Every so often, a golden ray of hope breaks through the dark blue skies that overhang and overshadow our politics like a colossus.
It’s taken six years, several scandals, and some seriously suspicious stuff from Sabin … but we’ve finally managed the seemingly impossible, and gotten National running scared.
Well, I say “we”. It’s mostly down to the heroic efforts of one man – Winston Peters.
Right now, my news-feed on social media is alive with panic-stricken National party propaganda.
They’ve issued attack-images which attempt to turn Winston’s extensive Parliamentary experience into a negative. (Because apparently they can’t work out Northlanders might prefer to be represented by one of the most inveterate politicians around instead of a man whose greatest political experience thus far has been power-lifting Sabin into a seat.)
They’ve photoshopped pictures of Winston to try and make him look older rather than “elder statesman”.
And the specter of three men on a bus rampaging around the electorate’s obviously got them so incredibly spooked, they’ve started shipping up Young Nats from at least as far afield as Wellington to go and join the ground campaign.
That acrid scent you can smell hanging in the air isn’t Northland’s cannabis crop … it’s raw fear emanating from National.
And oh, how it reeks gloriously!
Not least because literally every dirty trick, underhanded play, or 11th hour effort at bridgebuilding with the electorate … has backfired on them almost as horribly as National’s decision to run Sabin again in 2014. (Leaving Osbourne flailing to explain “what didn’t he know and when didn’t he know it” about why he still backed Sabin despite the allegations circulating)
Key attempts to play Pontifex Maximus (that’s “chief bridge-builder”, for those of you playing at home). His candidate stuffs up on national television trying to name all the bridges; and almost every commentator in the country starts fulminating about “pork-barrel politics“.
Key announces an unprecedented number of visits to the electorate, and cuts short his official state business in Japan to hit the campaign trail. Commentators note this indicates serious worries, and people start tut-tutting about how National neglects the serious business of government to concentrate on winning elections.
They deploy managerial magician Steven Joyce to personally handle the campaign and the candidate … he winds up so patently stage-managing and directing Osbourne on Q&A that we’re left with the inescapable impression that Osbourne’s incapable of handling media without a minder.
The Young Nats release an idiotic attack image chronicling Winston’s Parliamentary career thus far. Everybody who sees it gets the message that even his enemies must concede he’s the most experienced candidate, and was able to hold an electorate seat for five terms straight (presumably by doing a quality job of serving said electorate as their local MP). Patrick Gower highlights its stupidity on The Nation. (Seriously, were the Young Nats tiki-touring Northland in Sean Topham’s Toyota Camry when they came up with that one?)
And speaking of Young Nat blowback … I can hardly think of a WORSE campaign outreach arm for Northland. When you’re electioneering in one of the most economically deprived electorates in the country, the very last thing the average denizen of rural Northland presumably wants to see is some fresh-faced law/politics student formerly of Auckland Grammar.* Hopefully the combination of #TeamKey t-shirts on upper-middle-class-future-Yuppies reinforces to Northland voters exactly whose interests National presently exists to serve.
Most importantly of all, the obvious fear in National’s collective five eyes at the prospect of Northland’s Prodigious Son making yet another triumphant comeback marks, to my mind, the Turning of the Tide in our seven year struggle to overturn this rotten government.
At this moment, National are presently engaged in that well-known campaign strategy of “FIRE EVERYTHING” in the vain hopes that through sheer weight of numbers (or, possibly, dead-lifting), they’ll be able to stop the Winston juggernaut.
Young Nats, Old Nats, Cabinet Ministers, The Deputy Prime Minister, Jami-Lee Ross, taxpayer-funded Crown Limousines to ferry them all in, and even repeated deployments of their deadliest weapon – the Prime Minister himself. It’s truly an awesome gathering of political muscle and might for the explicit purpose of taking on three men on a bus. In fact, to reference The Other Winston … I’m even tempted to suggest that never in the field of political conflict has so much been thrown by so many at so few.
When Winston wins on Saturday … we shall truly be able to say “This Was His Finest Hour“.
*Yes, technically speaking, I’m a BA/LLB student who went to Grammar … but apart from noting my recent flirtation with facial hair renders me anything but “fresh-faced” – I’m *also* the guy who wound up waging a one-man guerilla war against the neoliberals in the Grammar economics department. It’s different, OK?!
