Audrey Young: 'Subdued' Mallard keeps comments for the House

It was the first memorable day back after the parliamentary recess - the petition involving the Exclusive Brethren a reminder of one of the most torrid episodes in politics.

But it had nothing to do with followers hiring private eyes to spy on the private lives of MPs, imagined or otherwise, which dominated the three-week break.

Graeme Murray Turley and 26 others requested in their petition "that the House instruct its members to desist from denigrating a minority group known as the Exclusive Brethren because some of its members independently chose to lawfully participate in the 2005 election debate".

For the first time in an age, Prime Minister Helen Clark chose not to mention the Brethren, or that "weird sect" as she has previously called them, to counter National's attack over Labour's election spending.

She lifted expectations on Monday, telling reporters she expected a better standard in the House and a more "subdued" Trevor Mallard, whose behaviour she has described as "deplorable".

Mr Mallard's taunting of Don Brash led to revelations about the National leader's extramarital affair. "Sorry" is not in the Mallard lexicon but nothing was yesterday.

Was he going to change his behaviour? "No comment."

What was the Prime Minister's advice to him? "No comment."

Was he going to pull back? "No comment."

Did he resile from what he said? "No comment."

Why wouldn't he comment? "No comment."

He was less circumspect in the House though, continuing to barrack but so quietly it was impossible to ascertain who was the target and why.

He has cause: National's unguided missile Nick Smith lobbed dollops of "corrupt cheats" every so often at a minister.

But it was Foreign Minister Winston Peters who attracted the most disruptive barrage yesterday, trying vainly to get silence in the House to explain how United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice had telephoned him the night before about North Korea.

[She was in Kuala Lumpur when Mr Peters was bitten by a suspected spider.]

"Spiderman," called Hamilton East MP David Bennett.

Mr Peters: "Now the bald one is at it again."

Unfairly, Speaker Margaret Wilson refused a point of order from National's own black widow, Judith Collins, but allowed them from all manner of others - including this impenetrable one from Coromandel MP Sandra Goudie: "Was this a question for Mr Speakers, Madam Speaker?"

The Speaker spoke for all: "I do not know what the member is saying."