KEY POINTS:
As if things weren't confusing enough, what with the global economic crisis and all that, a whole bunch of MPs arrived for the first time in Parliament yesterday to confront the post-election game of musical chairs.
For the first time in nine years, Labour is sitting on the
Opposition side of the House - some young whippersnapper now known as Prime Minister John Key has popped up in Helen Clark's seat and Helen Clark, defeated as Prime Minister and no longer Labour Party leader, is now in the second row beside Trevor Mallard.
The ousted Winston Peters would be appalled to look down and see his nemesis, Act leader Rodney Hide, in the seat from which Mr Peters so dramatically held court.
Only the Greens, propped up in the cross-benches for yet another term, have remained in the same place. But on this day of watching the consequences of democracy being sworn into action, the party colours have largely been discarded.
The two erstwhile election opponents committed the slight faux pas of wearing matching outfits - Helen Clark in a pink jacket which nicely complemented John Key's pink tie.
The new MPs dragged out their best clothes - National's Hekia Parata sat like the Queen of Persia in an embroidered cream jacket, perhaps making an early move for Georgina te Heuheu's title of best-dressed female MP.
To these newly seated MPs there falls the task of being sworn in to the new Parliament by swearing allegiance to the Queen, and for those of a religious bent adding "so help me God". Some did so alone, some in groups depending on whether they were taking the oath or the affirmation and whether it was in Maori or English.
Traditions were made to be broken and the Maori Party's Hone Harawira happily obliged, first swearing allegiance to everything but the Queen, including the Treaty of Waitangi, the good people of Tai Tokerau, their whanau, iwi and hapu and then to all Maori "of this great nation of ours".
He escaped a scolding by tagging the oath proper to the end of his own effort.
When Green MP Kevin Hague tried to slip allegiance to the Treaty of Waitangi into his, he was made to read the oath proper again.
But there was, of course, the age-old pomp - the wigged and gowned judges were there to open proceedings in lieu of the Governor- General who, wary of breaching the separation of powers, has kept his distance.
The alphabetic ordering of the MPs for the ceremony resulted in some peculiar matchings - there was a laugh when Mr Key was called to give his oath alongside Labour's deputy leader, Annette King, after which he said "well done" to her as if she had not done this before.
When the Celtic-skinned Darren Hughes read the affirmation in Maori alongside Parekura Horomia, Gerry Brownlee just couldn't help himself and called out "ebony and ivory".
Peter Dunne and Roger Douglas were reunited for the swearing-in - a hark back to the days when they were in the Labour Party together.
Helen Clark stood for hers alone but for her successor, Phil Goff, came the fate of drowning by National Party blondes - Sandra Goudie and Jo Goodhew.
The oath itself showed off the unique Kiwi vowel sounds - the pledge of loyalty to "her heirs" sometimes instead became loyalty to "her rears" or "her hairs".
Within an hour all 122 were sworn in, the Speaker chosen and the MPs dispersed to ready themselves for the first day of battle - today's Opening of Parliament.
