As a piece of legislation that - *from every indication - Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was apparently prepared to quite literally 'die in a ditch over' - even were that ditch 'merely' a political one - the Waka-Jumping Act that came into law Friday says a heckuva lot about WP's innate character, and then some. It quite simply reveals the heart, and nature, of a petty despot...a control freak of the first degree/order/magnitude. Something which like ye proverbial puff of smoke reveals the instantaneous burning into smithereens of all the good work which the deputy P.M. and his loyal as MPs have previously put in. More's the pity.
Though their record thus far, evincing an influence far outweighing their sheer numbers in the House, has not been - has indeed been far from - perfect or faultless, not necessarily vis-a-vis the supposed scandal over the Wally Houmaha (sp?) affair and the like, but moreover re the shameful closing of the Roxburgh Stand Children's Village - or whatever it's called - and the simultaneous
apparent lack of advocacy over the closure of other important social services in Central Otago, such as the Lumsden Maternity Ward...we have every reason to expect - much - better from NZ First.
And how about the ongoing downsizing, downsizing, downsizing - and concurrent destruction and frankly pulling and tearing apart of NZ Post pretty well for good - all across our fair land? But don't get me started, I wouldn't know where I'd end up...except to say, that though the never-ending debacle that has been the shameful fate of NZ Post especially since former P.M. Jim Bolger and then former deputy P.M. Michael Cullen took the reins there, is hardly the fault of Winston Peters and NZ First, where the heck has been their advocacy over its slow but ever so sure demise in recent years?
But as I say, better not to get me started on that one... . Anyhow, back to topic: despite all the good stuff - including especially during his six-week spell in the Prime Ministership - Winnie and his colleagues have accomplished, and moreover **all my effusive commendation thereabouts over that time, 'the Right Honourable' Mr Peters seems to have reverted once more to his Muldoon-era authoritarian-style type persona over recent days and weeks... . And though the tragic fate of one-time TV weatherman Brendan Horan is now a mere footnote in history, nowhere gives a better indication of the totalitarian tendencies ever-present in the personality, or rather the character, of Mr Peters.
Yes, that shameful incident or rather Peters' guilty-even-after-being-proven-innocent verdict thereabouts, sadly says it all - all that really needs saying about Winston Peters' character and his essential motivation in making this appalling bit of legislation a *make-or-break coalition one...-and let's not even get into the even more shameful and shameless jettisoning of all fundamental Green Party principle in their falling into line and not even abstaining, much less voting with the 'nays', when the empowering (third reading) vote upon said bill took place last Friday midday.
*That this was evidently the case seems abundantly clear from even a cursory witnessing of the parliamentary debate thereabouts over recent weeks. Why else did Labour MPs act like they'd swallowed some dead vermin, the Greens almost to a person generally refuse to speak at all on the bill, the otherwise admirably-principled Justice Minister Andrew Little seem so half-hearted in his many speeches as the bill progressed through its many stages and readings, law lecturers and professors up and down the land speak and submit apparently to a person against said legislation, and even the highly principled and deeply-respected Attorney-General David Parker submit a negative evaluation of said measure way beforehand? Need I say more?!?!?
**Sorry, I simply can't remember the reason for this note...but will return once I remember!
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