Congratulations to Metiria Turei! She seems to have discovered the secret to silencing Gerry Brownlee. Now if she can just extend her powers beyond the debating chamber…
Of course, I’m not quite sure how, according to the Speaker and Kiwiblog, the general public is supposed to “having heard the question and seen the Minister’s refusal to answer it, [make] the final judgment on the situation”.
“Ministers would be very unwise to refuse to answer them, because in the court of public opinion a Minister would be condemned for refusing to do so.”
I’m all for being an active, informed and engaged member of the polity, but requiring the public to continuously listen to parliamentary debates so that they can learn that Brownlee acted like a pratt, is perhaps asking a bit much commitment on their behalf. So I guess the minister gets away with his contempt for proper debate this time.
