A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Winston Peters is once again in the headlines and it will be interesting to see how long and for what reason he stays there.
As a follower of political trends, especially in this country, I have learned that Winston has developed a canny knack of returning to the forefront ofpublic discussion just at a time when most people had written him off. He has demonstrated political skills that few before him and since have mastered. He is indeed, after Lazurus, the most successful “comeback kid” we have ever seen.
So, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is wise not to exclude him from the coalition talks that are likely to happen post-Election Day in October.
And given yesterday’s announcement by the Act leader David Seymour that he won’t be part of a coalition that includes the Hon Winston Peters, NZ First’s part in those talks (should that party achieve the 5 percent threshold) will be of more than a little interest.
My opinion is that a scenario of that type would be of concern to all those conservative voters who have already decided to split their votes between National and Act.
It will alarm them to think that the regaining of the treasury benches may be put in jeopardy simply because of this type of bottom-line announcement by Seymour.
However, my take is that the Act leader is more likely to have already gauged the current mood of the country and has decided he can afford to dictate terms this close to the election itself. He is betting the house on a National/Act coalition gaining enough votes in order to form a government without the wily old campaigner.