(In arguably the same way that comparing John Key to a present-day state-house-dweller would be).
Go Winston (he’s a bit slippery but he’s the best we’ve got)
Time the North turned out and give the Nat’s a clear message. Were not interested in your Neo Liberal bullshit. We need respect and a level playing field and we’ll take care of the rest.
Hehehehehe….Hehehehee…
Yup…ok …still annoyed at the Te tai Tokerau thing but , hell !!
If Winston can pull this off – and I’m positive he will – you can be sure the ripple effect will be felt clear through to Washington….
Hahahaha !!!!…..that wily fox ….I cant stop laughing at Key ….with Winston winning Northland…
There’s gonna be fireworks again in parliament like back in the good old days – when we actually had a democracy.
Those neo liberal mutts thought they had a clear run to sledgehammer the people of this country into the dirt….with their TTPA and their stinking mass surveillance , and their asset sales and their clawback’s against the already poor….
And they can stick their bloody war up their arse as well.
Nay !!!….bring it on !!! ….Winston …one of the last old time /old school politicians ……
And it will indeed be his finest hour.
@ WILD KATIPO – well put there 🙂
Even though I’m not a NZ First supporter, I do so want to see Winston wipe the supercilious smirks of FJK and Lord Haw Haw Joyce, by taking the seat off the Natsies.
Winston is a Northland boy. He’s tangata whenua, so I think it would be quite appropriate to have him in his later political years, become the region’s MP representing his own kith and kin 🙂 He’s worked hard for it.
I hope the good folk of Northland took notice of the Natsy twit arse Osborne in the Q&A programme last Sunday. He had to have Lord Haw Haw Joyce behind the camera prompting him! DUH! What sort of representative would he be for Northland? He couldn’t face Winston in the studio, because he needed Lord Haw Haw Joyce hiding behind the camera to tell him what to say! And wouldn’t Winston have had a ball with that? Hee hee, that would have really got the old Winnie going 🙂
Go for it Winston. Go break the corrupt hold the Natsies have on NZ!
Oh I hate me . I hate me for saying this . Especially since I prefer to build on hope rather than be the detractor from it .
However ;
I’d rather let Gollum fondle my ring than trust winston peters with my politics .
What was that film where the bad guy had an even more evil, evil head – growth growing from his chest ??
Winston Peters is , I believe , a Trojan Horse , Machiavellian confederate groomed to maintain the status quo . And the status quo is The Great New Zealand Institutionalised Lie .
The Northland bi-election and the most recent GCSB scandal are the dirty tip of a gruesome shitberg floating on an ocean of lies .
Shame on you countryboy, you let Northland down.
It ain’t over til the fat lady sings – as they say.
I really do hope Winston wins, but as wild Katipo points out, ‘ripples in Washington’ will not go down well. The voting and counting of this by-election needs to be thoroughly monitored, as this government and the American one are not to be trusted.
Yes Kim, you are right. I’m more than a little concerned we will get a ‘true’ count. There are big wheels in play with Mr key and his dodgy friends.
If Winston dosnt win it willbe rigged . already Osbourne is saying his vote is picking up,like hell he only had 14 people in kaikoe and not much more at other places,but he has to talk himself up because john key is coming on his white horse to save the day, if Key can rig it and get away with it he will,he will deny it and refuse a recount if he can . Northland wont accept it under any terms,we will not except a surge in the polls for Osbourne the writing is on the wall ,Winston will win.
Go Winston.
At least he is a patriot.
Not selling the soul of NZ to Sky Shitty, the US and anyone else he can get money and power from like the Nats.
The Nat MP’s conduct criminal acts knowing the National party does not care and will protect them from being identified or even prosecuted. Even if found guilty like with John Banks, you can find some US witness years later to get your case overturned.
Lets just hope too many Nats have the opposite effect on Northland than they expect, and Northland voters want to send a message.
I live in Northland. I voted yesterday. Just wondering, for TDB, do you guys have to be careful what you write this week about the by election? Because polls are open?
Anyway, I’ve never seen so many outsiders coming in wearing blue T-shirts. We even had JK up here.
The locals aren’t usually very enamoured with Aucklanders here. I saw a few rather grumpy locals about the other day when a bunch of blue shirts were about. I don’t think their tactics will work on a huge number of voters here.
Well we all know as an All black or sports person you can tweet pro National messages on the day of the election. No problem.
