Reaction to Government formation

My God there is so much of it.

The Dominion Post editorial reminds us of how in 2002 Clark said New Zealand diplomats would be working to distance the Government from Mr Peters’ “very damaging” views on immigration, especially from Asia yet now has placed Peters in charge of our foreign policy.

Personally I look forward to Peters as Foreign Minister telling us what he will do to support a free trade agreement with China.

The Press calls this a Government born, not out of principle or philosophy but from the politics of desperation. They further describe Peters as Foreign Minister as “a political travesty” decrying that one of the most important Minsiterials jobs has been demoted to being out of Cabinet and gone to “a man who has been prone to rabble-rousing and indulging in populist xenophobic politics.”

The Press also calls this a de facto coalition agreement and condemns the spin of words over substance.

The NZ Herald reports that Clark and Peters are contradicting each other on who suggested Foreign Affairs for him. Peters also repeats his bizarre claim that “the ministerial posts did not mean he was part of the new Government’s executive”. Hello he is a member of the Executive Council!

The Greens label the new Government policies as socially, economically and environmentally destructive.

Vernon Small writes that we may have the bizarre sight of “a foreign minister continuing his attacks on immigration, refugees and a free trade agreement with China, all of which are seen as a cornerstones of foreign affairs”.

UPDATE: And the NZ papers are polite compared to the Aussies. The Australian labels Peters as a “bad joke foreign minister” while the SMH says Peters is “known for his anti-immigration views and protectionist policies”.