He has to be the modern day Rip Van Winkel who's obviously been asleep since he was sworn into Cabinet on November the 19th, 2008.

Either that or Prissy Peter Dunne's been blissfully oblivious to the way Teflon John Key conducts the Government, how he dips his toe in the pool of public opinion and watches what happens to the ripples. If they become waves, he wavers, if they become a breaking pipeline then he acts before they crash to the shore.

Prissy Peter suddenly seems surprised how he handled the Syrian refugee crisis. The Government, which of course he's an integral part of, appeared to miss its significance and only opened our immigration gates in the face of the strong public reaction, he observed.

And Dunne seemed appalled at the reaction to the Australian deportation of Kiwi crims, after they'd done their time, saying the initial text between our foreign ministers simply wasn't good enough.

It seems to have escaped Rip's notice that the Aussie's deportation law change came into effect almost a year ago.

But he cites a couple of other examples of how his political masters are mice. The Kiwi jailed in Myanmar for insulting the prophet Buddha is one and he shudders to think what efforts are being taken on behalf of the Kiwi in China facing the death penalty on drugs charges.

Dunne says the Government's inaction bears all the hallmarks of the Beehive not becoming involved until public opinion demands it.

They've been soft peddling on Saudi Arabia's human rights record, with their eyes firmly fixed on a free trade deal with the Gulf States, and he's accusing them of being pathologically scared of saying anything critical of China for years now.

All this from a sole political operator whose support of the Government keeps it in power. If he really felt as strongly as he would have us believe he could pull the plug, or an the very least threaten to, which would be enough to make them sit up and take notice.

But this chameleon, who's the first true rainbow politician in this country given the numerous colours he's flown during his long political career, won't turn his back on the Beehive baubles. He's been a Cabinet Minister on and off for both Labour and National for the past 25 years.

Even though his observation of the way this Government operates is bang on the mark, don't hold your breath for him to hold them to account!