Leadership woes still plague Act

Leader of the Act party Rodney Hide with his deputy Heather Roy. Photo / Getty Images

The Act Party's leadership problems are still festering away.

That much is clear from the interviews run at the weekend with leader Rodney Hide and his ambitious deputy leader, Heather Roy.

It is getting to the stage where the party may be too small for the both of them.

Hide openly criticized Roy's speech at the party conference calling it "disappointing"in an interview with The Nation's Stephen Parker (TV3 Sat 11am). Hide also seemed to be telling Roy to challenge him or get on side with him.

"I think you can handle the leadership in a simple way," he said. "If the leadership is an issue you can put it on the table, you have a vote and you live with the result."

Roy used her conference speech last month to express concerns about the party's reliance on Hide and the Epsom electorate .

She and three other Act MPs (Roger Douglas, John Boscawen and David Garrett) are in Parliament only because Hide won Epsom – the party polled 3.65 per cent nationwide, less than the 5 per cent threshold.

She is now publicly warming to the idea of her becoming co-leader.

That would be a consolation prize. Moves last November against Hide by Roy, supported by Sir Roger Douglas, stalled when John Key was informed and made it clear that Roy would lose her ministerial posts if Hide was rolled. A crisis caucus meeting on November 22 was held and Hide heavily criticised but no vote was taken.

Former MP Stephen Franks was interviewed at the weekend and promoted Roy's co-leadership an option.

When Roy was asked about co-leadership she said "I think we should be open to all idea."

" Co-leadership worked well for the Green Party and it has worked well for the Maori Party but it is not something we have ever discussed."

Hide's electorate chairman Edgar Henson's expressed a view[about Roy] that may well be shared by Hide: "I think some people will always have egos bigger than their ability."

Heather Roy might see co-leadership as a sensible way to start future-proofing Act but in any other party, promoting such as idea by the deputy would be seen as disloyalty.

Maybe Roy has not learned that disunity in any party is electoral death.