Peters must vote for the FTA or resign

If Winston Peters wants to vote against the free trade agreement with China, then he must resign as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The arrangement he has with Clark where he is Foreign Affairs Minister, but not formally part of the Government, has already stretched the concept of collective responsibility. But this is about more than semantics.

The China FTA is not just a trade agreement – it has been and is a major foreign policy goal for the Government. Just listen to Helen:

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao described the agreement as a major step that would deepen New Zealand’s relations with the emerging economic superpower.

How the hell can Peters remain Foreign Minister if he votes on the record against an agreement that deepens our relationship with such an important country and trading partner?

This isn’t about voting against a minor policy in an unrelated policy area. This is about voting against a policy which will help define our future relationship with China, and sits at the heart of foreign policy.

Can Peters credibly represent the NZ Government to China, if he goes and votes against this agreement? Not at all, especially when combined with rhetoric from his deputy leader about how horrified he is about a horde (1,600 skilled workers) of Chinese flooding the country under this deal.