Peters hits back at Richardson
NZ First leader Winston Peters has hit back at The AM Show’s Mark Richardson, saying he ‘‘couldn’t give a rat’s derriere’’ about the presenter’s opinions.
On The AM Show yesterday morning, Richardson laid into the deputy prime minister following his comments about some Three journalists at a party conference over the weekend.
Peters claimed that while he felt sorry ‘‘for all those people who work for MediaWorks’’ and ‘‘for their husbands and wives’’, he remembered Newshub ‘‘pillorying me for five months before the 2008 (general) election’’.
Reporters ‘‘couldn’t give a Tinker’s damn’’ about the NZ First staff who lost their jobs after the party failed to reach enough votes to return to Parliament, the NZ Herald said he told media this morning.
Referring to Richardson, Peters added: ‘‘My answer to Mr Flash White Teeth is: I couldn’t give a rat’s derriere what you think.’’
Responding to Peters’ bidding ‘‘good riddance’’ to some reporters, Richardson said: ‘‘As you all know I plan on being the prime minister of this country one day, and the events on Friday regarding the future of this channel kind of expedited those plans somewhat.
‘‘But then I heard Winston Peters’ comments.’’
He went on: ‘‘I guess those ‘good people’, Mr Peters, must be the ones who don’t challenge you... the ones you’ve been able to cowardly bully into submission through your constant threat of legal action when challenged – so in reality in your eyes very few good people then.
‘‘If this is the type of person I’d have to be to enjoy longevity in politics then I want no part of it.’’
‘‘As a sportsperson, I understand competition,’’ the former cricketer said. ‘‘I understand your adversaries’ right to challenge you, to test you, to ask you the hard question and from time to time to better you.
‘‘I also learned to respect their skill, to respect them, to shake hands, to move on, to regroup and come back better myself for it.
‘‘It would appear your politics lacks this human respect.’’
The self-declared National Party supporter said he would ‘‘rather endure a Labour-Green government governing alone than another moment of you holding my country selfishly to ransom’’.