While I still think that NZ First won’t gain over 5% for a variety of reasons, if they do manage to gain over 5% could NZ First work with a progressive Government or would they go back to National?
I am suspicious that Winston wants to go home to the Nats, but recently I’ve come to appreciate Winston’s greater desire is for a legacy.
A ‘NZ Fund’ propped up by compulsory Super to buy back the assets of NZ and protect NZs economic sovereignty is worth more to Winston than the baubles of power, because let’s face it, National and labour will offer the baubles regardless if he has 5%. Winston who will be 72 at the next election wants legacy now because the leather seats and limo taxi rides are already in the bag.
If Winston could work with Labour in the next Government, what is the main stumbling block to that?
The Greens.
NZ First hate the Greens and the Greens hate NZ First with a passion that goes beyond MANA and ACT. Like so many political grudge matches, the reasons for the hate is deeply personal.
For the Greens, having Helen dump on them by using NZ First has created a bitterness and a little brother complex that still resonates today. For Winston, it was the belittling attacks by Russel Norman over the Owen Glenn fiasco that have never healed and is the main reason he hates the Greens.
How does a resentment between two political parties rebuild? In any question involving NZ First, the answer is over scotch.
If there is any hope in including a NZ First that gains over 5% inside a progressive change of Government in September, Russel Norman has to go drink several bottles of scotch with Winston. Their personal relationship needs to develop if NZ First is to be included.
Where can common ground be found?
NZ First’s economic sovereignty can easily glide into a fit within the Green’s sustainable Green economy package. Big State Keynesianism with an environmental ethos could be the building blocks between the two, but these personal meetings and chats need to happen now if they have any hope of seeding anything come election day.
I’d look to book a couple of tables at the Green Parrot for Russel and Winston if I were serious about boosting the chances of a Labour led Government this year.
I think the stumbling block in a govt that included both the Greens and NZ First is that the former are progressive and the latter reactionary, hence completely different policies on most things. Nothing can change that. Labour would still go with NZ First at the expense of the Greens if it could manage it because Labour at heart remains a reactionary party as well.
Why is it that the NZ media (both corporate and alternative) likes to pretend that the male co-leader of the Greens is its only leader? Let’s remember that the Greens have *two* co-leaders, *both* of whom would need to be part of any pre-election talks with the leaders of other parties. Not to mention that any relationship healing drinks between Norman and Peters is going to go much better if Metiria is there to keep the conversation friendly, and stop it falling into false binaries…
Heh, now there’s the problem – finding someone in the Green caucus who can foot it with Winston when liquor starts flowing and the chainsmoking begins. What they need is a proxy…
Rusty: if you’re reading this, I’m not a member of your party, but I’m in. Just let me know, and I’ll grab a carton of Camel* and head over to Winston’s.
*(I’ll invoice you for them as well – when DPF goes through your expenses and finds that they include a carton of America’s finest smokes, the prospect of breaking the story will give him such a monster throbbing erection that his brain won’t get enough blood and he’ll end up spending campaign season in a fuckin’ coma. It’ll be hellishly worth it when he wakes up mid-2015 to find out that National lost 8 months ago, and shit’s all cool now.)
Yes, of course there is some dislike between NZ First and the Greens, but I think it maybe more of a personal rivalry between Norman and Peters, on policy and other matters, but apart from that, and NZ First simply having issues with some Green Party policies, I have noted that Winston has repeatedly stood up for Green MPs to get their questions asked and answered during question time, that included also Russel Norman.
He has also repeatedly raised points of order to assist Metiria Turei, Julie Ann Genter and one or two others of the Greens, when they were being stuffed around by the Speaker or Ministers not giving due answers.
If it would come to that, if NZ First gets over 5 percent (which I see as realistic), and negotiations being conducted between them and Labour and Greens, I can see enough common ground on some core economic and also some other policies. It will not be easy, but I really cannot see Winston Peters and NZ First doing a deal with Key. Those two really hate each other, it is quite obvious, it sits deeper than any ill feelings there may be between Peters and Norman.
One to watch though is Shane Jones, and he is from Labour, and he really dislikes the Greens, and does not make any secret of it. That is a greater problem in my eyes.
[…] they know was unlikely to begin with or work out how they can connect better with Winston. A point this blog has been trying to make to them for some […]
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