KEY POINTS:
Bill English has been bitten once, and yesterday he shied away from declaring whether he wanted to twice become National Party leader.
As a senior MP and former leader, the Clutha/Southland MP is an obvious contender to return to the top job.
He has only to look across
the Tasman to the example of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to see a party leader who was deposed but lived to fight another day.
However, Mr English said yesterday that he was undecided about trying to return as leader, saying he wanted time to speak to caucus colleagues before making up his mind.
His strong suit is his political experience and service as a Cabinet minister, but that comes with the downside of having led National to a record-setting defeat in 2002.
In the wake of that demoralising hammering, Mr English had to endure the added humiliation of being successfully challenged for his job by Don Brash. It would have been understandable if he had chosen that moment to step aside from politics, but he instead worked hard at restoring his mana as a senior National Party figure.
He has been a high-profile and effective education spokesman and also orchestrated some of National's best moments in the debating chamber, successes which mean he is regarded as a serious contender to lead his party into the future rather than yesterday's man.
Mr English has proved he is not one to step away from a fight, but the jury is out on whether he could reverse the pummelling he received from Helen Clark in 2002.
Supporters contend that the 2002 election was unwinnable, and argue that the reorganisation of the party after that defeat laid the foundation for the successes of Dr Brash three years later.
A source close to Mr English said he had shown he had the ability to lead and to deal with difficult issues.
"He has huge integrity, he is extremely bright, and has always handled the difficult areas for the party: health for a long time and education now ... I also think he understands middle New Zealand better than almost any National member of Parliament."
However, others within National feel the public has already given its verdict on Mr English.
"The fact we got 20 per cent in the [2002] election is not something we regarded as a good outcome," a party insider said.
"What happens in this business is we don't choose our leaders, the general public tend to do it for us. The fact that one contender has a substantial position in the preferred leader poll is a very strong factor."
A Herald-DigiPoll survey of Auckland voters published this week found 18.3 per cent preferred Dr Brash as leader, 17.3 per cent John Key and just 0.8 per cent supported Mr English.
In a TVNZ poll of National supporters done in July, 37 per cent backed Dr Brash, 23 per cent Mr Key and just 5 per cent Mr English.
BILL ENGLISH
RESUMÉ
* 44 years old. Born in Dipton, Southland. Educated at St Thomas' School, Winton; St Patrick's College, Silverstream; Otago and Victoria universities.
* Former farmer. MP since 1990, when he was elected to the former seat of Wallace.
* Former Minister of Health, Finance and Revenue.
* Married to Mary, a general practitioner. Six children.