The Country 13/12/24: Barry Soper talks to Jamie Mackay

 Our political correspondent has been at the British High Commissioner's Ball with Nicola Willis. But were Winston and Seymour there sharing some collegial yuletide cheer? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry soper a bit of background noise there, Barry a
bit of a not a bit dusty. After the High
Commissioner's Ball last night, are you now?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
I was the party to end all parties? I got
to say at Homewood and Cory the High Commissioner's mentioned
every man and his dog was there. It was just
a great night to re engage with all my political
cohorts from Wellington.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, were Winston and Seymour there together having it sharing
a mule tied drink.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Neither of them were there but Nichola Willis.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Was Nicholas a bit grumpy at the moment, Oh, well.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
You know, and probably rightly so actually, when you consider
she had talked up the ferry business for the past
year and was indicating obviously very strongly that we were
going to get an announcement on the fairies. Well we
got an announcement of an announcement, a company being set
up to buy two new fairies, and Winston Peters being

(01:02):
appointed the Minister of Rail. As I understand what happened here,
Jamie was that look, the government has had essentially signed
off two fairies, but Winston pulled the plug as he's
wont to do from time to time and said, look,
I Reckon, I can get a better deal, no doubt,
rail rail capable fairies. And he said, let me give

(01:26):
me until next March, set up a company and I'll
get a better deal than what you've been able to negotiate.
Have got?

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Have We got a really good example here of the
tail wagging the dog, not only Winston but Seymour as
well when it comes to Luckson, well.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Very difficult really, the the verbiage between Luxon and Winston
and quite good mates, and certainly David Seymour. David Seymour
is stirring the pot behind all the time he's talking
about privatization of the railway, forty nine percent being floated

(02:05):
among the public. But you remember one time that happened.
A fellow called Ed burkertt from the US in the
early nineties, decided he wanted to buy New Zealand Rail,
turned it into transrail and it was an absolute bloody disaster.
So Winston wants nothing to do with the public getting

(02:25):
their fingers in the rail pie. So what he's doing
as Minister of Rail, it said, it's not his first rodeo.
We have to go along for the ride and wait
to see if he can actually come up with a.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Better DEAs a barrier. I know he loves a whiskey.
He's a bit like an old Scotch whiskey himself, a
forty or fifty year old one, he's that's how long
he's been in Parliament. He's he's getting better with age
very quickly.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
No doubt about it. And you know the man is,
he's resilient. If nothing else, Jamie.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
While he's a great example to all seventeen iron year
olds out there that life, well, it's not over when
you're into your eight decade.