Perhaps there is a 2 tiered system developing?
Yes……..very GOOOOOD POINT !!!!!!
Poor Mark Osbourne, His latest pictures of him with Northlanders, show a few people standing with him while he talks , the people look at him with some distain and no interest, not many bystanders around him either, surely he could have picked people who smiled at him, instead of crossed arms and disinterest, his PR people should be sacked , but maybe they couldn’t find any interested people.
Personnaly I find it mean to critisise his looks,it must be hurtful for his wife and family,we need to be better than that even if we think he has no show of winning northland,but then again the PM might have something up his wide sleeves,like a poker player with extra aces hidden away .
Yes….I agree with your principled stand about Mr Osbourne…
He cant help it if he was set up to fail by that slimy little balding and odious big nosed , dead eyed , lying despicable little creep with a plastic smile who parades around as if he’s a Prime Minister….
Poor Mark.
“It’s taken six years, several scandals, and some seriously suspicious stuff from Sabin”
As opposed to some 30 years, a litany of scandals, lies and duplicity from Winston.
Tell me this though Curwen, would you have resigned from NZ First if Winston had jumped on National’s coat tails this time round? (like he has in the past after being promised baubles of office).
Simple question oh principled one.
It would be a bit rich of the National Party to bleat on that right now – Given that he was one of them, and was sacked because he publicly spoke out against their policies and then following his sacking, quit the party and thrashed them in the by-election, it’s pretty obvious that a win from him is gonna tear a couple of old scabs open, and any of their feigned righteousness over his behaviour should be called to account in regards to their most recent hypocritical act of slander… They took great delight in watching the media crucify David Cunliffe over unsubstantiated allegations of donations from Donghua Liu, which turned out to be baseless. Meanwhile, during the whole media frenzy, they quietly neglected to mention the fact that they themselves had held a National party fundraiser in Liu’s family home, and members had accepted large donations from him.
National and their supporters may love to accuse Peters of whatever, but the fact is, that is all old news, whilst their own is extremely fresh. Given that they are the party who love to trot out the “We’re not about the past” schtick, then they hardly have the right to be tarring his bygone days whilst the sun has barely set on their own most recent actions.
Note – Clumsy language on my part… “Given that he was one of them, and was sacked because he publicly spoke out against their policies and then following his sacking, quit the party and thrashed them in the by-election”
What I meant to say was to specify that he was sacked from his portfolio positions and demoted to backbencher. In the following election, when they decided not to allow him to run on their ticket for the Tauranga seat, he quit the party and ran independently, and thrashed them.
All good mate….bottom line is ,…despite any past slip up’s….Winston is still pretty true towards his original values…
And generally references the plight of the Kiwi ‘ battler ‘ …..
As opposed to this disgusting lot who if they were to admit to any Kiwi ‘ battler ‘ it would be an indictment against their own neo liberal ‘winner take all ‘ elitist policies.
In the past Peter’s has been fearless in speaking out about the things most Kiwi’s and M P’s are thinking but wouldn’t dare say.
And that tells me the guys got a ton of guts and courage.
And its delivered with a smile to boot.
The mans fearless.
Now we have the litany of scandals and lies from National instead. People vote on current conditions not historic tales ,people change you know Jorge.
Winston wouldn’t dare go over to the dark side ,his whanau would never speak to him again ,and neither would the rest of the country.So nice try for National Jorge that boat has sailed.
the rate of unemployed young maori in northland is 35%..
..osborne thought it was ‘terrible’ – and ‘around 20%’..
(source:..native affairs..)
I can’t believe the supposed polls. They CLAIM it’s neck and neck…..who claims it and who the hell did they ask. Because I live up here in a wealthy area and bugger all people I know are voting for that crocked, carpet bagging USA puppet…………… or the nobody he’s got standing up here.
When will the Sabin news be coming out? Just after the election…???
How come Winston hasn’t been talking about it and all the local Natz involvement in it?
That’s interesting, because your part of the electorate is meant to be the Nats’ safest territory. If your neighbours don’t turn out to vote, or if they do turn out but vote for Winston, the Nats are fucked. Perhaps they’re taking your votes for granted? Serves them right if they are.
Well, just as in the general election, the result may be decided less by those who did vote, than by those who didn’t. If a majority of your people are opposed to National, then I fucking well hope they get out and vote.
