Thank you for reminding us that Act/Nat is far right. A couple of months ago I was in a senior briefing by a big kahuna from Business NZ who said “it is clear we’ll end up with either a centre-right government or the most extremist far-left radical government NZ has either seen” and I wondered if he believed it or that view was just a tactic to encourage business voting.
I'm hoping for a Napoleon Moment, just prior to Election Day where Napoleon Rides into battle Naked as a Bald Headed Jaybird when even his Base realise that it ain't about them, it's about Him & fulfilling his Grand Destiny to cross over the Democratic Lines delivering Neoliberal Capitalism to the filthy Hordes of Worthless Takers of handouts, as he sees us.
I'm waiting for that moment when the BS just doesn't Fly anymore & the conversation around disclosure & Accountability come roaring to the forefront & the Backtracking & choking begins when none of their Policies pass the Public Sniff Test & the Host of the final debates just says You're on your own here mate & so far you've got an empty Bag of Tricks your bringing to this Circus Act that even the Fat Lady would choke on, so Put up, or shut up! Times up!
Wishful thinking maybe, but you always need something to hope for to keep you movin. I hope everybody of voting age have a good hard think about how they're voting & if who they're considering will be a positive force for all of us as a Team of 5 Million, or a Hostile Group of Greedy Pricks & Prickette's wanting it all for just themselves & their Stakeholders & Wellington Bureaucracy insider enablers that WON'T be Losin their jobs after the election.
Nick please do not use the wonderful beautiful word “Chaos” ever again for political accident in the amalgam of choices at a crucial stage int the electoral process - which would result int he worst of all possible national choices.
It is a good word and appreciating “Chaos Theory” means the accidents of chance which is the system and reality of uncertainty that we live in. If you are courageous enough and wis enough to accept life as always chaos with margins of choice and influence that are relatively small life will be easier.
Luxon with Seymore will send the country into a tail spin. Luxon with Seymore joined by Winston will mean a government that cannot last beyond 100 days.
Jacinda Adern was wise and nimble. So made good choices on critical issues very fast. She then followed through flexibly and pragmatically with an astonishing integrity guided by well being of the people.
The trio could not find their way out of an untied paper bag if they each had their own pair of scissors. Nor “chaos” a recipe for disaster!
Excellent comments. I agree with all you have said. What an unstable disaster those three would be. A family member of mine is so concerned she has started saying we could end up with civil war with the country being very divided with that coalition in charge.
Yep- Shaw was clear that he is campaigning for a Labour/Greens government. The more I see of Shaw the more I like him, and see him as a very strong, and stable person who knows what he stands for, unlike Luxon, or Winston. Seymour knows what he stands for- too bad that his policies are EVIL!Nanaia Mahuta was on Marae this morning along with the young woman who is the Te Partie Māori candidate in Hauru. There was an older woman there also- very elegant person, who represented the Outdoors, and Freedom party. Nanaia is cleary very well informed, and capable across her portfolios. She explained the changes from Three Waters to now the Affordable Water Act.She corrected the lady from the Freedom, and Outdoors Party ( is this Sue Grey's mob ) on er misinformation around Co-Governance, Three Waters, and Local Body involvement. The subjectof abuse came up-especially towards women in poitics, and especially Māori women. All three women had been the target of abusive threats. The young woman had her home broken into as well as threats in her letter box, and people filmed going through her rubbish bin.
Act/NAT WILL BE A DISASTER for all but the wealthy!! Think of the biggest segment of our population! Do they deserve to be uncared for and disadvantaged in their own proud Kiwi country?
And do we want all those rich people from other countries buying up grand houses here just so Luxon, and Willis can bribe people with a small bit of cash?
Peters did himself no favours on Q&A this morning. He sounded like he's not just consorting with cookers, he's becoming one in his dotage. Nowhere near as sharp as he used to be either. Like watching Ali in1978.
