NZ First campaign launch: Winston's speech - analysis

Just before the action started there was this Peter Sellers moment (the younger generation might call it a Mike Myers moment) when a turbaned gentlemen wandered down the aisle. He was on the far side so all I could see was the outfit. Was he really lost, or was he really, really lost. My immediate reaction was, 'where's NewsBoy? - Is this a gag or what?'

That's my co-blogger to the left in the picture, and as a member of the media who is acting on the directions of the "vested interests" and "finance barons" Mr Thomas would come in for a bollocking. I had to turn to him several times and tell him "shame!" after what Winston had revealed about how the media really works in this country. Shame! I toyed with the idea of getting a chant of "shame!" going - it just seemed so right for that moment, coming as it did around the time he shooed the cameramen off the stage (to firm nodding and some applause). And perhaps I could point too. Point, "Shame!", point, "shame!" But the insolent bloggers would get their turn in Winston's moral town square stocks soon enough.

Radar was to my right. He may have been in attendance as much for John Rowles as for Winston. (Weren't we all?). Such a rich voice - he ends singing My Way - brings the house down - then introduces Winston. The rest of the meeting was, as Radar remarked, an organisational shambles, but that key part at least went smoothly.

We managed to suppress the laughter - and even the disbelief - of Winston's proven mix of fear, intolerance, persecution and conspiracy - for the most part. But when he described his enemies as pinky, finger pointing, latté drinkers - or whatever the line was (not in the official speech notes) I think everyone except Winston was laughing. His political vocabulary of populist polarisation and derision has become something of a joke. We've come to expect it and it wouldn't be the full Winston package without a ribbon of provincial bigotry wrapped around that insular parcel of conservative nationalist socialism.

And the other time? When he said:
To be fair they are not all biased – some like Chris Trotter and Tom Frewen from the NBR have provided balanced and fair accounts of recent events and should be applauded for it.
Chris Trotter is unbiased according to Winston Peters. This is a nadir for Trotter.

The speech in full on the NZ First website is a classic Winston piece that speaks to different audiences. What Winston said - and what I saw quoted on TV was:

The media are now promoting the idea of government by the National party and the Maori party.
Apparently they have been acting like they are very good friends and this friendship is tipped to blossom into a full blown partnership.
What a mix!
Merchant bankers and Maori separatists.
One lot will be trying to sell the country out from under us - while the other will be setting up a separate state.
National has never recanted its policies of the nineties and the Maori Party is committed to separate development. Listen to its president Whata Winiata.

So Winston is against "separate development" and a "separate state" - and it was at this point that the TV footage ended - but this is what he said immediately afterwards in his very next sentence:

We in New Zealand First are different.
Over the past three years we have acted in your best interests.
We’ve delivered:
· Increased superannuation and more coming with the new tax cuts.
· Three rises in the minimum wage to $12 an hour. A worker on the minimum wage is now an extra $80 better off per 40 hour week.
· 1000 more frontline police staff and 250 support staff.
· More than half a billion dollars extra into eldercare.
· The SuperGold Card with free off-peak travel on public transport.
· Higher subsidies for hearing aids.
· Increased funding for Maori wardens in Budgets 2007 and 2008.
· Progressive Treaty settlements – ask for example Ngati Porou and the C.N.I. Tribes. [...]

Look at the last two items. If that was National he would be howling separatism! But what is not on the official website is what he really said at the launch and the reaction. He mentions that he started the funding of the Maori Women's Welfare League on a separate basis too. "Independent" is the word I believe he said after skirting around "separate" when he seemed to realise the contradiction. When he mentioned a figure (over a million) he had managed to secure for the Maori Wardens suddenly dozens of people in the audience stood to their feet and cheered - in their uniforms. Then I realised who all those people were who were dressed like they were attending a lawn bowls tournament - Maori Wardens. And the other ones in different uniforms weren't security - Maori Wardens. They had all shown up to give Winston a personal thanks and show of support. And given his party apparatus looks terminal what wonderfully dedicated and organised groups appear in the midst of the faithful masses to carry the burden of the campaign grunt work - Maori Wardens...?

