Winston Peters turns 80
And it's approaching 50 years since his first election
He’s older than Donald Trump and younger than Joe Biden. Is it time for Winston Peters to throw in the towel? Apparently it’s not, judging by his behaviour.
Despite being a populist leader, Peters is a centrist, having worked with both the left and the right in coalitions. In many countries, populists lean so far to the right that other parties won’t share power with them.
Winston Peters’ career is worth following, though, just for the drama.
Love him or loath him, you won’t be able to resist reading about him on The Conversation. And scroll down for links to earlier posts on populism.
Are the populists taking over?
The populists: how scary are they? I’ll look at some significant elections, describe what populism actually is, and then ask what problems it seems to be addressing – and causing.
Disruptive norm-breakers: why do people vote for them?
How can we explain the electoral successes of right-wing populist parties and leaders?
Winston WAS a centrist. Since 2023 when he went full anti-woke hard right, there is no universe where he can ever work with Labour again. His manifesto is also pretty devoid of socialist policy, a big shift from decades prior.
NZ First's return to parliament and continuing support is based entirely on anti-left hate. Its no accident he was so aggressive towards Labour in his recent speech, as he knows that if he shows the slightest hint of leaving a door open or softening, NZ First's support implodes overnight.
Edit: And yes, he should throw in the towel IMO.
Enjoyed your retrospective in The Conversation. You wouldn't read a political life like that in a novel! Truth stranger than fiction.