17-11-2023, 02:34 PM
Oh dear. He does seem to be enjoying himself quite a lot; not so much the other two leaders. 
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...inkmanship
[b]OPINION:[/b] "Jacinda Ardern’s face would harden, her eyes narrow and her reply would be returned in the most excoriating tone imaginable.
It was withering.
Ardern ruled that cabinet and ran that coalition with an iron fist compared to this week’s frankly jaw-dropping display of simpering servitude from National.
If any uncertainty existed last week, as to who was in charge of this pantomime that has become our incoming government, it was swiftly cleared up in the diamond clarity of Tuesday night.
Pride successfully swallowed, he returned to Wellington airport - at which he’d arrived just twelve hours earlier - to board the last flight that night back to Auckland - which he’d left just that morning in the hope of a three-way meeting with his future government chums.
The moment the country’s most experienced politician ghosted one of its least experienced, in one of the most stunning and humiliating displays of political brinkmanship.
Another text, “they’ve obviously pissed Winston off. He does this kind of thing to make a point.”
If Ardern thought she had it bad with three years of journalists asking who was actually pulling the strings in government, Luxon’s about to get it worse.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...inkmanship
[b]OPINION:[/b] "Jacinda Ardern’s face would harden, her eyes narrow and her reply would be returned in the most excoriating tone imaginable.
You knew it was coming. Hell, you brought it upon yourself.
Because this was the treatment journalists came to expect between 2017 and 2020 from the then Prime Minister, any time questions arose which suggested her coalition partner, Winston Peters, was calling the shots, that the tail may have been wagging the dog, that she’d lost control of her government.
It was withering.
And it was worth it, the questions were warranted.
Winston did misbehave, he did act out to remind Labour he wasn’t to be trifled with, that he commanded respect.
But in hindsight, that was nuthin’.
Ardern ruled that cabinet and ran that coalition with an iron fist compared to this week’s frankly jaw-dropping display of simpering servitude from National.
If any uncertainty existed last week, as to who was in charge of this pantomime that has become our incoming government, it was swiftly cleared up in the diamond clarity of Tuesday night.
A grown up. A 53-year-old man. A former chief executive of our national airline. The Prime Minister-elect of our entire country.
Pride successfully swallowed, he returned to Wellington airport - at which he’d arrived just twelve hours earlier - to board the last flight that night back to Auckland - which he’d left just that morning in the hope of a three-way meeting with his future government chums.
The moment the country’s most experienced politician ghosted one of its least experienced, in one of the most stunning and humiliating displays of political brinkmanship.
We could dish a serve to David Seymour here too - the third player in this tumultuous troika - he too flew back to Auckland on the last flight, having arrived in Wellington on one of the first flights that same day.
Another text, “they’ve obviously pissed Winston off. He does this kind of thing to make a point.”
Twice already, Chris Luxon has had to eat humble pie, twice he’s had to hurry along when Winston Peters has snapped his fingers, and snipped “garcon!”, and this is before we even have a government yet.
If Ardern thought she had it bad with three years of journalists asking who was actually pulling the strings in government, Luxon’s about to get it worse.
I can already picture his face hardening, eyes narrowing, the excoriating tone.
Problem is, after all this, it’s going to be far harder to make his case."
But wait, there's more! They must have seriously pissed him off. 
"NZ First leader Winston Peters has left negotiations with National leader Christopher Luxon after about two and a half hours.
Peters walked out of the Cordis Hotel with a smile, telling reporters the parties were "closer to the finish line than you might think".
That puts him on the same page as Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour, who have been talking about being at the concluding end of talks and said it may even be possible to close the deal this weekend.
Peters wasn't that optimistic when he arrived to speak to Luxon earlier today, but after leaving he said just "hours" of work was left.
He said the parties would continue to negotiate over the weekend in Auckland.
"It's going to take a few more hours," Peters said.
He said there continued to be policies that needed ironing out before the negotiations could conclude. "
Peters walked out of the Cordis Hotel with a smile, telling reporters the parties were "closer to the finish line than you might think".
That puts him on the same page as Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour, who have been talking about being at the concluding end of talks and said it may even be possible to close the deal this weekend.
Peters wasn't that optimistic when he arrived to speak to Luxon earlier today, but after leaving he said just "hours" of work was left.
He said the parties would continue to negotiate over the weekend in Auckland.
"It's going to take a few more hours," Peters said.
He said there continued to be policies that needed ironing out before the negotiations could conclude. "
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)
