It must be election season, Winston Peters is now attacking the very people he’s spent three years defending.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has again been forced to defend herself, and her ministers, from attacks from her Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters.
In a speech this morning, Peters – also the leader of New Zealand First – took aim at Labour, his coalition partner, and the Greens.
A Government of those two parties in a coalition, Peters said, would be a “nightmare”.
“If you think a red-green [Labour-Greens] government is good for you, then you’re in cloud cuckoo land,” he said, going off-script.
“These people are away with the fairies,” he said, referencing the Greens and their wealth tax policy.
But Greens co-leader James Shaw has fired back: “In my experience over the last three years, NZ First has not been a moderating force, but a force for chaos.”
He added: “Their organisational culture is chaotic.”
Peters said the Greens and Labour in power together without NZ First as an “insurance policy” would mean more tax for New Zealanders, Peters suggested.
“They say they want to get close to you: they’re right. [It’s] so they can put their hand down the side of your body, and into your wallet.”
But perhaps his most cutting blow was reserved for his Cabinet colleagues.
“I’ve been in this game along time, and I’ve never had three years so difficult,” Peters, who was first elected to Parliament in the late-1970s, said.
He added it was difficult to “manage circumstances when you’re surrounded by plain inexperience”.
Speaking to reporters outside the House this afternoon, Peters doubled down on these comments.
Asked why a Labour-Greens government would be a nightmare, Peters said: “Because experience matters”.
“I knew when we made the decision in 2017 that I was going into a Cabinet with a whole lot of people with no experience at all.”
And he’s not wrong. Labour ministers have been exposed as over-rated and under-skilled. There are only three competent ministers and they are carrying the load for everyone else in cabinet.
In many other respects, he is right, but voters feel let down despite the hand brake working. Firearms owners especially. That betrayal is going to hurt NZ First and could be the difference between being in parliament and out of parliament.
But, I don’t think this posturing is going to have the effect Winston believes it will.
Sure, when National was led by fools these sorts of attacks would have soaked up some soft National voters looking for an insurance policy. But that is now off the table. Judith Collins has shored up the base and has made the game much closer.
If voters don’t want a Red/Green government, then they should vote National or Act to give them the best chance of forming a government. If NZ First get over the line then perhaps they might be entertained to stop a Red/Green government.
I’m pretty sure that given that option an approach would be made to ensure a socialist government didn’t happen. But that all depends on what the voters deliver up.
And that is Winston’s problem. He can no longer plough National’s field for votes, he can only plough Labour’s.
Never count the old tusker out, he’s cunning as a robber’s dog. There will be some more hits coming from Winston I’m sure.
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