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Jackal and Hide saga continues

The Jackal and Hide saga continues as the Act Party waits to see if discredited MP David Garrett will leave Parliament or not.Mr Garrett quit the party last week after it was revealed he acquired a passport in 1984 using a dead child's identity -- a metho

NZPA
Tue, 21 Sep 2010

The Jackal and Hide saga continues as the Act Party waits to see if discredited MP David Garrett will leave Parliament or not.

Mr Garrett quit the party last week after it was revealed he acquired a passport in 1984 using a dead child's identity -- a method he says he learned by reading the thriller novel Day of the Jackal.

Mr Garrett has indicated that he won't stay on as an independent MP but is yet to formally announce his decision.

Prime Minister John Key today said if Mr Garrett stayed on he would expect him to vote for National.

"He comes from a party that's further right than National and it's hard to believe that instinctively he would want to vote for Labour Party either members' bill or against the Government's agenda."

Mr Key is standing by Act leader Rodney Hide despite questions about his judgment -- Mr Hide knew about Mr Garrett's offending before he was selected as an MP.

Labour leader Phil Goff said it was amazing that Mr Key thought Mr Hide had good judgement.

"How can he back the man that covered up the theft of a dead baby's identity?"

He said the Government needed Act to prop it up and Mr Key was saving Mr Hide from "political oblivion."

Mr Key yesterday said the Act debacle would affect voter attitudes for next year's referendum on MMP.

"I think it will increase the likelihood that people will vote MMP out," he said.

"I'm wondering whether the public might say 'look, very small parties are consuming quite a lot of time' and maybe they will take the view that MMP fundamentally isn't working so well."

Mr Goff said the issue was not the electoral system; "Mr Key is hiding behind MMP."

The Prime Minister repeated today that Mr Hide was a good minister and not to blame for actions of members of his caucus. There was no reason to sack him.

Mr Key said a different electoral system might "make life a bit easier" but the UK had had similar problems using New Zealand's old first-past-the-post system.

He hoped the public could see the government was pushing ahead with its agenda.

"I think the public can see that we've been working hard and they recognise that sometimes there are things beyond our control and this is one of them."

Campaign for MMP spokeswoman Sandra Grey said any problems with MMP could be fixed in a review.

"It is time to look at how MMP is working, but that doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water."

NZPA
Tue, 21 Sep 2010
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Jackal and Hide saga continues
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