Nats can strip nasty Peters of power by ruling out a deal
Ireally wanted to write a piece slating Winston Peters for his cold and mean reaction to the job uncertainty at MediaWorks right now.
What sort of deputy prime minister welcomes potential job losses in any industry in any country in the world? What a deluded piece of work this guy is.
At his best, he is very good, and I’ll talk about that shortly. But at his worst he is destructive and it’s personal and he harbours grudges that he will let govern his decisionmaking.
Peters knows some of the people in the firing line at MediaWorks and, when I read his comments, I thought the guy really is a right prat.
I have reported on these sorts of comments for 20 years, but this time it hit home more, as I’m facing the uncertainty.
I find this type of politics abhorrent. It’s what led to the formation of this current Government.
After 40 years in the game, and after holding numerous jobs at the top table, you would hope a man would be able to overcome such a nasty and bitter approach to the world.
But sadly, no he can’t. Simon Bridges will weigh up in the new year whether to rule Peters in or out of any potential postelection deal.
I believe Peters has already ruled out National, and Bridges has only one decision to make – he must rule him out.
National must firmly send the message to the electorate that a vote for Peters is a vote for Labour.
It will screw Peters, and it takes away so much of his bargaining power. He can really only then campaign on limiting the Greens.
If it doesn’t work, so be it. Do another three years in opposition on a point of principle.
It has to be easier than going through hell with Peters. He hasn’t worked with National for 20 years, and I can’t see it suddenly happening after his snub of the party at the last election.
National has to take the matter into its own hands and come up with an MMP solution to end Peters’ vice-like grip on the centre ground.
Something is coming on that front which should foreshadow what Bridges will say early next year.
But all this is not to say Peters is a lost cause. He most certainly is needed in this current coalition; he looks like its dominant force, and at times the leader of it.
He has stopped farmers entering the expensive Emissions Trading Scheme, and Labour is desperately trying to say it hasn’t backed down from a promise.
Peters is having a field day at Labour’s expense because its promises were too ambitious. Hence Winston looks entirely reasonable and useful in either stopping them or buying time or renegotiating them.
And that’s how he likes it. That’s why he’s hitched his wagon to Labour.
He looks good amid the train wreck. He looks like the knight rushing in to save the hopeless from themselves.
With National, it would be entirely different. They would make him feel like the junior partner all over again.
Plus, he has no time for Bridges and campaign manager Paula Bennett.
I could see Judith Collins and Shane Jones doing a deal, but that would require Winston to drop dead and Simon Bridges to step down.
And who wants that?
At his best, [Winston Peters] is very good ... But at his worst he is destructive and it’s personal and he harbours grudges that he will let govern his decision-making.