Winston Peters and worst-ever Speaker Carter scrap a lot in Parliament. It often ends with Peters taking a walk. But he’s found a way to extract a pretty comprehensive revenge – Has Winston Peters scuppered David Carter’s chances of London High Commissioner post?
Behind-the-scenes jostling between National and NZ First may have dashed Speaker David Carter’s chances of a plum diplomatic post to London.
Carter has long been thought the frontrunner to replace current High Commissioner to Britain Sir Lockwood Smith when his term ends early next year.
But it is understood NZ First is demanding that if in a position to get National across the line for a fourth term, then it would want Carter hauled back from the London posting should he have already gained it.
That would make it difficult for the Government to award him the posting in the first place.
This is a stroke of petty evil genius by Peters. He’s already using his “kingmaker” powers – whether he actually gets them or not – whether he sides with National or not – to twist National round his little finger and to stick it to Carter.
In a speech to students at Victoria University, Peters announced the party would block any “unsuitable” political appointees and require them to return home if it held the balance of power in government. A “mainly white brorocracy” had led to “rundown politicians [being] given reward for in some cases the most dubious of services by sending them offshore – beneficiaries of some undeserved golden handshake”.
The term “brorocracy” has caused a bit of a stir.
If they roll over on over on this I wonder what else Peters can get out of the desperate Nats over the next few months?
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