Those bleats from Turei should trigger a big hurray – the spy-monitoring committee will be Green-free

 

Sorry – this is the wrong colour for our intelligence committee.

It looks like discord has broken out between Labour and the Greens. Hurrah.

The greenies are in a tizz because none of them will be sitting on Parliament’s intelligence and security committee. Hurrah again. The public can sleep more safely in their beds knowing their security is in safe hands.

It’s all the result of Labour leader Andrew Little shutting the minor parties  out of a place at the table where the closed-door committee will oversee a major review of the security services this year.

The Greens – boohoo – say Little has broken the law, because he didn’t consult with any other party leaders before selecting his foreign affairs spokesman David Shearer.

Little argues he did consult. He did his consulting before the motion giving effect to the committee’s membership was formally set before Parliament.

He talked with co-leader Metiria Turei this morning.

However, she is not satisfied and continues to assert the Greens should be represented on the committee.

Turei has called on Little to withdraw the motion that Parliament will debate later this afternoon.

“I am still waiting for an apology, I am still waiting for him to fix his mistake,” she said.

“If you’ve made a mess, clean it up.”

That’s what Alf likes about consulting.

You consult and then you go right ahead and do what you wanted to do before you went through the formality of consulting.

With nasty repercussions?

Probably not. It looks like Turei is all huff and puff because Stuff says her party won’t bring in lawyers over the row.

Dunno if Alf missed it – he was busy on urgent business that required his presence in the Bellamys bar – but…

A two-hour debate is set down in the House and Turei, and MPs Kennedy Graham and Mojo Matherswill voice their opposition.

Mathers intends to point out analysis shows Labour and National voted together in favour of 83 per cent of recent security legislation.

NZ First leader Winston Peters was reported to have said he had moved on from the spat. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry,” he said.

He might be found much later tonight – who knows? – at The Green Parrot where the chef is a dab hand at frying fish. Alf is rather fond of the fish, and the chips, and just might head that way when the day’s somewhat dreary Parliamentary business is done and dusted.