Pardon the profanity, but note it’s pointed to the situation, and not at any person.
Maybe hes got better things to do. Winston may not be perfect but hes a damn sight better than Osbourne and Key, but you are right Kevin , I havnt heard anyone say they will vote for Key ,because Key is what its all about,we don’t want him ,send him back to Hawaii where he belongs, but then again native Hawaiians might not agree with that,they might not want him either.
A ha, the latest poll has Winston winning by a mile. Although the Lame St Media had to put their required by their bosses, right wing slant on the report, but but people don’t, trust Winston. Yeh right, ONLY show the Winston numbers to the do you trust him poll. I guarantee more people don’t, trust that Muppet Osbourne and probably even less in the country don’t, trust almost every Natz mp.
But typical of the constantly biased, paid for media, they,ve got to make all bad news for the Natz look as positive as possible, but misinform to the Max about all other political parties.
NZ democracy RIP
The rumours of ‘what and when’ of the Sabin issue are viral – the only thing that would/may change the content of those rumours is the public release of the facts ???? As JK has said ” If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”
Another very GOOOOOOD POINT !
Let the opposition not become complacent. If you are in Northland talk to your friends and whanau, make sure they get out and vote, preferably for Winston on the grounds of ‘sending National a message’ if for no other reason.
Reluctant to point it out, but you know Ned Stark (who you have shopped Winnies face on to) looses his head right? I would far rather see Winston as the warden of the North, but I’d be a little bit disappointed if he lost his head after his first term as MP for Northland.
Ha ha gd one annon
Awesome post curwen,
if Winston doesn’t win, ya really have to wonder if the polling count is rigged…just like some of us have wondered about the whole bloody 2014 national election!! I don,t trust Windton..he is a self serving git but as some else said, he is all Northland hav got to kick the putrid ,Nats out of there.
Why are the mods not publishing comments critical of winston and this sycophant post?
Because it aint a sycophant post.
We just think Key is a disgusting little piece of lying crap.
Answer the question , bud?
Thank you . Glad you agree .
I thought it did as well.
What saddens me is that pro National media like Audrey young get to post columns like this..
“Northland byelection: National presses anti-Winston Peters message hard”
How about some real headlines like “National fail to deliver promises to Northland” or National lie to Northland”
Winston and Curwen by default would have propped up a National Led coalition if they were asked and given baubles of office.
People seem to forget that Winston deserted Labor in their real time of need and joined up with National.
Hi Jorge.
Earlier you queried why critical comments weren’t being published. Clearly, that was premature, and in error.
Much like your comments themselves, in fact 😀
For the record: WHICH PARTY supported LABOUR into government from 2005-8? Why, it was NZ First.
Which party set out a series of conditions in 2014 which precluded a coalition with National?
NZ FIRST again.
Better luck next time when you do some actual research 😉
Oh and PLEASE don’t defame me by alleging I’d go into coalition with National.
😀
Yours&C.
Curwen Ares Rolinson.
Or how about in 96 when NZF was elected after running an anti national campaign only to turn their backs on Labour and their voters and instead bringing National into power because they gave Winston a deputy PM position. Short or just a selective memory Curwen?
Winston will align himself to any party that promises him power.
To be fair, Peters apologised for that decision on 14 September 1998 – https://fmacskasy2.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/peters-sorry-about-coalition-nzpa-14-september-1998.jpg
Yes but that was calculated and as close to sincere as one of John Keys. Had he been sincere he would categorically have ruled out ever propping up a National Government again. Instead he plays each party out against each other and acts like he is ironically a race horse and it’s an auction to find the highest bidder.
He is the Walter Frey of the North.
If we were to list John Keys list of horrors we would need the whole page , Winstons job is to keep Key out of Northland,we back him on that.Hes got traction now and will serve us well ,Northland is his birthplace.
Perhaps that just showed his perception of what MMP just really is about.
And sometimes if you want to effect change and influence – you have to work within an organisation . What better place than to be Deputy P M.
Despite that – Peters value system ran counter to the neo liberal Natz even then. It would appear Peters has learned the lesson since then that once a neo liberal ,always a neo liberal .
[…] Earlier this week, I said that this campaign marked the Turning of the Tide in the fight against National. […]
The comment about “Sean Topham’s Toyota Camry ” made me spill my tea and some came out my nose.
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