Election 2023: Richard Prebble - Winston Peters and the politics of revenge

OPINION

“I cannot decide whether to vote for you or Winston,” a taxi driver announced as I got in his cab.

“What will decide your vote?”

“Whoever will put his thumb the hardest into Bolger’s eye.”

“Winnie is your man,” I said.

The taxi driver, New Zealand First voters and I were all wrong. To everyone’s surprise, after the 1996 election, Winston Peters made Jim Bolger Prime Minister.

Peters did it again in 2017. Despite Bill English getting far more votes, Peters made Jacinda Ardern PM.

Peters had pledged that New Zealand First would never let the Greens near government - but the coalition of the losers included a confidence and supply agreement with the Greens.

Now, Peters rails against the Government he helped to create.

New Zealand First was no handbrake. Peters was part of a Government that issued compulsory vaccination mandates and developed co-governance. Only he would have the nerve to campaign against policies he made possible.

If history is a guide, then the more Peters rules out supporting Labour, the more likely it is that he will support that party.

Peters has never admitted why he made Bolger and then Ardern PM.

Neither Helen Clark nor Bill English would agree to Peters’ outrageous demands. Clark knew he was not qualified to be Finance Minister.

Bill English would never agree to a taxpayer slush fund controlled by politicians. At one stage, National said each job created by the Provincial Growth Fund was costing the taxpayer $484,000 - that’s nearly half a million dollars.

John Key ruled out working with Peters, as has David Seymour.

A principled Christopher Luxon will never be able to form a coalition with Peters. However, Chris Hipkins, who has never seen a U-turn he did not want to take, would have no difficulty in reaching a deal.

Foreign affairs is the portfolio suited to Peters’ skills. He and Condoleezza Rice got on famously. Labour, which owes being in Government to Peters, should have made him Sir Winston and appointed him ambassador to Washington.

Now, Peters is getting his revenge on an ungrateful Labour by taking some of that party’s voters.

Winston Peters has been rising in the polls lately, but can he win the 5 per cent required to get back into Parliament? Cartoon / Rod Emmerson

It is a mystery what is driving these old men. US President Joe Biden is 80, Donald Trump is 77 and Peters is 78. If elected again, all will be still serving in their 80s.

Old men are a tribe which is much misunderstood (and for which I have considerable affection) but being the leader of a political party or the nation is not a job for an old man. Old fellows should stick to giving sage advice.

Peters should have realised it was time to retire when he failed to correctly fill out his application for National Super.

It is possible that while in the Government, he did not realise Labour was introducing co-governance.

Peters’ age cannot be an excuse for his party’s repeated problems with the Electoral Act. All political parties have agreed it is important that the public knows who is funding politicians. The Electoral Act requires large donations to be disclosed.

New Zealand First has repeatedly failed to say who is funding the party. There was the Owen Glenn case in 2008. Then the New Zealand First Foundation case in 2020, when even the executive of New Zealand First admitted that they did not know who was funding the party.

The court ruled it was not illegal to use the foundation to keep secret the fact some of New Zealand’s richest men were making large donations. Peters has never explained the reasons for the secrecy.

Peters, like Trump, claims his legal difficulties are all the result of politics. They both also blame the media.

There are good reasons why New Zealand First is struggling to get to 5 per cent. Polls say it will be a close election, and voters know the choice is between National/Act or Labour/Greens/Te Pāti Māori.

There are people doing it tough. Many voters believe no party is on their side. After a lifetime of work, there are about 350,000 superannuitants who have only their pension. For a couple, that is just $439.79 a week each. They see the cost of bread and rent rising faster than their pension.

There are those with genuine grievances: those who lost their job because of the mandates; families who could not get a place in the managed quarantine lottery; those waiting in pain for an operation.

They know New Zealand First has no answers. Like the taxi driver, they will vote for Peters so he will poke his thumb hard into Chris or Christopher’s eye.

Richard Prebble is a former leader of the Act Party and a former member of the Labour Party.