Mike Hosking: Whack-a-mole Winston Peters has lost me

Whatever support I have shown towards Winston Peters these past couple of weeks, I now withdraw.

For the record, I have been worried about the future government after the decision. I see little if any good coming out of having New Zealand First entrenched in a coalition arrangement for either Labour or National.

But I have been broadly upbeat about how the talks have been handled to the extent that, rightly or wrongly, Peters outlined dates and timelines and up until yesterday was sticking to them.

I have not liked the way he's been treated or the way he's behaved though.

Bill English and Jacinda Ardern have been sappy little lap dogs, completely out-psyched by a better negotiator and that's without even knowing what he's demanded.

They have kowtowed and forgotten they actually hold most of the cards - not some show-boater with 7 per cent support.

But, and this is where I am now over it, the decision is not Thursday, it is not Friday, it might be Saturday.

So when is it?

And what's significant about that is it wouldn't be an issue if he hadn't handed out dates.

But he did, and with those dates went his credibility and reputation. That's now blown and yet again reminds us of the childish attention-seeking nonsense we saw back in the 90s that those who were around to witness, prayed would not be repeated. Well, more fool us.

And then this nonsense over the New Zealand First board. He's not telling us who they are, because they deserve privacy. Really? Are you serious?

People who will decide who runs the country, we aren't allowed to know who they are?

And in that is the seed of why I don't trust the guy. Don't like his attitude, his style, his outlook, his performance, or indeed hold out any hope for a long-term stable coalition arrangement.

That, ultimately, is my greatest disappointment. For 18 years: three terms of Labour, three of National, we have had solid, stable, predicable government. You might not have loved all the policy, but we knew where we were at. There were few, if any, games. There was none of this whack-a-mole nonsense, second guessing who says what and what it means.

It was professional, adult, and we have all benefitted because of it. And now? This second-rate circus that is part and parcel of the Winston Peters way of doing business.

If these past couple of weeks, and especially these past couple of days, are an example of what we're in for, God help us all.

We have had, and still deserve, a hell of a lot better.