Editorial: Dazzled by his own greatness

OPINION: Including ACT leader Rodney Hide as a partner in Government was always going to be a gamble for Prime Minister John Key, who probably expected the odd bump in the highway to political success.

But with three gaffes under his belt in the space of a few weeks Mr Hide's behaviour is looking more and more self-destructive, if not politically suicidal for both him and Mr Key.

Indeed, Mr Hide's talent for attracting controversy raises the question of whether he fancies himself as the new Winston Peters.

Mr Hide's first sin was to cross the line by using his ministerial celebrity to attract paying guests to an ACT fundraiser. This stunning piece of political cynicism was quickly followed by revelations Mr Hide spent $25,000 of taxpayers' money on travel for his girlfriend. At a stroke this transformed the former perk buster – who built his reputation by sniffing out the slightest hint of spending abuse – from an arch-watchdog into an arch-hypocrite.

His defence of the spending was hapless. Taxpayers do not like paying for overseas jaunts for the girlfriends of MPs. Mr Hide's abuse of the travel allowance shows that one year into office his snout is as firmly in the trough as any politician he has taken to task over the years.

Mr Hide has followed up this week with a contemptuous assessment of his access to power which he gave a breakfast meeting with his party faithful. According to Mr Hide, Mr Key doesn't do anything and his single contribution so far has been his idea to build a national cycleway. By contrast, Mr Hide has managed to get a "s...load" done in Government because he had a set agenda and a clear direction. Mr Hide appears dazzled by his own greatness. He had been amazed by his ability to get things done – including managing to save $66 million by getting rid of hundreds of bureaucrats in Auckland – because he simply turned up with his papers while other members of Cabinet were busy with their own issues. The Prime Minister was apparently relaxed about Mr Hide's comments which were dismissed as light-hearted political banter.

Mr Hide's candid comments have two main implications. Firstly, they make him look like an egomaniac whose first term as a minister is turning into a disaster. After years in the political wilderness a sniff of power has gone directly to his head.

The second is more alarming. Mr Hide thought he was "among friends" and his comments would not be reported. He was clearly speaking from the heart and his revelations paint a depressing picture of what – at least according to Mr Hide – goes on in at the heart of the National administration. He clearly thinks Mr Key is a lightweight who is relying on others with a better grip on detail to steer policy.

Mr Hide's insights are as startling as they are revealing.

- © Fairfax NZ News