TV1’s Agenda followed up last week’s post on the bizarre decision to transfer (read close) the Serious Fraud Office in the first programme in its new Sunday slot. The Herald provided excellent backgrounding and yesterday’s editorial summarized the issues.

Nevertheless this issue will not catch fire till it appears that the change could be defeated in Parliament. Most parties and politicians are cowardly on any issue on which they might be thought hostile to the Police. Peters is not a coward, but he will presumably vote for anything that damages the SFO.

The Maori Party should have no reason not to listen to reason.

Business will not leave National under any doubt about where the national interest lies on this matter, so eventually they should oppose the decision.

Accordingly the key will be awakening Nandor Tanczos and the Greens.

That should happen when Keith Lock recognises that the SFO’s oppressive powers will inevitably be vested on the Organized Crime Agency within the Police. The Police will have no leadlined containment vessel around their new Agency. Indeed a main driver for taking over the SFO has been resentment at its special powers and the desire to have them within the Police.  Those powers will of course leach into the general Police armoury, whatever temporary assurances are given to the contrary.