The following is a thought experiment to account for H Clark’s willingness to absorb huge damage from staying tight with Peters. I do not believe getting the ETS through matters enough to her .

There are a number of scenarios to account for her actions. It is only a speculative opinion, but could the discussion between H Clark and W Peters on Friday have gone along lines like the following?

HC "Winston – we have to change tack, in your interests as well as mine. The uproar will get worse till we throw the dogs a bone now that the SFO are investigating. What the hell did you think you were doing on Thursday telling them to put up or shut up?

WP – The bastard who has taken over from Bradshaw comes across as a pussy. I thought he’d fold like they always do to me. Anyway I told you to kill SFO off last year. Why did you let it take so long?  And why have you put that bill on hold?

HC – Sorry we didnt  get it across to our friendly policeman in time. You were right. We should have started earlier. But now we can offer SFO continued independence if they handle this right. You know, make a virtue of necessity, cause I think we’ve lost the Greens on that bill anyway. Couldn’t believe Nandor and Keith Locke would ever go for it anyway with the extra powers it was handing to Mr Plod.

WP So what’s your bone for the dogs?  Spit it out. I’m not resigning. – you know what I’ve said – I’m not going down for this on my own sunshine. You put that loose-lipped idiot Glenn into this case.  You gave him no script, or didn’t get him to stick to it. I had no clout with him after you canned that consulship cause it would be a bad look. I only met him a couple of times and the boorish shit left me in no doubt that he was only letting us have the money cause your guys told him to. I told him he could have that consulship so you’ve only got yourselves to blame when he got the pip.

HC – Thats the past. We are where we are and unless I look as if I’m in charge, and you look as if you accept the rules for the moment I’ll lose the power to manage this. Don’t underestimate this Winston. Even our trusties among the  journos are finding it hard to explain why you’re still standing with me beside you. None so far have tried to think past stupidities like my "determination to pass the ETS" and "keeping open a post-election coalition with you"

WP – I’ve told you, that’s your problem. I’m not withdrawing. If I’ve learned one thing it is that the moment someone like me looks like a loser, every bastard will make it true.

HC – Use your head instead of your testosterone for a moment Winston. Never admit, never apologise applies to me too. The moment they decide  I’m history it will spin out of control. You have to help me to help yourself.  If I’m neutered you are too.

WP – You work it out. I’ve told you, if you let me down I’ll make this Ben Hur.  I can explain how hard it has been going along with all this to expose what people like you do with the Owen Glenns of this world. And I’ve had to hold down my day job too, looking after Condi, and rebuilding the relationship with the US, which that pious prick Goff couldn’t acheive in 6 years.

HC – Winston you’d be finished if all this comes out, Your grey folk are conspiracy theorists but they wouldn’t swallow this one.

WP – I only need one in 20. Three times that think they’ve had outings in flying saucers. They’ll take a while but they want to believe. They’ll accept what I had to do to find out and show how corrupt you lot are. How do you think it is going to play when they find that you guys organised all that money. When you accepted my needs as  a condition of coalition, and then later when I said I would not stay if you reneged. You knew then that it  joined you to me at the hip. There was no escape for you as soon as I had knowledge that would sink you.  

HC – Don’t you threaten me. If I let you go, you’ll be yesterday’s meat. The left establishment hate you. You only survive on my  endorsement. I can make them swallow flies – look at the China FTA. They suspend judgment of you for my sake. I’ve lent you respectability for the whole three years.

WP – Tough. that’s sunk capital. Even your pet media will take a month or two to get to their feet again if I’m forced to show them you knew about my money not just from Owen Glenn in February but through all that time when you were going on about the Exclusive Brethren. From what I’ve seen  I could also give a good steer to your other techniques for rorting electoral law, with your union mates.The EB never broke any laws. How do you think your speeches on the EFA will play given what you’ve known. Your "chinless scarf wearers" will be elected before you could win another election in NZ.

HC – Lets get back to here and now. If you "stand down" I’ll put you back as soon as you’re cleared.

WP – What’s that worth.That’s what you told Dover and he never surfaced again.

HC – OK I’ll announce it at the time. And of course we’ll make sure those wimps on the Privileges Committee come out with some kind of "cant really say". We’ll treat that as ‘clearance’. Michael Cullen is putting all his skill into nobbling them. Not too hard since they havent hired a lawyer to work for them, and they’d all rather preen with their own half finished questions.

WP – A Privileges Committee roll-over doesn’t get me back if it’s the SFO investigation that’s the trouble.

HC – Look assuming you haven’t stolen the money you’ll be "cleared" when they say they are dropping the investigation cause there is no "fraud" cause the money ended up where it was supposed to. Only the Police deal with breaches of electoral law, and we can rely on them. So SFO will pull out leaving that electoral stuff alone.. The media chooks will treat ‘no further action’ as innocence, and so will your grey power.

WP – OK I’ll go along with it for the meantime. I’ll review it every day, and the moment I think you might renege, it’ll be Plan B.