He's been hangin around Shane to long & picked up some bad habits. I think Janus is onto it about his Bad Showing & interview with Jack being hostile & abusive. Winnie hates the Talking Heads in the Media, full stop. He's been disparaged & stitched up on a number of past occasions & just hates em all. He views em as Space Wasters...
The truth is he obviously believes he knows better. He hates being challenged with facts or held to account after a lifetime of getting away with his schtick. I reckon he behaves like he's addicted to power.
That may be the only Straw he can Cling to to avoid irrelevance Darren. The System has been trying to push Winston out the back door unsuccessfully for Decades & hee always comes back to Haunt Parliament.
It would be sad to see him Cave to the Corporatists. In person he's a delightful Guy off Camera & I can't help but feel he does have a Heart for the Common guy & gal.
With any luck he won't be necessary after the votes are counted & we won't need to buy National Swag, or any Blue Ties & Blazers come October 16.
Better the Devil ya know, right? Besides, the Greens are Red Hot at the moment with their Anti-Wealth Policies resonating broadly in the Public.
Maybe a stronger Green presence would give Labour some incentive to get off their Neoliberal Capitalist Binge & finally rejoin the Left again in representing the Working Families & SME's doing it tough against the Corporatists at the Treasury Door..
My prediction: popcorn sales will boom if it comes to Nat/Act/NZF coalition negotiations.
BTW one small nitpick. I know "Shaw" is a useful shorthand for the Greens but actually it's up to the members and branch delegates for a meeting to approve any coalition agreement are being selected now. 75% have to approve any agreement. When James reminds people of this, I always think he looks a bit relieved.
I guess i remeber the Old Winston from the 90's, Wine Box Days & before that. He was the best dressed MP of the lot & had a "Lucky Tie" that he wore with every Suit in the Closet.
I felt a bit of kinship with Winston, as I had a Lucky Tie of my own that I usta wear as a NAtional Accounts Sales Executive for a Major US Telecommunications company.
It was my Underdog Tie, my lucky Charm. That's how my Clients knew me - I never changed my Tie!
I remember my last meeting with Boeing & how the Presidents Receptionist announced me when I arrived to the meeting, The Tie Guy is here Mr. Strang!
I don't think there's anybody left in Parliament that knows the Democratic Process any better than Winston. He's a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Case History in Parliament & Justice. Winston knows all this stuff by heart well enough that he writes stand up Comedy lines before he debates for added Weaponry to disable the opponentry. How can you cancel somebody with such a wicked sense of humour when you're in stitches after his last retort. Winston is our very own "Look, he Likes it, Mikey Likes it!!", or, "Where's the Beef" Cartoon Character of NZ. He's our Keith Richards, Bad Boy of NZ Politics. What would we do without Ole Handbrake riding Shotgun to the next Genghis Khan Nat Guy with the Chrome Dome. You'll never find stranger Bedfellows than these 3 if a Coalition of Cluster**ck comes to pass.
Are there Sane minds to prevail in these Right of Genghis K Relationships? At the moment, I'd have to say that Mob Rule best describes the Right. The Great White Feeding Frenzy smells Blood in the Water & they're Hungry! Nothing else matters but getting their fill they're convinced they're entitled to. Hungry Sharks have no Moral Basepoint. Principals be damned, let's just roll our Eyelids shut & Charge through that School of Tuna with our Mouth's open. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp.
A year from now, where will the Country Be, if the Abominable Snow-job men rule our Roost??? Will the Tuna be Happier in their newly decimated Schools of Yesterday??? Will they be filling new Boots in Camp, or sportin Prison issue Shoes & Ankle Regalia?? Should they be kicked to the Curb for sending Society a Message that they're sick of being commodified Widgets for Work Camps without Cell Phone Reception a long way from their homes & their Gaming Computers?
