Amputation

It's clear after yesterday's question time that Helen Clark is preparing to amputate the supperating wound that is John Tamihere. Pressed on the allegations against him, she repeatedly declared that she shared the opposition's concerns. And in monday's press conference, she said she that she would not wait for the SFO to finish its investigation before making a decision. The implication is that Tamihere will be sacked from Cabinet when the QC's investigation is complete. Depending on what it finds, he may later be reinstated, but certainly not while the SFO is still looking into possible fraud.

The question then is whether Tamihere will go for a by-election (and thereby force an early election), or whether he'll take his medecine like a good boy...

Update: The amputation is happening sooner than I thought - according to One News, Tamihere will resign his cabinet seat within the hour, and retire to the backbenches.