Winston Peters has predictably made his customary return to the political fray. He has a side I like and a side I dislike. While some (including me, to be honest) would prefer him to go away, he does serve a somewhat useful purpose. Winston when giving an address is a straight talker. Nobody is in any doubt about where he stands on any particular issue and his views are mainly conservative in nature.
When giving an interview or speaking off the cuff, however, he likes to deal in what I would term verbal treachery. He likes to confuse. That is the side I dislike.
It is an irrefutable fact that Winston does spice up and add colour to the political landscape. As usual, he has definite views on everything bar who he might coalesce with if he once again becomes kingmaker.
I think this time around Winston is playing a risky hand. A large slice of the voting public have not forgiven him for going with Labour in 2017. Many feel that Winston in these situations does what is in the best interest of Winston rather than the country.
In terms of the 2017 election, Winston would have you believe he made the right decision and that he has been exonerated because he acted as a handbrake. The argument has been made that if it had not been for NZ First, things back then would have been a whole lot worse. After all, we have seen the terrible things the government has done once the “handbrake” was gone.
This, of course, is a wholly specious argument, as the real point should be how much better it would have been if he had gone with National. The mess the country is now in is testament to that, even allowing for Covid. Anyone who criticises this Labour Government should also be criticising Winston because he put them in power.
In 2017 it must be remembered that the leader of the National Party was Bill English, a man with whom Winston had a bad relationship going back to 1993 and his exit from the party. Bill English has departed and the mood of the country is very different. In recent speeches, Winston has given definite views on matters that will be uppermost on voters’ minds at the election. They include Three Waters and Co-Governance. His views align with National and ACT.
He has gone so far as to say he won’t join forces with any party who supports co-governance. Is he then ruling out Labour already? One would like to think so but one can’t be sure.
Here is the core of the problem voters have with Winston and it can be summed up in one word: trust.
If we again go back to 2017, most people voting for him thought they were voting for a handbrake on National, not Labour. Winston must have known that but instead decided to betray those voters, some would say in his own interest. Given the current political environment, it would seem to me that Winston’s best chance of re-election is to resile from playing his guessing game with the electorate.
Unfortunately, I can’t see that happening. It’s not how Winston operates. The upshot of that is that a vote for NZ First is possibly risking three more years of Labour with Winston again applying the handbrake and I, for one, am not prepared to take such a risk.
The best thing Winston could do is declare his hand and offer to get back in and help to clean up the mess he, intentionally or otherwise, helped to create. If he doesn’t then I think he might have cause to regret. Winston is an astute reader of political winds and if Labour were to regain power after the next election it could only happen with his connivance.
Is the man to be trusted or is the man for turning?