MP Jacqui Dean

[reigns]

National MP Jacqui Dean says she was caught in 'power-play' between Judith Collins and Simon Bridges.

National Party MP Jacqui Dean says she was caught up in a “political power play” last week, after her complaint about a years-old Simon Bridges comment led to the ousting of leader Judith Collins.

Dean, in a brief statement posted to Facebook on Monday afternoon, said it was “not my intention for past issues to be thrust into the spotlight as they were”, referring to her complaint about Bridges that led to his attempted demotion by Collins.

If this was not her intention, why the hell did she mention it?

I think it was mentioned elsewhere that there was a review taking place into specific behaviours at Parliament and that Dean, having reflected on the discussions taking place in that review, decided to bring attention to the fact of similar behaviours being present within National specifically - where the instance of Bridges' comments were brought up, probably as an example.

I'm obviously just speculating but I assume that there wasn't a complaint made as such to Collins but a referring of that incident by Dean to which Collins decided to use in one last move to either keep herself in power or to throw Bridges' future tilt at the leadership again.

Really, this just feels like a event where there are no winners. Only losers.