In the past, our Prime Ministers have been policy heavyweights in their cabinets, taking serious portfolios and making a difference in them. Muldoon was famously Minister of Finance - and demonstrated why it was a bad idea to let the PM hold that portfolio. Lange was Minister of Foreign Affairs, where he gave us the nuclear free policy and an independent foreign policy, and of education, where he gave us "tomorrow's schools". Palmer established the Ministry for the Environment, and played a key role in the development of the RMA. Moore took up Lange's foreign affairs position, and played a key role in international trade talks. More recently, Helen Clark has played a transformative role in her portfolio of arts, culture, and heritage.
So, what portfolio does John Key want to take if he becomes Prime Minister? Tourism - a portfolio so important to National that they haven't even issued a press release on it since May 2007.
What a lightweight.
