NZ Politics: ACT’s Home-Grown Demolition Job
August 26th, 2010
For a party just inside the margin of error, ACT isn’t handling itself too well right now. Leader Rodney Hide’s refusal to say anything about the dumping of his deputy Heather Roy on Tuesday has left Parliament seething with rumours about faction fighting which suggest a bleak future for its five MPs. The prevailing belief is Roy has been undermining Hide’s leadership and rallying party members against him, possibly with the help of Caucus colleague Sir Roger Douglas. But it’s never been confirmed Roy wants the leadership herself and trying to damage Hide doesn’t make sense – he’s the only one of them who holds an electorate seat and without it ACT would have been history at the 2008 election. And it’s going to be history at the next election if he doesn’t hold Epsom again, so pulling him down would be disastrously counter-productive.
Energetic first-termer John Boscawen, a Hide supporter, has replaced Roy and she’s taking time out to think about her future. Boscawen has taken over her consumer affairs Ministerial portfolio and an Associate Commerce role previously held by Hide. Roy’s Associate Defence position is vacant and it’s up to John Key whether he fills it. Not even Key knows what went on behind the Caucus room doors, saying “I don’t understand the reasons why, I’ve been given no explanation by the leader of the ACT Party.” The information vacuum is being filled with gossip and nonsense – one rumour is Roy was in trouble for leaking defence documents. There is no evidence of this – like who they were leaked to – and a Govt spokesman shot it down. One thing is sure, there is likely to be more to come out of this.
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Duncan Cotterill