Why are we being left behind by our fellow Z-ers to carry the Social Can while you fly off to Aussie, EU, or someplace fun that doesn't treat you like a hunk of Meat under the Knife at the Works. Hmmm, you're not really a Prime Cut, so in the Mincer ya go mate. We'll just package you as Premium Mince & nobody will know the difference once your package up & sold to the lowest bidder... Should we be looking at our Kids like Low Grade Assets to plug Job Vacancy Holes without any Job Vacancies to actually fill???
Maybe kids resent seeing their Dad's & Mums kicked to the Curb & have no intention of becoming like them, that asked WINZ for Help when they lost their jobs at the Works, or a BOP Paper Mill, or Timber Mills that closed down from Lack of Product to produce, or SME's that closed when the Warehouse came to their Town..
Geez, what are the SME's that survived gonna do when Amazon comes to town & Builds a Super Computing Centre in Partnership with Google Di Goop to have the worlds biggest AI Customer Service Centre without any Human Help needed in a neighbourhood near them ???
Maybe this is where Winston comes in? To slow this stuff down & keep us from being absorbed by the Meritocratic Market & the Corporate War Lords banging on the Treasury Door for their pounds of Commodified Flesh, which is far more profitable than just ground up Blood & Guts.
I suppose there are worse things than Winnie that could happen to us, but you won't find anybody more Kiwi than ole Winston at the end of the day. He plays to Local Rules, not Market Rules & still believes in Family Values & Respect for Elders in our communities. Maybe if he shook off his Sidekick it would help a lot in the Credibility Department, as his sidekick is a Has Been Time Bomb looking for a good spot to implode. Winston on his own is a different story, he's Wily & an Alternative Thinker that looks outside the Wine Box & isn't shy about holding Feet to Fire when he sees Smoke. I like that about Winston! He's the best Handbrake we've got in this election, so let the games begin & the Chips fall where they will.
It won't be easy if we end up with the Cluster**ck Coalition from Hell, but with Winston in a Co-Driver's Seat it will be less of a Neoliberal Capitalist Authoritarian Fascist Bloodbath than it would be without him. I can't wait to hear him taming Willis the Shrill Shrew!
We might not get much Relief, or Social Justice from the CFC's, but at least it will be entertaining if Winston's there!
Maintaining one's sense of humour through these times is going to be pretty important, so don't let the Bastards get you down!
I can already see Winnie Rubbing his hands together in glee at the thought of forcin Nicola the Barbarian to resign in disgrace when he foils the Foreign Sales thing National are banking on to Rob our Tax Coffers of Working Capital & prop up their Ship of Fools off the backs of the Unemployed, Disabled & Retired folks hunkered down in the Trenches waiting for the next 1080 drop...
Yes- I must admit I do miss his humour in parliament, althugh Grant Robertson ispretty good. Winston did used to stand up for Jacinda, especially against theu likes of Paula Bennet.in debates. Yourcomment abourt Shane Jones is interesting. It seems he was the great hope for his ,hapu and iwi ,groomed from childhood to be so. And of course he went off to Havard-as a Labour politician he was given the Fisheries as a portfolio- I can't remember why he left Labour- or was it just when they lost the election to JK.? He is a fuent Te Reo speaker, and has a lot of knowledge of the history of the North, and Māori stories. He seems to have moved some distance to the right of poiitics since his days of protesting against colonisation and pākehā governance at Waitangi
My recollection of him taking over the Fisheries Portfolio was after he left Labour & was floating around as an unemployed Professional Politician, available for hire. He was given the job of Fisheries by Murry McCully to try & Organise Camera's on Fishing Vessels & try & convince the Taiwanese Fishing Fleet that our Protected Waters were exclusively ours and not theirs.
Shane had a lot of Hotel Time overseas in those days & left his personal Visa Card at home & used his Platinum National VISA for in room entertainment & soon was found out and sacked in disgrace. McCully, Joyce & Key we quite hppy to see Shane's backside as they felt he was just another Maori with their Hand out.
Northland & Maori have never been very high on Nationals priority list.
