Trevor is too modest to answer his own question directly, but Jane Clifton has captured it perfectly in the Dominion Post this morning.
It’s becoming like a rerun of A Dog’s Show in Parliament these days, with Labour’s Trevor Mallard the purposefully stalking collie, and Education Minister Anne Tolley the heedless sheep that stamps its foot a lot and refuses to go into the pen.
That is certainly how it has felt in the House recently. Trevor’s questions have been factual, and go to the heart of the purpose of the national standards policy. Minister Tolley’s answers have been confusing, vague and often utterly irrelevant. Jane Clifton goes on
Like any good sheep, Mrs Tolley’s purposes are maddeningly opaque, and run to no set pattern. Two things are are becoming clear from their daily stoushes: one, that Mrs Tolley either cannot or would rather not explain the technicalities of the system, and two, that she cannot understand why her answers are regarded as unsatisfactory. This makes her haughty, and redoubles Mr Mallard’s roundup efforts.
The whole article is worth reading, hilarious and accurate. Question Time has not been great for National this year, and now they are wanting to avoid it all together.
Thanks Grant – you can say that I couldn’t possibly comment.
He he he, go Trev.
I liked the bit saying “leaving Mr Mallard, once again, with the same intense, clenched look about the chops as sheepdogs get just before they are disqualified for biting”
Still – balance deleted troll warning Trevor
If only people cared about question time?? Or does everyone in teh provinces listen to it religiously (as opposed to not contributing to the economy) and base their votes on performances in the house?
Out here in the provinces, contributing to the economy AND interested in question time. Any other large sector of NZ you want to generalise about rjs131?
I too hope that more people take an interest in question time. Good on Jane Clifton for bringing that attention of the masses to this regular locally produced reality TV show! Viewer votes actually count in voting participants off but only after a long stretch.
Surely Labour could allow Ms Tolley to bring one of her whiteboards from the office where it is all explained to her, and then she could tell Parliament what she knows.
I’m laughing too much to write anything constructive.
Key is the worst of the lot in Question Time, don’t why is he is let off so lightly. Half the time he is unintelligible, his only answer to any question is to belittle the questioner then he tries to make a not very funny joke to cover up for the inadequacy of his presentation.
He needs to save the schoolboy humor for the Yacht Club.
English gives much better answers since he at least makes an attempt to engage the issue.
Key belittles the questioner ? Surely not, hes supposed to be Mr Nice Guy.make that a sloppy nice guy!
Perhaps a list of his jibes could be made for us who dont listen to the parliament web site
Diddums anyone?
Not only does National Ltd™ not want questions, they don’t want any opposition whatsoever!! I cannot believe that the requirement for proposed amendments be lodged 24 hours in advance is enforced when the motion for urgency prevents that!! And what about the nonsense that a hand-written note on a scrap of paper is the equivalent of “official” advice?? Unbelievable. Are these the new standards promised by the smiling assassin?
I hope that Labour follows up on Browncoalee’s assertion in regard to the cost of the amendments and the effect on the fiscal aggregate is followed up. That insidious piece of claptrap that members are somehow all “Honourable” is a façade.
So where’s the Minister’s back-up exactly? New and/or out-of-depth Ministers should be able to rely on support from their senior colleagues lest of course her demise gives them an opportunity to review the entire scheme? Early in the term to be so at sea but…
Tolley’s answers yesterday are proof she simply isn’t cutting it and that she’ll probably be gone before too long. Having said that, it’d be better to keep her there for entertainment’s sake.
“Mrs Tolley remained stubbornly outside the pen – leaving Mr Mallard, once again, with the same intense, clenched look about the chops as sheepdogs get just before they are disqualified for biting.”
Go on Trev – bite!
I particularly like this part:
But ignoring even this big hint, Mrs Tolley remained stubbornly outside the pen – leaving Mr Mallard, once again, with the same intense, clenched look about the chops as sheepdogs get just before they are disqualified for biting.
As you say, Grant – very accurate.
Anton Craig: Tolley’s answers yesterday are proof she simply isn’t cutting it.
Perhaps thats true but its also proof in the pudding that Trev can’t get Tolley to answer his question. Tolley’s done a great job avoiding the answer, while Trev hasn’t been able to pin her down. Shame. Perhaps time for a new sheep dog?
@Hoolian You need to watch a bit more of Question Time to get the full picture. Lets put it this way, many times in question time it is not the destination, it is the journey. In any case, Anne Tolley actually isnt trying to avoiding answering, she just can’t do it.
Hoolian
There is no such thing as a sitting Minister “doing a great job avoiding an answer”. Sadly, politics is all about perception, and Anne Tolley not wanting to answer a question leads to a perception problem
1. she doesnt know the answer
2. she’s trying to avoid telling us something
Both are not a good look for a Minister no matter who you voted for.
Collie, more like a little Fox terrier that doesn’t want the game to end. Looked sad.
I always thought German Shepard, big, capable of doing some serious damage, but so powerful that he knows he doesn’t need to so can toy with his prey.
I think a good strategy from here would be for Goff to take on Key in question time…
Or are we trying to make Labour win?