I think apart from anything, the Nick Smith demise shows another weakness of MMP.

Say what you want about Smith, his interactions with various people over the years, the stress leave, and so on. What he was, and most happily accept, was a very good active and effective local MP.

When he lost his seat last year and the list was it, he decided to retire. It was just a matter of how and when. The “how” turns out to be the so-called verbal altercation that he regrets.

But it’s a salient lesson in the semi-pointlessness of being a list MP. What is it you do? Who is it you represent, and especially if you're not in government? Short of the odd committee you sit on, just what's the point?

Chris Finlayson put it well yesterday, when he suggested terms.

Why you would want to be in politics for life I have no idea. But they do, and Smith is a good example. 30 years and he is far from the longest, although National's current longest. He's only second to Trevor Mallard, who if you ever wanted an example of a bloke who has hung around too long, he's it.

But Keith Holyoake, Walter Nash, Apirana Ngata, Arnold Nordmeyer, and Peter Fraser were all there longer than Smith and history seems to judge them well. The longest was Henry Mason at over 40 years.

Anyway, you can mount a very good argument that a time limited period of service would sharpen the focus. The US Presidential model is superb, two terms maximum. You know when you're leaving, the clock starts on day one. There's nothing like the end of the road to set an agenda.

And you can't help but be able to sight a lot of examples of MPs who quite clearly are not up to a lot. They get themselves a seat, or worse a decent list place, and they're set for life.

Superannuation, a salary beyond what they could expect in the real world, a work ethic and outlook that sees politics in the state that it is, disrespected and seeing exceedingly low productivity.

The trick I would have thought is to do something substantive and change something big for the better. David Seymour and his euthanasia laws, and Sir John Key leaving on top and out of the blue.

Politics should be a service to the community. Get in, get out.

Keep it fresh and keep the new talent turning over. In a world where people will have three or four careers, it's astonishing to see how many in politics still really only have one.