Thanks for the clarification re his Fisheries position. Obviously he was not successful re Cameras of fishing vessels. I recall he did seem to be friendly with the big fishery companies. I recall now the scandal over his using his professional credit card for porn.lol Got found out. He is an intelligent guy but with very obvious character flaws. People comment tnegatively on the way he speaks English. He ofen speaks with proverbs which is very Te Reo way of using language. I like to listen to him, not neccesarily what he is saying, but how he say it. I was not impresed when he shoved his face close to the camera. and said that gang members are not whānau.
Carly Simon sings I thought this song is about me and I visited Dachau not long after it closed but no it's the " kehua who walks", aka the Phantom and his dog Devil or was it Hero, who is the subject of this Koorero . Having just watched Tame interview the fellow I can imagine Luxon in a room watching on and being berated for admitting he would pick up the phone if necessary and ask the Phantom for help
Desperate People do desperate things & Luxon is past desperate! Maybe Winston would have preferred to stay in bed instead of interviewing & has the Tenancy of his age to be grumpy & not always 100% when put under the Microscope in the Media Circus of an Election year in NZ.
Maybe he feels he's been there ñ done that so many times that it just doesn't matter now. He feels pretty confident he's gonna be the Maker, or Breaker at this late stage, so Public opinion doesn't concern him.
It'll be interesting to see what the Polls reflect this week once all the BS gets washed out of the Campaign Gaffs we've seen & heard this past week!
The late announcement of Candidates being terrorised & roughed up might reflect badly on the Right in the polls & the Pole's will Turn to Yo Yo's. Anythings possible at this late stagea
I did like his Wine Box exposee and have met him several times . Indeed the first time we met was in Bellamy's in 1985 when he pulled up a seat beside me and asked me my name. He said in all his years he had never met anyone with the same name. Given that name his longevity in parliament should not surprise. He was named for Churchill. I am named for an uncle who is buried in Faenza after winning an MC for his C.O. who wrote a best seller called "Brave Company.'
I have a friend who lives in Wellington who when I first met her, was still married to the main protagonist, qualified lawyer, and accountant , slum property owner, and tax lawyer with offices in France,and elsewhere. He was the butt of a lot of Winston's comments in parliament. She was not a fan of Winston, at thesame time she said he was actually correct about the WINEBOX tax dodge.
Coincidentally I think the guy who won the Military Cross was a headmaster pal of Nick's granddad as described in another book called "Guthrie Wilson" by my Wellington writer friend Julia Millen
Me too-two ticks Labour although I am impressed with the Greens-especially James Shaw, and in fact Te Party Māori as well.The Greens need Labour to be the main party in parliament. James Shaw was very clear on Q@A this morning that he is campaigning for a Labour/Greens government. Jack Tame pushed him about being able to work with National, and if he would accept a call from Luxon if National do get the largest number of votes. He was luke warm about the idea. I think a Labour/Greens/Te Partie Māori would be the most stable one even though they have their differences. They are capable of talking/negotiating like adults. Seymour and Winston are NOT.And Luxon is useless-a real light weight.Winston was very abusive to Jack Tane this morning, and as usual did not answer any questions. Imagine Peters and Luxon being interviewed together- they would be vying for the title of who best managed not to answer questions.!
The future belongs to a those folk born after Winston became an MP and it's them we need to listen to.
We currently only have this flawed system of voting ...
Please please use your vote to give the post-Winston generation a future worth writing songs about.
Give me effing strength. Winston is so litigious he'll want to do 6 enquries immediately!
all the litigious behaviour just reminds me how Trump like he is
Thank you for reminding us that Act/Nat is far right. A couple of months ago I was in a senior briefing by a big kahuna from Business NZ who said “it is clear we’ll end up with either a centre-right government or the most extremist far-left radical government NZ has either seen” and I wondered if he believed it or that view was just a tactic to encourage business voting.
