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If I were New Zealand First’s campaign strategist

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:39 pm, May 7th, 2008 - 42 comments

In some ways, there’s little to tell New Zealand First, other than let Winston Peters be himself. Peters has been (along with Helen Clark), New Zealand’s most successful MMP politician he has survived and run good campaigns every time except in 2005. He needs to remember to play the charming rogue a little more often, […]

Peters doesn’t trust National

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:33 pm, April 16th, 2008 - 10 comments

Yesterday, Winston Peters said that in any deal with National he would require all National MPs to personally sign the agreement and that he wouldn’t require the same conditions of Labour. That is an unprecedented demand and one that no leader could agree to without losing face. The deeper message here from Peters is â€˜look […]

Winston and the FTA

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 11:04 am, April 9th, 2008 - 28 comments

New Zealand First’s opposition to the China FTA is no surprise but it is interesting to reflect on the grounds for it that Winston Peters has laid out: a) the deal is not good enough. A pretty weak argument when the other option is no deal. b) the immigration provisions are bad and shouldn’t be […]

Campbell grills Peter Brown

Written By: Tane - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 3rd, 2008 - 61 comments

Now this is what Campbell needs to do more of. Last night the man ripped poor old Peter Brown to shreds over his racist comments about Asian immigrants, and it was brutal. You almost had to feel sorry for the guy:

Winston tears Paul Henry a new one

Written By: Tane - Date published: 11:13 am, February 29th, 2008 - 30 comments

I’m as sick of the Owen Glenn saga as the next guy, but Winston Peters’ tussle with failed National Party candidate and Close Up presenter Paul Henry last night was highly entertaining. There’s been a bit of comment about the interview around the blogs, so here it is for those who missed it:

Peters’ reply to the PM’s statement

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 7:36 pm, February 14th, 2008 - 29 comments

The Herald covers it pretty well: ‘He begins poetically – a narrator hooking an audience – with “furrowed brows in the dusty roads of countryside New Zealand, in the cowsheds, and woolshed and shearing sheds and the export works”. When even the Prime Minister has abandoned her paperwork to listen, he rewards her by making […]

Peters ought to stop playing the race card

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:59 pm, February 11th, 2008 - 35 comments

Winston Peters vexes me. He has a long list of worthy achievements, including free doctor visits for under sixes and crippling the last National government when it tried to sell Wellington Airport. He has also fought for ordinary kiwis against corporate might and those who would flog our assets to foreign owners. Unfortunately, mixed with […]

Classic Winston

Written By: Tane - Date published: 3:07 pm, December 12th, 2007 - 101 comments

Winston Peters just stood up in the house. Everyone expected he was going to announce he’d paid back the $160k. Instead, he announced he’d donated the money to charity and written to Kevin Brady to tell him he was wrong. Whatever you think of the man, you’ve gotta admit he’s got style. UPDATE: According to […]

Political positioning

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 10:18 am, October 11th, 2007 - 19 comments

And so it begins. First we have Winston saying he could work with the Nats “if its policy was [thrown out] adjusted” and most recently it’s the Greens extending the leafy hand of friendship. I would have thought that all the Nats’ recent talk of selling off state assests would have seriously put the brakes […]