‘I’ll show them what I’ve got’

Winston Peters talks Churchill and the psychology of international relations and has advice for US President Donald Trump.

Winston Peters talks Churchill and the psychology of international relations and has advice for US President Donald Trump.

Len and Joan Peters named their son, born in 1945, after the wartime leader who saved Britain from the Nazis. Like his namesake, Winston Peters is tenacious and has survived politics over decades of ups and downs, although he is quick to explain he has no illusions that he’s in Churchill’s league.

Peters is one of 11 children born in Northland to parents who ensured their kids got a good education despite limited means. He didn’t shine at school but studied hard enough to get into law school in Auckland and worked as a barrister and solicitor before entering Parliament.

His political career has been one of extremes, beginning with an electoral challenge that overthrew an elected member of Parliament, several highprofile campaigns, serving in governments under National Prime Minister Jim Bolger, then leaving National to set up New Zealand First. He was in National Prime Minister Jenny Shipley’s Cabinet until she fired him. He then served in the Labourled Government of Helen Clark as Foreign Minister but outside Cabinet. There was a period in the wilderness when, in 2008, he lost his Tauranga seat and his 24-year-old party failed to reach the 5% MMP threshold and so had no one in Parliament.

Peters and partner Jan Trotman have homes in Auckland and Whananaki, from where Peters serves his Northland electorate. He has two adult children and enjoys fishing, horse racing and reading, especially political biography.

Is it true that you keep a book about Churchill by your bed and read something about him most nights?

Yes, that is true, I have for a long, long time. One of the best books I read about him was by former Prime Minister HH Asquith’s daughter Violet Bonham Carter Winston Churchill As I Knew Him. It is very insightful, and as the foreword says, the difference about this book is that the author is in Winston’s league. That is the reason I read it, and it is fascinating about Churchill’s formative years.

You share a name, but he grew up as a man of means whereas you, for example, did your homework in an old water tank at Whananaki, I gather. Is that true?

It is true. I am not putting myself in any way, shape or form in Churchill’s league, but there were certain commonalities. We were both bad students, had independence of thinking, were prepared to make our own way and saw that what you do is going to determine your future in more beneficial ways than people think. Sometimes what looks like a disaster to many commentators is actually a critical part of one’s development.

What are you currently reading about Churchill?

When Boris Johnson [British Foreign Secretary] came here recently, someone got him to send me his book called The Churchill Factor, which was a bestseller for Boris. He sent me the book with his best wishes.

“Trump lacks experience and an appreciation of the historic dimension in which he is operating. This is not cowboy territory …”

Are you a fan of both Boris and Churchill?

Admirer is a better word to use; I am a serious admirer of Churchill. He was an amazing personality in many ways, with many dimensions to him. Boris Johnson, contrary to his public image, is an extraordinarily bright, clever guy.

Does he impress you?

In a characterless world where people are being dumbed down by conformity, he has refused to do so and so consequently he is very likeable. He has a certain flair about him. I think it must be stultifying for him in the Foreign Affairs setting. But he is doing his best to break free, so to speak.