I'm hoping for a Napoleon Moment, just prior to Election Day where Napoleon Rides into battle Naked as a Bald Headed Jaybird when even his Base realise that it ain't about them, it's about Him & fulfilling his Grand Destiny to cross over the Democratic Lines delivering Neoliberal Capitalism to the filthy Hordes of Worthless Takers of handouts, as he sees us.
I'm waiting for that moment when the BS just doesn't Fly anymore & the conversation around disclosure & Accountability come roaring to the forefront & the Backtracking & choking begins when none of their Policies pass the Public Sniff Test & the Host of the final debates just says You're on your own here mate & so far you've got an empty Bag of Tricks your bringing to this Circus Act that even the Fat Lady would choke on, so Put up, or shut up! Times up!
Wishful thinking maybe, but you always need something to hope for to keep you movin. I hope everybody of voting age have a good hard think about how they're voting & if who they're considering will be a positive force for all of us as a Team of 5 Million, or a Hostile Group of Greedy Pricks & Prickette's wanting it all for just themselves & their Stakeholders & Wellington Bureaucracy insider enablers that WON'T be Losin their jobs after the election.
Election day is tomorrow
Nick please do not use the wonderful beautiful word “Chaos” ever again for political accident in the amalgam of choices at a crucial stage int the electoral process - which would result int he worst of all possible national choices.
It is a good word and appreciating “Chaos Theory” means the accidents of chance which is the system and reality of uncertainty that we live in. If you are courageous enough and wis enough to accept life as always chaos with margins of choice and influence that are relatively small life will be easier.
Luxon with Seymore will send the country into a tail spin. Luxon with Seymore joined by Winston will mean a government that cannot last beyond 100 days.
Jacinda Adern was wise and nimble. So made good choices on critical issues very fast. She then followed through flexibly and pragmatically with an astonishing integrity guided by well being of the people.
The trio could not find their way out of an untied paper bag if they each had their own pair of scissors. Nor “chaos” a recipe for disaster!
Excellent comments. I agree with all you have said. What an unstable disaster those three would be. A family member of mine is so concerned she has started saying we could end up with civil war with the country being very divided with that coalition in charge.
Or 100 days without a govt being formed. Does that mean Labour carry on in a caretaker role?
Yes, it's going to be a interesting time all right, did you read hooten's fantasy piece about a nat/green coalition govt ?
I'll check it out thanks. I don't normally read Hooten, he does sometimes like to stick the boot it to his own side.
No but Jack Tame may have. Shaw deflected well
Yep- Shaw was clear that he is campaigning for a Labour/Greens government. The more I see of Shaw the more I like him, and see him as a very strong, and stable person who knows what he stands for, unlike Luxon, or Winston. Seymour knows what he stands for- too bad that his policies are EVIL!Nanaia Mahuta was on Marae this morning along with the young woman who is the Te Partie Māori candidate in Hauru. There was an older woman there also- very elegant person, who represented the Outdoors, and Freedom party. Nanaia is cleary very well informed, and capable across her portfolios. She explained the changes from Three Waters to now the Affordable Water Act.She corrected the lady from the Freedom, and Outdoors Party ( is this Sue Grey's mob ) on er misinformation around Co-Governance, Three Waters, and Local Body involvement. The subjectof abuse came up-especially towards women in poitics, and especially Māori women. All three women had been the target of abusive threats. The young woman had her home broken into as well as threats in her letter box, and people filmed going through her rubbish bin.
Act/NAT WILL BE A DISASTER for all but the wealthy!! Think of the biggest segment of our population! Do they deserve to be uncared for and disadvantaged in their own proud Kiwi country?
And do we want all those rich people from other countries buying up grand houses here just so Luxon, and Willis can bribe people with a small bit of cash?
Peters did himself no favours on Q&A this morning. He sounded like he's not just consorting with cookers, he's becoming one in his dotage. Nowhere near as sharp as he used to be either. Like watching Ali in1978.
I was surprised at how rude, and abusive he was to Jack Tame
It was so awful, I felt really sorry for Jack who was the consummate professional in response.
