Helen Clark was smarter. She removed Peters from her close proximity by offering him the Foreign Affairs portfolio with all the lovely and expensive tax-paid perks that go with the position. He couldn't resist and this meant he was rarely in the country to wield his poisonous wand.
We New Zealanders punch over our weight in things diplomatic but we start from a pretty low base - he couldn't do too much mischief from his first class airline seat.
So what to do? From my many years' experience as both an MP, serving as a senior opposition spokesman and four years as a whip, and later as treasurer of the National Party, I can see only one way out of this awful dilemma.
Both Jacinda and Bill have very different skill-sets. Both, dare I say it, have earned respect from their power bases in the centre of the political spectrum. Both I'm sure will have increased their respect for each other in an "insult-free" campaign. Both would be permanently harmed as politicians by being associated with Peters in government; he is born to injure his opponents - utu.
Then my solution would be for the National and Labour caucuses to form a grand coalition. "Oh no; oh horror" I hear them cry - but think about it! This would leave New Zealand First sitting in the Opposition benches, noses against the window panes of power, railing, plotting and abusing the Speaker. They would be removed from the equation and may be joined by whatever remains of the Greens.
What would such a grand coalition between Labour and National look like? As I see the parties at this point in the political cycle I cannot for the life of me notice an awful lot of difference between the two parties' manifestos. A few more houses to be built (if the artisans can be found to do the work), fewer immigrants - and even that seems already to be resolving itself - a few more dollars given to the left supporters and a zillion dollars spent on railways.
As an aside, I can't grab the logic of putting in a railway to the airport when only those who can afford air travel would use it, and they are probably on the right of the political spectrum.
The education unions will still bludgeon the politicians, left or right. So not too much to negotiate there. We could forget budget surpluses in the near future.
The PM job would go to the party with the largest percentage of votes. Bill's experience in governance would make it easy for Jacinda to combine her obvious people skills to make such a coalition work for three years. The two parties would retain their separate caucuses and a new layer of government would evolve and allow the two sides to negotiate positions before joining together as Cabinet that is at one on these issues.
Ministerial jobs would be handed out on a similar pro rata basis. I would hope to see the brighter new MPs from both sides being brought forward with the dead wood from both sides being moved out of positions of responsibility.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Not too many of us will get our knickers in a knot, except poor old Winnie of course. He will have finally made it to the top - top of Her Majesty's loyal Opposition. Or maybe he'd accept the Speaker's role? Er no, I don't think so.
