Barry Soper: Why people get into politics - think about the power

If you ever wondered why people get into politics, other than their common claim of making New Zealand a better place, then think about the power they're able to exert.

Rob Muldoon once rather infamously said his ambition was to leave the country in no worse state than he found it, but he ended up in leaving it in a much worse state.

Over the years the political business has been the stepping stone for many frustrated careerists.

Muldoon always carried chips on both his slouched shoulders, as leader of the RSA generation, a sergeant flanked by two former distinguished Army majors in Jack Marshall and Duncan McIntyre. At least he got to bark the orders and they had no choice but to follow them.

And there have been other rather less frustrated examples, like the colourful John Banks who made it to Police Minister, who once confessed to wanting to be a policeman, but ended up in charge of them even though his late father was frequently on the wrong side of them. He couldn't make the grade because he was too short.

Now Ron Mark's no giant, but he's always looked up to the top brass as a former military man, rising to the rank of captain. Now as Defence Minister he's in charge of the generals and he frequently struts around in his cowboy boots, weighed down with his chest full of medals.

David Lange frequently said he'd like to run a hamburger bar in Wagawaga but had to be satisfied with being Prime Minister.

Not too long ago the current holder of that office, Jacinda Ardern, told us she was too selfish to be the Prime Minister, she wanted a private life.

She was even more adamant when pressed, saying it was futile speculating about her as a future leader because she didn't want the job, somewhat ironically she claimed her single focus was being Minister for Children. In the end neither did the hapless Andrew Little want the job and she's now got the job she didn't want.

Certainly she was a dippy downer when talking about her Finance Minister's upcoming Budget, saying she knew the state of core services like health were going to be bad but it's worse than she thought, blaming the last minister, Jonathan Coleman.

The good doctor asked how was he to know about the state of the moulderingMiddlemore Hospital, for example, when the local health board never raised it with him?

But the new Health Minister, David Clark, could be just the man to put it right - he might not have a medical doctorate like Coleman, even though he tried and failed to get one.

He did manage to get a doctorate though, and in his former life was a minister of religion!