He's been hangin around Shane to long & picked up some bad habits. I think Janus is onto it about his Bad Showing & interview with Jack being hostile & abusive. Winnie hates the Talking Heads in the Media, full stop. He's been disparaged & stitched up on a number of past occasions & just hates em all. He views em as Space Wasters...
The truth is he obviously believes he knows better. He hates being challenged with facts or held to account after a lifetime of getting away with his schtick. I reckon he behaves like he's addicted to power.
That may be the only Straw he can Cling to to avoid irrelevance Darren. The System has been trying to push Winston out the back door unsuccessfully for Decades & hee always comes back to Haunt Parliament.
It would be sad to see him Cave to the Corporatists. In person he's a delightful Guy off Camera & I can't help but feel he does have a Heart for the Common guy & gal.
With any luck he won't be necessary after the votes are counted & we won't need to buy National Swag, or any Blue Ties & Blazers come October 16.
Better the Devil ya know, right? Besides, the Greens are Red Hot at the moment with their Anti-Wealth Policies resonating broadly in the Public.
Maybe a stronger Green presence would give Labour some incentive to get off their Neoliberal Capitalist Binge & finally rejoin the Left again in representing the Working Families & SME's doing it tough against the Corporatists at the Treasury Door..
Any result is possible now that the Winston bomb has been dropped. Talk to people. Help people to get out and vote. And VOTE!!!
My prediction: popcorn sales will boom if it comes to Nat/Act/NZF coalition negotiations.
BTW one small nitpick. I know "Shaw" is a useful shorthand for the Greens but actually it's up to the members and branch delegates for a meeting to approve any coalition agreement are being selected now. 75% have to approve any agreement. When James reminds people of this, I always think he looks a bit relieved.
Yep, long time Green member 😀
I've had cause to explain the approval required today as well.
But also I'm not sure James personally would want to work with Winston again.
He did make that exact point 2 or 3 times just now to Jack Tame
That was his "out" this morning.
Thanks Nick for a brilliant article, loved it
I guess i remeber the Old Winston from the 90's, Wine Box Days & before that. He was the best dressed MP of the lot & had a "Lucky Tie" that he wore with every Suit in the Closet.
I felt a bit of kinship with Winston, as I had a Lucky Tie of my own that I usta wear as a NAtional Accounts Sales Executive for a Major US Telecommunications company.
It was my Underdog Tie, my lucky Charm. That's how my Clients knew me - I never changed my Tie!
I remember my last meeting with Boeing & how the Presidents Receptionist announced me when I arrived to the meeting, The Tie Guy is here Mr. Strang!
I don't think there's anybody left in Parliament that knows the Democratic Process any better than Winston. He's a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Case History in Parliament & Justice. Winston knows all this stuff by heart well enough that he writes stand up Comedy lines before he debates for added Weaponry to disable the opponentry. How can you cancel somebody with such a wicked sense of humour when you're in stitches after his last retort. Winston is our very own "Look, he Likes it, Mikey Likes it!!", or, "Where's the Beef" Cartoon Character of NZ. He's our Keith Richards, Bad Boy of NZ Politics. What would we do without Ole Handbrake riding Shotgun to the next Genghis Khan Nat Guy with the Chrome Dome. You'll never find stranger Bedfellows than these 3 if a Coalition of Cluster**ck comes to pass.
Are there Sane minds to prevail in these Right of Genghis K Relationships? At the moment, I'd have to say that Mob Rule best describes the Right. The Great White Feeding Frenzy smells Blood in the Water & they're Hungry! Nothing else matters but getting their fill they're convinced they're entitled to. Hungry Sharks have no Moral Basepoint. Principals be damned, let's just roll our Eyelids shut & Charge through that School of Tuna with our Mouth's open. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp.
