Editorials on Peters

Both the Press and the Dom Post discuss “Yesterday’s Man”. First The Press:

After election night last year, New Zealanders would have been entitled to think that they had seen the last of Winston Peters and the sour, rancid style he brought to New Zealand politics.

Peters had been overwhelmingly buried in his supposedly loyal Tauranga electorate, and voters around the country, finally exhausted by his chicanery and egotism, sent his party into oblivion with him. For those who care about decent politics and the welfare of the country it was a welcome deliverance. It is horrible, therefore, to have to consider the thought that Peters may be intending to try to make some kind of political comeback. It can only be hoped that voters’ memories are not so short that they give him any kind of hearing.

I think as big an issue, is NZ First will be very short of candidates and money and every winter they lose more and more voters.

Thankfully, Peters’ former deputy, Peter Brown, has provided an insight into just how disastrous Peters’ leadership of the party was and how the election calamity it faced came about.

It was not a democratic party, but a personality cult. I mean to have the Party President kept ignorant of funding issues is outraegous.

Peters has made comebacks before. But he is now in his mid-60s and out of Parliament, without a political infrastructure to support him. He is emphatically yest

Personally I hope Peters does stand again. We’ve still got the billboard skins from last time and be a shame not to use them. And it will be such fun getting people to needle him at public meetings.

The Dom Post says:

Rarely in politics does the souffle rise twice.

Winston Peters should not become one of those rare exceptions. …

One of Mr Peters’ lasting achievements was the introduction of the Gold Card, giving older citizens access to services, including free travel. Mr Peters will be 66 by the time the next election rolls round, and eligible for his own card. What he should be thinking about now is how to use it, rather than how to get himself back to Parliament.

I don’t regard the Gold Card as an achievement. There is nothing smart about taking money from taxpayers and giving it to mainly non taxpayers so they may be bribed to vote for you. Anyway the biggest beneficiary of the Gold Card has been bus and transport owners who are raking it in.