So, this bloke who works at engineering firm Tonkin + Taylor couldn’t resist the urge to rip into Deputy Prime Minister and, among other things, Minister for Rail Winston Peters, calling him a “f***ing moron”.
He stood in front of Peters, who was speaking outside Wellington Central train station earlier this week, and let loose, reportedly saying, “That’s bollocks” to whatever Peters was saying. Peters returned fire: “You look like bollocks.”
I found myself celebrating this unplanned, surprise, real-life confrontation. Finally, we had at least one citizen left who wasn’t so attached to his device and buried in social media that he was actually taking notice of what was immediately in front of him.
This bloke was doing something rarely seen these days. He was looking up, engaging in the real world; he saw people and heard voices, and he stopped and stared.
And here he was, a free man in an open Western democracy, heading to work, perhaps momentarily forgetting he was sporting his company lanyard around his neck, about to give a piece of his mind to Peters, who was making a media announcement in a public place.
Commuters were walking briskly in all directions as Peters and Minister of Transport Chris Bishop spoke from behind the makeshift lectern. The worker couldn’t resist an old-fashioned verbal spray at Peters, and why not? It was a public space, he was in his own time, and it’s not like New Zealand is Russia or North Korea. We’re free to oppose and protest, especially in a public spot like this.
No one would or could stop him having his 60 seconds in the limelight. After all, it’s not every day you stumble into Peters as you head to work. He was on the way to work, and it wouldn’t take long. What could possibly go wrong?
Firstly, Peters doesn’t do mornings and secondly, government ministers standing in front of train stations with huge cheques is unusual because they’ve closed so many of the stations. So, he told Peters just what he really thought.
Winston grinned and knew it would guarantee him the top slot on the news that night; job done. Not bad. Peters lives for these moments, a chance to look like he’s at the centre of everything, and with live props and an audience. Make his day.
And the heckler, too, was old school; a brave if slightly misguided soul, with questionable judgement in the heat of the moment. But he was no faceless coward banging a keyboard in a dark room threatening extreme violence.
But the Deputy PM is 40 years deep when it comes to this verbal abuse stuff – and performing on this stage – so, he gave it back and some. I doubt Peters needed workplace counselling afterwards.
But here’s the problem for old loose lips from engineering: Tonkin + Taylor is an infrastructure firm and does government work; it has and has had contracts for decades with all shades of governments.
And the employee in question called the Rail Minister a “f***ing moron” to his face. Not great, is it, as a PR strategy? No wonder Tonkin + Taylor rushed a breathless, unreserved apology to the media. The company needed to get ahead of this and start controlling the mess.
Peters had just announced $600m of new cash for rail projects that companies like Tonkin + Taylor will bid for. Dear oh dear. Now the employee in question must be wondering how he turned an easy stroll into work into such a mess of his own making.
But Peters took it a step further when he could have retired graciously from the fracas. He suggested the company might want to consider what I’m calling the North Korean approach and get rid of him. Not as in get rid of him and bury the body; just sack him so he loses his livelihood was what Peters meant.
And there it is.
Peters has no official role or say in this man’s future, but he punched down anyway. And he’d told the company what his expectations are. It makes it hard to hang on to this guy now – and I imagine Tonkin + Taylor wants to be considered for some of those contracts.
Let’s say this was a left-wing government. Here’s how the right-wing opposition would react: they’d call Tonkin + Taylor woke, and suggest the heckled minister should toughen up.
Free speech still matters, so shouldn’t it be okay to heckle a politician in a public space? We have a long and proud history of protest. Shouldn’t non-violent, face-to-face (but from a safe distance) heckling be acceptable?
If this man loses his job as a result of the inquiry, I will find that chilling. I’d not be overly surprised, though. As a society that has lost its sense of humour, we are on edge, we are less forgiving, and we have become meaner spirited.
Politicians should be able to handle a degree of rough and tumble, particularly when it is a brief verbal exchange that they respond to – as Peters did. But now a member of the public faces losing his career for engaging.
It’s a big price to pay. Hopefully common sense prevails, and the employee writes Peters an apology and they can all move on. That would be a mature outcome.
But I fear for this guy, who’s already been sent home pending the investigation. He’s been isolated and, according to media reports, distressed. The test is: was he representing the company and did his behaviour bring it into disrepute? Companies don’t own us 24/7, do they?
I’m watching closely – there’s a warning in this for all of us.
