John Armstrong: English gains political resurrection

One thing is crystal clear amid the murky blame-game erupting over the foul-up of NCEA scholarship results: the political resurrection of Bill English is now complete.

Not for a long time have National MPs beamed with such delight as they did in Parliament yesterday watching Mr English roast Labour's David Benson-Pope, the Johnny-come-lately to the education portfolio who is trying to gloss over the failings of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority which occurred when Trevor Mallard was running the country's schools.

As befits someone who has been described as "Mallard without the charm", Mr Benson-Pope's first line of defence was to fling insults at National's education spokesman.

"I would have hoped by now that the member would have understood ... ," began one reply from the Associate Education Minister. "I think students ... have a greater understanding than is clearly being demonstrated by the member opposite," continued another.

The bigger the insult, the broader the grin on Mr English's face.

While the Government desperately tries to confine any accountability for what went wrong to the NZQA, Mr English wants to sheet home responsibility to Mr Mallard, who was in charge of the secondary school sector prior to December's Cabinet reshuffle.

For all intents and purposes, however, Mr English has already won. He has done his job by hounding the Government, which cannot escape the political embarrassment flowing from the mess created by NZQA.

His latest victory is important for being his most obvious. It is reward for the months of slog Mr English has invested in the complex shadow portfolio he took over following his unceremonious dumping as National's leader.

The results took time to come. They have not always been spectacular in terms of headlines. But they have been solid. He does the painstaking research. He has that incriminating bit of paper. Yesterday's piece of paper contained the minutes of a meeting of a "forum" representing those in the secondary school sector which advised the NZQA and the Ministry of Education last August that the NCEA scholarship would be a shambles. Mr English queried whether Parliament was expected to seriously believe the ministry had not warned its minister, Mr Mallard.

However, Mr Benson-Pope said such questions would be answered by the State Services Commission inquiry the Government had announced that very afternoon. Mr English angrily responded that Mr Benson-Pope's answer made a nonsense of ministers being accountable to Parliament.

The Speaker agreed. And, in an unusual move, Labour accepted Mr English's question should be directed to Mr Mallard. He declared he had received no such advice, which raised the question "Why not?"

"I don't believe you," retorted Mr English, who was required to apologise for doubting Mr Mallard's word. It was a minor lapse of self-control during an afternoon which showed Mr English may yet do the seemingly impossible - make education a sexy election issue.

What is not in doubt is that he now commands a new authority in Parliament - most noticeable in the respectful silence from friend and foe alike which greeted him each time he rose to speak.