OPINION: Here's a cooked idea on a Friday: Labour should give the Police Minister portfolio to a National MP.
It'll never happen, but hear me out.
Labour has cycled five people through the role since 2017 - Stuart Nash holding it twice.
Megan Woods is temporarily in the job because Labour has a problem: there's no heir apparent.
Another problem, no one wants it.
Labour MPs were asked by reporters yesterday if they wanted the job and they all said 'no'.
You can hardly blame them. You're on a hiding to nothing as Police Minister.
You get blamed for all the crime, all the poor sentencing of criminals, and all of society's ills.
You constantly get blasted by Opposition MPs for being 'soft on crime'. It's a thankless task.
So, if Labour doesn't have anyone to fill the role, maybe they should outsource the police portfolio to National.
National's been outspoken about policing problems for years and if they claim to have the solutions, let them have it.
They can be sworn into the executive and run the portfolio like they want to.
When they get criticism for anything that happens in the police portfolio, they can just blame the Labour Cabinet for it.
Labour will be able to distance itself from criticism because it's in the hands of a National MP.
And given it's in the hands of a National MP, National will stop its criticisms of Labour being soft on crime.
Of course, this will never happen - because why would National want to attach itself to a sinking portfolio?
If Labour or the Nats don't want it, maybe offer it to ACT? They've been beating the 'tough on crime' drum for a long time.
Or maybe Labour could just get its house in order, and choose good people who can actually do their jobs.
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