What a difference a cuppa makes!

The National/Act agreement makes policy concessions in favor of the Act agenda that far outweigh the degree of policy-compromise necessary to achieve that party's support. After all, Act is a one-man band. And when you add the policy concessions to Banks's ministerial posts, he walks away with apparently huge prizes. One seat weighed up against 60 did not need to tip the scales that far to the right.

Or, what's really going on is that Key has invited Banks in as a Trojan Horse. The apparent concessions to Act on policy are off-manifesto wish-lists that National already had, and Key can sign up to them and then write it off to that 'weird' system called MMP.

Statutory public-spending cap; charter schools; lighter regulation; tougher welfare; ACC booted out of workers' comp altogether.

Is this Banks's wish list or is it Key's, or a combination of both?

A quick tea break in Epsom was all it took.