John Armstrong: Raising spectre of puppet master

Don Brash's performance in the House was less than stunning. Photo / Janna Dixon

Don Brash's seeming disadvantage in being a party leader outside Parliament may not be quite the handicap it is cracked up to be.

As National's leader, his performance in the House was less than stunning. It was Brash who gave every appearance of being stunned like the proverbial mullet by parliamentary battle.

Without Brash in Parliament, Labour could craft a different horror story every day regarding the likely effect policy-wise of National-Act collusion.

Labour's prime target has to be the Prime Minister, however. Phil Goff's task is to persuade voters that Brash is now pulling the strings on the centre-right and that John Key will now reveal his true self by happily going along with Brash's raw agenda.

This line of attack was slightly undermined, however, by Goff questioning in Parliament yesterday why Key regarded a man described by Brash as "toxic" and "tarnished" as still suitable to remain in his ministry.

That man is Rodney Hide. He walked into the chamber just as Key was praising him for an "outstanding job of managing local government".

Goff also noted the Prime Minister had shifted his position several times on whether or not Hide could keep his ministerial posts after being rolled by Brash. "Who is actually making these decisions and who is pulling the strings?" Just in case those listening to Parliament had not worked out who Goff was talking about, he later asked whether it was appropriate that decisions on who served in Key's ministry were being made by someone not even in Parliament.

Goff's criticism will be water off a duck's back for Key.

He knows the machinations surrounding Hide and his retaining his portfolios are of little moment beyond the Wellington beltway.

Moreover, Key knows voters believe Goff would do exactly the same thing were he dealing with a similar predicament involving the Greens, for example.

The big difference is the Greens are no longer quite the scary prospect they once were for mainstream voters. That is to Labour's advantage.

As is the re-emergence of Brash - a very different kettle of fish when it comes to scary policy. And we're not talking mullets, stunned or otherwise.