Election year has started with a bit of a bang with Socail Credit leader Bruce Beetham gaining a seat in Parliament at the expense of a pill-pushing potato millionaire for National and a slow talking rugby coach (retired and defeated) for Labour. The pie-in-the-sky guy had hardly mounted his push bike when he lost his deposit.

Soon after. National's invisible MP for the last six years, whatsisname Downie, came out of hiding to announce that he was leaving the party and would remain in the house as an independent.

Mike Minogue and Marylin Waring, having provided the only coherent debating force opposed to the Government in Parliament for the last two sessions were reported pleased at having the load lifted and it looked like being a boomer year for listening to YA during sessions. But there's always a killjoy.

The Labour "opposition"—normally inaudible in Parliamentary broadcasts over normal static—was recently declared an endangered species.

Here's why. With mud on his bright red face, wide and Lange was wishing he'd eaten his words instead of all those rich foods which are so cheap at Bellamy's, after his support for the neolithic abortion legislation last year blackened his liberal reputation. At the top the Rowling stone was gathering no moss, no support and no credibility while decending at great speed. Further it was rumoured that the great white hope of "democratic socialism" Gerald O'Brien was busy discussing trade in Taiwan.