to be represented.

  2. repateet 2
    7 December 2015 at 7:49 am

    While he’s shuffling the pack people are looking at that. Look at the other stuff that could be happening, should be happening and some that probably is happening that he doesn’t want us to look at.

    Let’s start with the apology to Tania Billingsley shall we? How about that being one of the first questions at his press conference?

    “Mr Prime Minister, things change, circumstances change,and there are new realities.
    Will you be apologising to Tania Billingsley?”

    C’mon political journalists, I dare you. Hurry you’ll miss out because Mike Hosking, Paul Henry, Jamie Mackay or whoever on Radio Sport will get in before you!

    • Jenny Kirk 2.1
      7 December 2015 at 9:20 am

      of course – repateet.
      Distraction politics again ….. takes us away from ShonKey’s failings re apologising to Tania Billingsley, the stuff-up he’s made of the Paris talks on climate change, going to war on Syria …….. and then it’ll be Christmas and summer holidays and ShonKey can swan off to Hawaii knowing he’s kept his polling in place for a couple of months.

  3. Skinny 3
    7 December 2015 at 8:26 am

    That little speech Collin’s gave at the ACT Party get together attacking the Auckland Maori Board looks like an attempt to increase her stocks for both a return to the front bench, and also a possible crack at the Auckland City Mayoralty.

    • Jenny Kirk 3.1
      7 December 2015 at 9:16 am

      I thought definitely she’s interested in having a crack at the Auckland Mayoralty after that speech. So why wouldn’t Key just let her do it ? ….. rather than bringing her under collective Cabinet responsibility and shutting her up as Hooten suggests at 6 below.

      Answered my own question (rhetorical) at 2.1 above.

      • Skinny 3.1.1
        7 December 2015 at 9:44 am

        I would say Key is giving Judy a leg up by giving woefully inadequate Sammy the flick out of the Corrections Ministers portfolio and let her tidy his mess up. This will be trumpeted loudly when she confirms as a late starter in the mayoralty race. The right-wing snake oil merchants have crunched the numbers and her campaign has begun.

    • Naturesong 3.2
      7 December 2015 at 9:55 am

      Please, please, please let it be true that Collins is thinking about running for Mayor.

      She’d be crushed by Goff, and it would be a wondrous sight.

      While I don’t think it would reach the dizzying heights of Ben Rachinger’s recent public service performance art, it would certainly be satisfying to watch.

      • mickysavage 3.2.1
        7 December 2015 at 11:30 am

        I suspect that she floated the idea of running for the mayoralty to spook Key into putting her back into Parliament where she is more able to be controlled.

        Hence the urgent announcement …

  4. ropata 4
    7 December 2015 at 8:33 am

    Key should use the Imperator Fish guide to ranking MP performance
    white +5
    male +5
    conservative +5
    white male and conservative +10
    female -5
    Brown (unless they are Winston) -10
    Progressive -5
    Female, brown and progressive -30
    Winston +5
    Increased alcohol consumption during sporting events +10
    David Cunliffe -600

    http://imperatorfish.com/2015/12/04/my-politician-of-the-year-for-2015/

  5. infused 5
    7 December 2015 at 9:10 am

    Can’t do any worse than the current guy… can’t even remember his name. Sam someone?

    • Lanthanide 5.1
      7 December 2015 at 1:06 pm

      It was Judith Collins who signed Serco up in the first place. Sam’s merely taking the fall.

      Kind of a nice move by her, actually.

  6. Matthew Hooton 6
    7 December 2015 at 9:10 am

    It signals that he wants her brought under Cabinet collective responsibility rather than free to say and do what she wants.

  7. Bill Drees 7
    7 December 2015 at 10:27 am

    Key was able to accommodate English, a previous leader, into his cabinet and it worked for him.
    Key will be able to accommodate Collins and make it work.

    Hint to Andrew Little.
    Shafting Cunliffe was not smart, besides being ugly. Take s leaf out of Key’s book and bring Cunliffe into the fold.
    Look to your own inner decency and do the right thing. It is never too late to fix a mistake.

  8. Clean_power 8
    7 December 2015 at 12:27 pm

    Why doesn’t Cunliffe do a Rudd? Why not?

  9. Tiger Mountain 9
    7 December 2015 at 2:50 pm

    one could say that Key has picked the best man for the job…

    his anti stab vest may have been itching up a bit, so he prefers Collins away from her sponsored puddle jumper, newspaper column, ACT deputy leadership and super Mayoral run and right where he can see her eye him like a Neapolitan Mastiff on a sturdy chain…

  10. Stephen 10
    7 December 2015 at 3:49 pm

    Keep your friends closer and your enemies closer is an old maxim But the same could be said about Collins. She will find it easier to undermine and promote herself inside cabinet than out.

  11. millsy 11
    7 December 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Well, this will keep the rednecks happy.

    Her first act will probably to have Corrections place transgendered inmates into general population.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1
      7 December 2015 at 5:39 pm

      Or that SERCO have been replaced by Oravida who are issuing bleach to all inmates.

  12. Penny Bright 12
    7 December 2015 at 6:10 pm

    For Judith Collins to get back Police and Corrections, in my opinion, is simply obscene.

    As Minister for Police – Judith Collins is the Minister responsible for the SFO – which is supposed to be the ‘lead’ agency to whom you make complaints about ‘bribery and corruption’.

    Having helped to organise THREE separate ‘networking opportunities’ for her friends’ and husband’s private company Oravida, while she was in China as Minister for Justice, in my opinion, proves Judith Collins wouldn’t know a CORRUPT ‘conflict of interest’ – if it leapt up and bit her on the backside.

    In my view, given that PM John Key (re) appointed Judith Collins back to these positions, proves that corruption in NZ goes right to the top.

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’

    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate

    (Who would LOVE Judith Collins to stand as an Auckland Mayoral candidate ….. 🙂

  13. emergency mike 13
    7 December 2015 at 6:16 pm

    So Paula Bennett is in charge of ignoring climate change. I guess that makes sense.

    And Collins, having ‘done her time’ or whatever, gets police. Yes that’s what we need to sort out the police’s and Serco’s lack of transparency and accountability: Judith ‘Responsible’ Collins. Makes sense.

    It makes sense for John Key and the National party. But for New Zealand? The joke’s on you.

    What’s up with Rimmer? “He [Key] said Seymour’s choice not to take a ministerial post was “quite clever”, though he was surprised.”

  14. Chooky 14
    7 December 2015 at 6:20 pm

    Peters puts it succinctly

  15. tc 15
    7 December 2015 at 8:43 pm

    Ballsy from the hollow men. Almost like a ‘take your best shot’ approach for the opposition.

    Sooo easy without that pesky media. Bet Weldon gets a nice Xmas bonus.

  16. Gangnam Style 16
    7 December 2015 at 8:46 pm

    http://www.offtherecord.co.nz/tired-of-shit-jobs-bennett-lashes-out-at-key/

    ” “OMG,” she told Off The Record just after the Prime Minister’s surprise reshuffle announcement this afternoon. “I’m totes tired of John giving me all these shit jobs. Like, ‘Hello!’ I’m not even sure where the climate is!” ” HA!

  17. Smilin 17
    8 December 2015 at 10:28 am

    Not unexpected about Groser he looks and sounds like Bolger better to have a has been somewhere out of the way of course at great expense to the taxpayer. Didnt his new digs get a big upgrade not long ago?