Editorial: Diplomat victim of realpolitik

Opinion

Tim Groser clearly has formidable credentials to become a trade or foreign affairs minister in a future National Party government. His work as New Zealand's representative at the World Trade Organisation and, since February last year, as chairman of that body's influential agricultural negotiations committee, has won international plaudits. Former European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy described him as "a respected and efficient catalyser". Others have commented on his mastery of the subtle arts of Geneva politics. But diplomatic intricacies bear little relation to the art of politics - and that is where Mr Groser must embark on a steep learning curve.

Much of that process involves adapting to the gruff, sometimes harsh realities of the political world, of abandoning the naivety that characterised his unveiling as a list candidate for National, in the same way that Don Brash has had to manage his transfer from the Reserve Bank. In the rarified atmosphere of diplomacy, gentlemanly discussion can lead the way through even the trickiest of problems. But not in the hurly-burly of politics. Thus Mr Groser is being ingenuous if he believes that, despite throwing his lot in with National, he can continue his chairing role at the WTO.

He maintains that "people [who think otherwise] are just reacting very emotionally. They're not thinking all that straight". But politics, of course, is an emotional business and not always reasoned. That aside, there are other reasons it is unrealistic for Mr Groser to expect to remain at the WTO. He owes his chairing role to his work for this country in Geneva. If he is standing as an electoral opponent of the Government - and, as the law dictates, has been placed on leave from his ambassadorial job for the duration of the campaign - it is unlikely that the other 147 members of the WTO will continue to sanction his chairmanship.

Equally, it is simplistic to contemplate a list MP taking extended leave to deal with WTO business. List MPs have become a devalued species since their advent with MMP. There is considerable cynicism about their lack of accountability to anyone other than party whips. To deem oneself a list MP while working at an entirely different job in Geneva would, no matter how important the business there, invite a whole new degree of public contempt.

Quite simply, Mr Groser has made his choice and must now accept the consequences. That should be a little easier given the peevish reaction of the Trade Negotiations Minister to his candidacy. Jim Sutton was certainly entitled to express his disappointment, but he should also have noted the manner in which Mr Groser had prised open markets for exporters - a success that earned him the sobriquet "the billion-dollar man".

And he should have acknowledged Mr Groser's role in getting a new framework agreed for agriculture negotiations at the WTO, and in renewing hope that the organisation's December meeting in Hong Kong will produce rules for global farm trade that furnish greater access and higher prices for New Zealand exports.

Instead, Mr Sutton said he felt a "strong sense of betrayal" and that Mr Groser had "not put his country first". It was a statement that spoke volumes of the mindset of a pressured Government. Mr Groser is 55 and it is now or never if he is to achieve his long-standing political ambitions. Furthermore, the ongoing nature of trade liberalisation negotiations means there will never be an ideal time to step aside.

Clearly, the Government's pique relates largely to National's acquisition of an excellent parliamentary candidate. Mr Groser has wowed the international diplomatic community with his adroit skills and occasional dramatic flourishes. He would be a welcome addition to a Parliament that contains all too few men and women of his calibre and background. Once, of course, he has learned the realities of politics.