John MacDonald: How can the PM trust this guy?

Winston Peters has gone too far this time. 

Last week, Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis were telling us not to trust him. 

They‘ll be saying it even louder now. After the NZ First leader released emails to the media which show how the Prime Minister was talked out of expressing “explicit public support” for the war in Iran. 

And I'm in no doubt that peters has betrayed Luxon's trust. 

The two of them, apparently, had what are being reported as “crisis talks” last night. With a spokesperson for the prime minister saying the NZ First leader has put politics ahead of national interest. 

Which, of course, he has. And, if I was Christopher Luxon, I'd be ropeable. 

Because that’s what he’s done. He’s put politics ahead of national interest. And i would have thought, after all the huffing and puffing about cool heads being needed when it comes to foreign affairs, that he wouldn’t have released these emails. 

It’s this claiming credit thing that he just can’t resist. Like that time when Christopher Luxon went on social media and said he’d done a trade deal with Southeast Asian nations. 

And Peters responded with that one-word tweet saying “we”. As in “we” did the deal, not “you”. 

But releasing these emails about the Iran war is next level. 

Because it shows a very clear difference of opinion within the government. With the prime minister thinking the attacks by the U.S. And Israel were and are a good thing - but saying something different publicly. 

Which happens all the time in governments. But you don’t go telling the world about it. Which is exactly what Winston Peters has done. 

Just as an aside, even though I think Winston Peters is in the wrong here, it does show how out of his depth the prime minister was when this all blew up. 

As the released emails show, he was all gung-ho and wanted the government to show “explicit public support” for the war when it started. 

But, as we saw publicly during those first few days (which is backed up these emails), it was Winston who was all calm the farm and don’t panic. 

That’s what he was saying to media on the Sunday after the attacks started. 

It seems to me that one of the things Winston is going to campaign on in this year’s election is “experience”. 

Because last week he criticised the prime minister for putting his leadership to the test with that confidence vote. It was clear that he thought Luxon was naive doing that - because it only invites another confidence vote next time a bad poll comes out. 

Now, by releasing these emails, he’s pointing to Luxon's naievity on the foreign affairs front. 

Which is true. Christopher Luxon is way out of his depth when it comes to foreign affairs and international diplomacy. 

But you don’t go showing to that to the world the way Winston Peters has. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's podcast where John mc
donald from News talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
B Winston Peters. He's gone too far this time. He's
gone way too far. Last week, Christopher Luxon and Nikola
Willis there their were telling is not to trust him.
They'll be saying it even louder now after the New
Zealand First leader released e mails to the media which
show how the Prime Minister was talked out of expressing

(00:34):
quote explicit public support for the war in Iran. And
I'm in no doubt that Peters has betrayed Luxon's trust.
That's how I say. The two of them apparently had
what are being reported as Christ's talks. It happened last
night with a spokesperson for the Prime Minister saying the

(00:55):
New Zealand First leader has put politics ahead of national interest,
which of course, of course he has. And if I
was Christopher Luxon, I would be ropable men because that's
what he's done. He's put politics ahead of national interest.
And I would have thought after all the huffing and
puffing about, you know, cool heads being needed when it

(01:16):
comes to foreign affairs, after all that, I thought that
he wouldn't have done something so stupid as to release
these emails. It's all this what is it claiming the credit? Thing?
Isn't it claiming the credit? He can't resist it, Like
at that time when Christoph Luxen went on social media

(01:37):
and said he'd done a trade deal with Southeast Asian
nations and petersny responded with that one word tweet. Remember
we as in we did the deal, not you. I
mean that stuff's pretty harmless. Releasing these emails about the
Iran war, that is, that's next level. In fact, it's

(01:58):
beyond next level. It's over the top because it shows
a very clear difference of opinion within the government, with
the Prime Minister thinking all the attacks by the US
and Israel, thinking they were and maybe still are a
good thing, but saying something different publicly, which happens all
the time in governments. But you don't go telling the

(02:18):
world about it, do you, Which is exactly what Winston
Peters has done. Just as in a side by the way,
Even though I think Winston Peters is definitely in the
wrong here, it does show how out of his depth
the Prime Minister was when all this blew up, doesn't it.
I mean, it reinforces it as the released email show,

(02:40):
he was all gung ho and he wanted the government
to show this quote explicit public support for the war
when it started. But as we saw publicly during those
first few days, which is backed up in these emails,
during those first few days, it was Winston who was
all calm the farm, don't panic. We're a long way
from all of this. Let's see how it plays out.

(03:01):
That's what he was saying to media on the Sunday
after the attack started, on that Saturday night our time.
And it seems to me what this tells me is
that one of the things Winston is going to campaign
on this year is experience, because you know, last week,
what do you do? He criticized the Prime Minister for
putting his leadership to the test with that confidence vote.

(03:23):
It was clear that he thought Luxeon was naive doing
that because, as he said, it only invites another confidence
vote next time a bad poll comes out. Now, by
releasing these emails, he's pointing to or highlighting Christopher Luxen's
naivity on the foreign affairs front, which is fair. I mean,

(03:44):
Christopher Luxey, Christopher Luxe is way out of his depth
when it comes to foreign affairs and international diplomacy. But
and man, it's a big butt. It's in bold, it's underlined,
it's in capitals, but you don't go showing that to
the world the way that Winston Peters has, which is
why I'm in no doubt, no doubt that he has

(04:07):
betrayed the Prime Minister's trust.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
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