Chris Hipkins really is as politically stupid as he appears. In his infinite wisdom, he decided to have a battle of wits with Winston Peters, a battle that I might add he is singularly ill-equipped to deal with. But he went there.
The New Zealand First leader and Cabinet minister delivered his State of the Nation speech yesterday.
He took jabs at the previous government’s “race-based theory”, alluding to co-governance, “where some people’s DNA… made them somehow better than others”.
“I’ve seen that sort of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany, we all did,” he told an approving crowd.
In response, Hipkins said: “Kiwis deserve better than a deputy prime minister who behaves like a drunk uncle at a wedding.”
Today, the war of words has continued with a tweet from Peters.
“Chris Hipkins hid behind a press release yesterday and said that he was glad he ‘ruled me out’ before the election,” he tweeted this morning. “Newsflash Chris.
“I publicly ruled out working with you and your woke Labour cronies twelve months before you stuttered the words.
“But you know that. And so do the media who have the temerity to repeat your stutter.
“PS. Your ‘drunk uncle’ comment is laughable coming from someone who would get drunk on a wine biscuit.”
Peters finished with: “Keep the press releases coming.”
1News
Now I know we already have this quote as the Sledge of the Day, but what I want to explain is the politics of this, and how utterly bad it is for Chris Hipkins.
Firstly, a leader of a major party should never engage in a tit-for-tat spat with a minor party leader. It demeans your putative superior position and brings you down to their level. Sure you can engage over significant policy ideas, but name-calling isn’t that, and Chris Hipkins called Winston Peters a “drunk uncle”.
By engaging, Hipkins looked petulant, and churlish and here comes the second part, he risked being made a fool of. This is precisely what the far more nimble-minded Winston Peters did without resorting to epithets like “drunk uncle”.
Winston’s response was humiliating for Hipkins; he was being mocked, in a blokish manner, about not being able to handle his liquor…which everyone knows Winston Peters can.
It was an oldie but a goodie sledge that Winston Peters used, and it was devastating.
Though, I think Winston Peters may have spelt whine incorrectly.
Winston Peters had a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
Help Keep The BFD Alive
Expenses are growing, ad revenue is shrinking. Things have to change otherwise we will need to cut services. We don’t want to have to do that. It’s really up to you.
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.
