Mockery lasts as long as the joke about the Trojan Horse

It was a slow burner, but by yesterday Labour was making full use of the chance for mockery from its annihilation of National in the Mt Albert byelection.

The MPs were back in Parliament after an eventful recess week - which ended with Labour's win and the resignation of of MP Richard Worth from National's ranks.

Labour was muted in its comment on Dr Worth, having belatedly realised that much of the mud being flung about had landed on its own face.

It restrained itself to futile inquiries as to the exact reasons Mr Key had lost confidence in Dr Worth.

Mt Albert was a different proposition, not least because Labour had discovered that the "family function" Prime Minister John Key had to attend in Taupo on the night of the byelection was at Huka Lodge.

So yesterday, National's candidate Melissa Lee found a shoulder she could have wept on in Phil Goff.

He was among the first to roar with indignation when she made her now infamous comment about the Waterview motorway funnelling crims from South Auckland past the leafy suburbs of Mt Albert. But yesterday, her comment was simply an "unfortunate mistake, it could happen to anyone".

She was recast as Girl Alone, a "scapegoat", an innocent left bereft and abandoned by the Prime Minister in her time of reckoning.

"It was a dreadful sight," Mr Goff said of seeing Ms Lee conceding to Labour's candidate David Shearer on byelection night.

"Melissa Lee, traumatised by that result, clearly upset and where was the Prime Minister? The Prime Minister was at Huka Lodge. He washed his hands of her."

Maurice Williamson's efforts to claim any hand-washing was a preventative measure for swine flu fell on deaf ears.

Mr Goff declared the clear verdict of Mt Albert voters was that the Government had in seven short months become "smug and arrogant".

"Aucklanders hate hypocrites," he said, and Cantabrian Lianne Dalziel confirmed this with a "they do!"

It was left to Jonathan Coleman - now dubbed "Maestro" by Labour for his efforts as Melissa Lee's campaign manager - to try to reply.

Maestro had a different interpretation of what had happened. Rather than being a stinging rejection of National, Mt Albert had delivered Labour "the Trojan Horse for Phil Goff - because it has brought into Parliament the next leader of the Labour Party".

As Mr Goff had reincarnated Melissa Lee to suit his purposes, so did Dr Coleman with Mr Shearer, pronouncing him a "a man of integrity and Labour is really going to struggle until it gets Mr Shearer into that front seat".

He pointed to David Cunliffe, noting the pretender to the throne of Labour's leadership was looking "not too happy" at the prospect of Mr Shearer entering Parliament. "He knows Shearer is going to take the position he covets."

Mr Cunliffe retorted: "Don't you run my campaign."