Audrey Young: Three wise men and a childish stunt

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key. Photo / AP

Three wise men and four idiots featured in Parliament's last question time of the year.

Prime Minister John Key went first. He was wise yesterday, not an idiot.

He apologised, as he should have long ago, for suggesting Labour supported rapists and murderers by dint of their advocacy for the legal rights of Kiwis locked up in places such as Christmas Island.

His apology drew spontaneous applause, including from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.

Labour leader Andrew Little was the next wise man. He wanted the House to know he had written to the privileges committee to acknowledge that what he had said about the Speaker had been unparliamentary and he had regretted it.

The third wise man, Speaker David Carter, acknowledged the public statement and expressed his personal appreciation.

Little had to express regret at the minimum to avoid the new political year beginning in a public privileges committee hearing-cum-circus over his unparliamentary descriptions of the Speaker.

Key didn't have to. But it was clearly in his interests to do so. It was an appalling slur that caused genuine offence (you get used to contrived offence) and an apology the Speaker should have demanded at the time.

There was a tonne of goodwill in the House yesterday, interrupted briefly by four portly protesters in the public gallery who stood up, perched over the Government benches, and let thousands of bits of orange paper with TPP on them flutter to the floor.

For Christmas' Sake. Haven't they been listening to Professor Jane Kelsey? Parliament doesn't get to vote for the TPP.

Epilogue: The four protesters have been served with trespass notices for two years.