JC: Shane Jones Hammers in the Nails

Following the presentation of the budget I put myself through the agony of listening to the speeches from the party leaders in reply. The best, unsurprisingly, was delivered by Matua Shane Jones. This man never fails to impress. He is parliament’s top orator and always manages to include some humour while lambasting all and sundry. He wore a light blue jacket to illustrate where he belonged and a red tie to show the Labour Party what might have been. I will get to him but first a cursory glance at the other speeches.