A year from now, where will the Country Be, if the Abominable Snow-job men rule our Roost??? Will the Tuna be Happier in their newly decimated Schools of Yesterday??? Will they be filling new Boots in Camp, or sportin Prison issue Shoes & Ankle Regalia?? Should they be kicked to the Curb for sending Society a Message that they're sick of being commodified Widgets for Work Camps without Cell Phone Reception a long way from their homes & their Gaming Computers?
Why are we being left behind by our fellow Z-ers to carry the Social Can while you fly off to Aussie, EU, or someplace fun that doesn't treat you like a hunk of Meat under the Knife at the Works. Hmmm, you're not really a Prime Cut, so in the Mincer ya go mate. We'll just package you as Premium Mince & nobody will know the difference once your package up & sold to the lowest bidder... Should we be looking at our Kids like Low Grade Assets to plug Job Vacancy Holes without any Job Vacancies to actually fill???
Maybe kids resent seeing their Dad's & Mums kicked to the Curb & have no intention of becoming like them, that asked WINZ for Help when they lost their jobs at the Works, or a BOP Paper Mill, or Timber Mills that closed down from Lack of Product to produce, or SME's that closed when the Warehouse came to their Town..
Geez, what are the SME's that survived gonna do when Amazon comes to town & Builds a Super Computing Centre in Partnership with Google Di Goop to have the worlds biggest AI Customer Service Centre without any Human Help needed in a neighbourhood near them ???
Maybe this is where Winston comes in? To slow this stuff down & keep us from being absorbed by the Meritocratic Market & the Corporate War Lords banging on the Treasury Door for their pounds of Commodified Flesh, which is far more profitable than just ground up Blood & Guts.
I suppose there are worse things than Winnie that could happen to us, but you won't find anybody more Kiwi than ole Winston at the end of the day. He plays to Local Rules, not Market Rules & still believes in Family Values & Respect for Elders in our communities. Maybe if he shook off his Sidekick it would help a lot in the Credibility Department, as his sidekick is a Has Been Time Bomb looking for a good spot to implode. Winston on his own is a different story, he's Wily & an Alternative Thinker that looks outside the Wine Box & isn't shy about holding Feet to Fire when he sees Smoke. I like that about Winston! He's the best Handbrake we've got in this election, so let the games begin & the Chips fall where they will.
It won't be easy if we end up with the Cluster**ck Coalition from Hell, but with Winston in a Co-Driver's Seat it will be less of a Neoliberal Capitalist Authoritarian Fascist Bloodbath than it would be without him. I can't wait to hear him taming Willis the Shrill Shrew!
We might not get much Relief, or Social Justice from the CFC's, but at least it will be entertaining if Winston's there!
Maintaining one's sense of humour through these times is going to be pretty important, so don't let the Bastards get you down!
I can already see Winnie Rubbing his hands together in glee at the thought of forcin Nicola the Barbarian to resign in disgrace when he foils the Foreign Sales thing National are banking on to Rob our Tax Coffers of Working Capital & prop up their Ship of Fools off the backs of the Unemployed, Disabled & Retired folks hunkered down in the Trenches waiting for the next 1080 drop...
It ain't over till it's over, as they say...
Yes- I must admit I do miss his humour in parliament, althugh Grant Robertson ispretty good. Winston did used to stand up for Jacinda, especially against theu likes of Paula Bennet.in debates. Yourcomment abourt Shane Jones is interesting. It seems he was the great hope for his ,hapu and iwi ,groomed from childhood to be so. And of course he went off to Havard-as a Labour politician he was given the Fisheries as a portfolio- I can't remember why he left Labour- or was it just when they lost the election to JK.? He is a fuent Te Reo speaker, and has a lot of knowledge of the history of the North, and Māori stories. He seems to have moved some distance to the right of poiitics since his days of protesting against colonisation and pākehā governance at Waitangi
My recollection of him taking over the Fisheries Portfolio was after he left Labour & was floating around as an unemployed Professional Politician, available for hire. He was given the job of Fisheries by Murry McCully to try & Organise Camera's on Fishing Vessels & try & convince the Taiwanese Fishing Fleet that our Protected Waters were exclusively ours and not theirs.
