Ardern is right – Peters is politicking, but it’s rollicking politicking as he denounces co-governance and separatism

Returning from the political wilderness, New Zealand First leader  Winston Peters  delivered  what  some  commentators   described   as  a  “withering  attack” on the  government. He said the Labour Party was pursuing “woke, virtue-signalling madness” and a “separatist agenda”.

The government, furthermore, was scattering the “seeds of apartheid” through New Zealand’s laws and institutions.

“The [government’s] basis is  malignant  paternalism  arising from  paternalism  and  inverse  racism”. 

And:

“Co-governance, separatism, and the seeds of apartheid are being scattered throughout all of our laws and institutions.”

He said he knew nothing of the Government’s co-governance plans when he was in coalition with Labour, and now

“… with no handbrake, they are ramming it down your throats”.

This was  Peters,  as   we   used  to  know  him.   Clearly  his  years  resting  up at  his  northern retreat  have  restored  him  to  his  old  self.

Here  he  was, addressing an audience  of  250 in Christchurch,  most  of  them   true  believers.

He  didn’t  get  a  question  as  he  had done at a  Tauranga meeting  earlier  this  month,  when  he  was  asked:

“Why  would  we  want to  trust  NZ  First [after] your  decision  to  go  with Labour, as  a  traditional  conservative  party which  has  got  us  into this mess  we  are  in now?”

In  any  case  his  one-time  ally,  Prime Minister Jacinda  Ardern, this morning  didn’t  sound  surprised  at   the  bruising language  Peters  had  used  towards  her  government.

As  Radio NZ  reported, Ardern says Winston Peters’ comments criticising the Labour government  were merely “politicking” and it is up to voters to decide what any future government will look like.

Ardern told Morning Report Peters’ comments were part of a “cycle” that could be observed in the lead-up to elections and she wouldn’t entertain them.

“We had similar statements, or quite a lot of hyperbole, in  the last election,” she said.

“What Winston Peters is trying to do is to get headlines by making grandiose statements; I’m not here to fulfil his wish.”

But besides  making  light  of  Peters’  withering   criticism, the key point  that  emerged  from  Morning  Report’s  interview is  that Ardern would not rule out working with NZ First again in future. She said that was ultimately in the hands of voters.

“That only becomes an issue if New Zealand voters put [Peters] in the position where any major political party needs to consider that. We’re not at that stage yet.I’ve demonstrated the ability to work well with others, regardless of what voters have presented to us,” she said.

Ardern said voters could see “from history” which other parties were the most likely coalition partners for the major political parties.

As  Point  of  Order  sees  it,  NZ First  must  share  some  of  the  responsibility for the  mess  the  country  finds  itself  in, but the  bulk  of  those who  attended  the  NZ  First  conference  appear not  to  accept  that  any  more than  Peters  does.

In  any  case,  a  resurgent  Peters  poses  more  of  a  problem  for  National  than   it  does  for  Ardern. According  to  the  latest Taxpayers’ Union Curia  poll, National has  risen   to  39%  support  and  with  ACT  is  far  enough  ahead  of  Labour  and  the  Greens  to  govern on   their  own.

But  if  NZ  First  were to burst  over  the  5% mark,  it  could  spoil the  partying  on  the  Right, assuming   Christopher  Luxon  and  David  Seymour   found  as  Bill English  did in 2017 they  couldn’t  get  into bed  with NZ  First.

Luxon,  as  a  relative  political tyro,  might  find  the  wily  Peters  too  much  to  handle. As for  Seymour  he  would  choke  on  his  principles  before  he  could  sit  down  at  the  Cabinet table alongside  Peters.