Francesca Rudkin: I enjoyed this action-packed week in politics

About now most of us are on the countdown. The countdown to Santa Claus’ brief visit and the end of the year. The countdown to some time off, a chance to stop and reset. Or perhaps it’s the countdown to returning home to spend quality time with family. It may just be the countdown to the end of Christmas music for another year.  

You get the picture. 

But while many of us are ready to slow things down, I enjoyed seeing politicians ramping up in Parliament this week and doing what they do; introducing themselves, dropping insults and throwing dirt and getting on with the policy promises laid out during the election campaign. 

And gee, it was an action-packed week. 

There were justifications and an embarrassing mistake over the dumping of anti-smoking legislation. Te Pati Māori mobilised Māori to take to the streets for National Māori Action Day protesting the coalitions polices.  

There were leaks about the Government’s plan for Fair Pay Agreements and Regulatory Impact Analyses - which indicated some legislation may not get the usual level of regulatory scrutiny. 

Then there was the drama and theatrics of swearing in MPs, with one new MP’s maiden speech earning a standing ovation from all corners of the house. The star of the week, National MP James Meager, joins us shortly.  

We also had impassioned speeches about the Israel Palestine conflict, barbs traded about the financial state of the books left by the previous Government, and real concerns about the blow out in costs for infrastructure projects.  

All this in one short week.  

The Government is moving fast. There’s a lot happening and while we’re all very keen to clock out, the reality of what Kiwis voted for is just kicking in, so it’s important we pay attention to Parliament over the next two weeks.  

It felt like a long election campaign and it was great when it ended. I almost appreciated the long lull between election day and the announcement of the coalition Government agreement. But it has been a long time since the 53rd Parliament was dissolved on 8th September - it’s good to be back.

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