By: Barry Soper | Friday, May 25, 2012 6:00 AM

The Dipton Drawler Bill English was a bit like the publican, pulling the pints from an empty keg. He was in charge of the pub with no beer and the challenge for him now is to keep the customers, or in his case the voters, coming back for more and that's going to be no easy task.

His fourth Budget since sweeping to power with State Homie John Key was a dry affair, any drier and it'd combust.

The Drawler to his credit kept the lid firmly on the pressure cooker.

The spending in his Budget sounds impressive, almost four and a half billion bucks, even more impressive when you consider he didn't have any money to spend. But rather than being a handout this was a hand in the pocket of some Government departments.

Three billion of the spend comes through what they call reprioritised spending, which is essentially taking from one Government department and giving it to the other. The remaining 1.4 billion bucks comes from what they call new revenue initiatives, which in other words is a tax grab and closing the loopholes which is easier said than done in that it's been said by successive Governments without success.

Most of what The Drawler waxed lyrical about in the bear pit had already been waxed about in the lead-up to the main event. That's probably why he made what was clearly a Freudian slip when he introduced his tome to the grizzlies.

Mr Speaker, he said as the public gallery looked on with expectation, I move the appropriation Bill be now read a second time. Order, chimed in Father bear Lockjaw Smith, the Minister needs to move the first reading first.

Given that's it was another zero Budget, it could be argued he did that last year!

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