Audrey Young: Joker Brownlee falls flat

Every time an outraged Opposition MP attempted to squeeze another drop of embarrassment out of the Government yesterday over MP John Tamihere, National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee would lighten things up.

Mr Tamihere resisted pressure from the Labour leadership to resign and instead earned a formal censure from caucus and leader Helen Clark, who proclaimed her capacity for "infinite forgiveness".

Act leader Rodney Hide set a serious tone in question time, reverting to claims that Mr Tamihere was involved in a scam that has seen ex-Waipareira Trust chief financial officer Mike Tolich face fraud charges. Deputy PM Michael Cullen, who as Attorney-General is responsible for the Serious Fraud Office, would not comment on any matter already before the courts.

Mr Brownlee's gift of injecting the absurd into his questions dented the impact of his more serious colleagues.

"What happened between Monday night - when the Prime Minister was indicating that John Tamihere's political career was all but over, and Tuesday morning - when he suddenly became a well-liked valuable political asset who puts in 150 per cent on a good day?" he asked Dr Cullen, answering on behalf of Helen Clark.

Mr Brownlee also chose to have fun with Mr Tamihere's view that there was no substance in the ideas of "smarmy" Social Development Minister Steve Maharey and one could spend a lot of time talk to him and be none the wiser.

"When was the last time the Prime Minister spent two hours with Mr Maharey and was her experience one that left her walking away with screeds of paper, none the wiser from very clever and smarmy dialogue and knowing that the whole conversation was of no substance at all?"

Dr Cullen, however, got the better of Mr Brownlee: "She would have come away on a number of occasions recently, knowing that Mr Maharey had contributed to a drop in the number of people on the unemployment benefit from 164,000 to 60,000."

He also got the better of National's John Carter, who was temporarily stripped of his whip's job for impersonating an unemployed Maori man on a John Banks talkback show.

Mr Carter: "Does the 'infinite forgiveness' [of Helen Clark] mean the new standard she has set allows an alleged rapist, a convicted forger, a habitual drink-driver and a self-confessed liar to be tolerated? If this is so, how long a standard will she set in her desperation to retain office?"

Dr Cullen replied: "I thought that member would have learnt that, sometimes, forgiveness in a leader can be important."