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Andrew Dickens: Underestimate Winston Peters at your peril

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Fri, 15 Jun 2018, 11:51AM
In their moves, this week New Zealand First are showing themselves to be shrewd, fearless and under no thumb (Photo \ NZ Herald)
In their moves, this week New Zealand First are showing themselves to be shrewd, fearless and under no thumb (Photo \ NZ Herald)

Andrew Dickens: Underestimate Winston Peters at your peril

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Fri, 15 Jun 2018, 11:51AM

It’s been a funny old week from New Zealand First where they copped a lot of flak but at the end of the day, I think that Winston and his merry band of government makers will be quite happy with it in the long run.

Yesterday both Shane Jones and Winston Peters doubled down on the attacks on Fonterra and it’s chairman. Now, this upset many. A Waikato dairy farmer has labelled Shane Jones attack on Fonterra a disgrace and says he needs to butt out. I guess we all have a bit of a beef with politicians sticking their noses into private businesses as if they know better than the stakeholders who already have their say. If Shane Jones suddenly started criticising your business, how would that make you feel?

The Prime Minister was bang on when she distanced herself from the comments saying they were a private opinion.

But at the end of the day, what if there’s a kernel of truth to their claim? The Waikato Farmer who told Jones to butt out also admits there are problems with Fonterra and the company’s shareholder council also admits disquiet with the strategic direction particularly the push into China.

It’s not New Zealand First’s place to say these things but the things they are saying are not without cause. Shane needs to stop calling for individual’s heads as one day he’ll find himself in court but in the long run, he’ll be seen as standing up for the little guy which is fundamental to their brand.

Meanwhile, Winston Peters scuppered Andrew Little’s 3 strikes repeal. Critics said it showed a chaotic coalition. But as I said earlier this week it wasn’t a big issue. There’s no real skin off Labour’s nose and once again NZ First got to consolidate its brand. Which can’t hurt especially as the polls are going south. And Labour won’t be unhappy with that either because they need a New Zealand First that can get over 5% next election so the coalition can continue.

And then there’s the unruly spectacle of Winston Peters suing his own government. Critics couldn’t believe it, they couldn’t believe the cost to the taxpayers and they couldn’t believe the Prime Minister hadn’t stopped him.

But on the other hand Winston is not suing his government but 2 ministers from the previous government and a couple of bureaucrats who allegedly leaked his personal and private details to the politicians who then leaked them to the media.

It’s unseemly and awkward sure but I would hate to find all my personal details were being shopped around Wellington willy-nilly, especially during an election campaign. There’s an important argument here about privacy and personal intrusion by government that needs to be explored.

The fact that Winston filed the papers on the very day Jacinda Ardern left Wellington for her maternity leave shouldn’t be underestimated either.

In their moves, this week New Zealand First are showing themselves to be shrewd, fearless and under no thumb. If we’ve learnt one thing through the years it is, underestimate Winston Peters at your peril

 

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