Tamihere's bout of foot in mouth

What was behind John Tamihere's extraordinary attacks this week on his colleagues - whom he variously labelled a "tosser", a "queer" a "tugger" and "smarmy"? Not to mention his criticisms of "wimmin" and unions?

Here are some theories behind the year's most extraordinary political interview:

Had a drink too many

Prime Minister Helen Clark first hinted at this when she suggested the interview was the product of a long liquid lunch.

She knows Mr Tamihere works hard to maintain his reputation as a red-blooded Kiwi male and that this requires the regular downing of a lager or three.

She didn't explain whether this meant she thought it was a case of "in vino veritas" - Latin for "truth in wine" - or rather that she charitably thought the booze skewed his thinking.

Investigate magazine managing editor Ian Wishart pretty much panned that theory when he said Mr Tamihere drank just half a glass of red wine during the 70-minute interview at Soljan's winery at Kumeu.

And of course the MP has effectively confirmed that the interview was a reflection of what he actually thinks.

Stress and financial hardship

This is Helen Clark's revised theory. It helps to explain his general sense of frustration and his failure to ensure Wishart was not reporting any of his prejudicial comments.

Like all of Labour's Maori MPs Tamihere was badly tossed around by the foreshore furore. He was also confronted by the Waipareira Trust allegations which saw him stand down from Cabinet soon after.

These reasons - combined with a reduced income and the thousands of dollars he's spent on legal costs - mean his stressometer has been very high for a lengthy period.

However, the MP has made the same error before. Two years ago he was reported accusing Enemy No 1 Steve Maharey of various things including "bullshitting". He similarly claimed he thought the comments were off the record.

Payback or utu

No doubt he was annoyed when he wasn't returned to Cabinet after being cleared by the Serious Fraud Office of the Waipareira allegations.

He may have blamed those less likely to have supported him. He was also probably irritated over the party's adoration of Shane Jones, whose high list placing, announced just before the interview, might have challenged his expectation of a Cabinet seat after the election.

This helps explain his resentment, but is hardly an effective way to exact revenge and is unlikely to have been his motive.

Misguided sense of invincibility

Tamihere hasn't always shown good strategic skills when it comes to picking battles, working out how to play them and deciding when to give up.

He chose to wade back into the thick of the Waipareira scrapping, which he could have left behind and which ultimately cost him his Cabinet job.

Taking the Waipareira "golden handshake", when he said he wouldn't, is another example.

Thought he was off the record

This is probably a genuine reason but seems very careless given the nature of his comments.

MPs do sometimes slag off their colleagues or party's policies when talking to journalists, but will usually stress the comments are off the record.

Very few MPs would take a risk like this and Tamihere has been around too long not to know that.