Shane had a lot of Hotel Time overseas in those days & left his personal Visa Card at home & used his Platinum National VISA for in room entertainment & soon was found out and sacked in disgrace. McCully, Joyce & Key we quite hppy to see Shane's backside as they felt he was just another Maori with their Hand out.
Northland & Maori have never been very high on Nationals priority list.
Thanks for the clarification re his Fisheries position. Obviously he was not successful re Cameras of fishing vessels. I recall he did seem to be friendly with the big fishery companies. I recall now the scandal over his using his professional credit card for porn.lol Got found out. He is an intelligent guy but with very obvious character flaws. People comment tnegatively on the way he speaks English. He ofen speaks with proverbs which is very Te Reo way of using language. I like to listen to him, not neccesarily what he is saying, but how he say it. I was not impresed when he shoved his face close to the camera. and said that gang members are not whānau.
Too many Twisters, twisting and turning. Heaven help us.
Carly Simon sings I thought this song is about me and I visited Dachau not long after it closed but no it's the " kehua who walks", aka the Phantom and his dog Devil or was it Hero, who is the subject of this Koorero . Having just watched Tame interview the fellow I can imagine Luxon in a room watching on and being berated for admitting he would pick up the phone if necessary and ask the Phantom for help
Desperate People do desperate things & Luxon is past desperate! Maybe Winston would have preferred to stay in bed instead of interviewing & has the Tenancy of his age to be grumpy & not always 100% when put under the Microscope in the Media Circus of an Election year in NZ.
Maybe he feels he's been there ñ done that so many times that it just doesn't matter now. He feels pretty confident he's gonna be the Maker, or Breaker at this late stage, so Public opinion doesn't concern him.
It'll be interesting to see what the Polls reflect this week once all the BS gets washed out of the Campaign Gaffs we've seen & heard this past week!
The late announcement of Candidates being terrorised & roughed up might reflect badly on the Right in the polls & the Pole's will Turn to Yo Yo's. Anythings possible at this late stagea
" ... so Public opinion doesn't concern him." Yep, the self-styled 'champion of democracy'.
I did like his Wine Box exposee and have met him several times . Indeed the first time we met was in Bellamy's in 1985 when he pulled up a seat beside me and asked me my name. He said in all his years he had never met anyone with the same name. Given that name his longevity in parliament should not surprise. He was named for Churchill. I am named for an uncle who is buried in Faenza after winning an MC for his C.O. who wrote a best seller called "Brave Company.'
And No😊 I will not be voting for NZF tomorrow
I have a friend who lives in Wellington who when I first met her, was still married to the main protagonist, qualified lawyer, and accountant , slum property owner, and tax lawyer with offices in France,and elsewhere. He was the butt of a lot of Winston's comments in parliament. She was not a fan of Winston, at thesame time she said he was actually correct about the WINEBOX tax dodge.
Coincidentally I think the guy who won the Military Cross was a headmaster pal of Nick's granddad as described in another book called "Guthrie Wilson" by my Wellington writer friend Julia Millen
I gave up smoking before then because they cost 75cts a packet. Giving up petrol for the same reason
Me too-two ticks Labour although I am impressed with the Greens-especially James Shaw, and in fact Te Party Māori as well.The Greens need Labour to be the main party in parliament. James Shaw was very clear on Q@A this morning that he is campaigning for a Labour/Greens government. Jack Tame pushed him about being able to work with National, and if he would accept a call from Luxon if National do get the largest number of votes. He was luke warm about the idea. I think a Labour/Greens/Te Partie Māori would be the most stable one even though they have their differences. They are capable of talking/negotiating like adults. Seymour and Winston are NOT.And Luxon is useless-a real light weight.Winston was very abusive to Jack Tane this morning, and as usual did not answer any questions. Imagine Peters and Luxon being interviewed together- they would be vying for the title of who best managed not to answer questions.!