Is Winston the most hypocritical politician of our time? In one breath railing against Maori separatism - and in the very next - boasting about how much money he had secured for a separate Maori police force - members of whom had turned out en mass to support him - in uniform - at his party rally. That would have been Winston's spin. Can you imagine what a meal Winston would make of that scenario if this had occurred at a Maori Party launch - or of any party for that matter.

His "anthem of hate" (to use his expression back on himself) toward the media at the beginning of his address, before he had mentioned any policies, was predictable. It was half an hour long (it may have been less, but it could have easily been more) and consisted of a tirade against all forms of media.

Winston was staring daggers up at the press benches - towards Barry Soper - and winding himself up into a sweating lather at this point. Then he started on about bloggers and drew special attention to Matthew Hooton. When he said that Hooton had likened the NZ First Party to the Nazis there was an audible gasp from the grey ranks. Arthritic hands twitched upon the hooks in their canes and astonished murmurings flashed around the auditorium. Nazis! Ohhh, so low. Winston said they had had World War Two veterans and VC winners sign up to NZ First.

Don't worry, those of us not able to remember the war rolled our eyes on Hooton's behalf. Not so much in sympathy for Hooton's language and frenetically over-heated blogging of late, but in support of anyone willing to remind people of Winston's notorious totalitarian streak. One amply displayed moments later when he announced he would ban gangs. Just ban them, apparently. No details. Just ban them:
We are going to protect your homes and your streets by banning gangs and mounting a war against crime.
For those who want to break the crime habit we will help them with rehabilitation programmes.
The legislation is ready, we have the extra police and they will get whatever powers needed to put the criminals away - until they are too old to commit crimes.
And here we have a message for Maori.
Keep what is best in our culture and keep striving to improve our health, our education and employment opportunities [...]
Maori are spoken of in the normal Pakeha context of being a problem and the Pakeha association with Maori and crime rates.

This is classic Winston. He speaks to Maori as a concerned member of their race speaking of their problems, and speaks simultaneously to Pakeha as a concerned member of their race speaking of their problems (ie. Maori). He is able to occupy both spaces - opposite and distant places - at the same time; something not possible in physics, but this is politics and prejudice is not matter.

And all this was before saying:
you are living in a country with scores of imported cultures, some with no respect for normal human values.
Which was about all he had to say about immigration. Which was odd seeing as how it was such a pressing concern for him in all the other previous elections but when the numbers of immigrants are now at their highest he ignores the issue. What must the man from the sub-continent have made of all this?

So Winston ended on a Churchillian note, using a Maori proverb (it sounded like it was - but it was in English) - another classic Winston flourish for his dual audience. And there followed a standing ovation. The Chairman (I guess?) thanked him and he left to applause.

Now at this stage the only people to have featured at this NZ First Party campaign launch had been: the Chairman (whose remarks had been confined to advising where the closest toilets were and leading the National Anthem -English version only), a Neil Diamond impersonator, John Rowles, and of course Winston himself. People were exiting, officials of various descriptions were milling around at random points and it looked as though the meeting had adjourned. But no?

So with most of the audience deciding to leave (Winston's speech had been something over an hour), the Chairman got to the microphone and started talking. I don't know what it is about men of a certain age or disposition, like that old guy in that awful Telecom ad, but as soon as they open their mouths a tranquilising fog of boredom and irrelevance wafts out. The droning monotone is as beige as the cardy that goes with the ailment. You automatically tune out - real fast. This chap was wallpaper, elevator music. Not that anyone was paying any attention at all, but ushers were hurriedly and pointlessly arranging and re-arranging the chairs on stage - no one knew what was happening - not the audience, not the Chairman, not the officials, not the candidates - no one had a fucking clue. A shambles. Hooton shouldn't of called them Nazis - Nazis would have at least been capable or running a simple bloody meeting properly.

So the Chairman asks the board members to stand up so we can see them. People are everywhere at this point - all over the show - shambolic. The cast of what looked like Dad's Army staggered up from their perches and gazed around at the chaos. They must be the board members. More waffle from him and by this time a string of people with rosettes had assembled across the stage. OK, the candidates - we get to see the list. Beaming and enthusiastic troopers like Barbara Stewart came to the microphone to say Yay! Go NZ First! etc. and shuffle off. They could barely be heard above the hubbub. Less than half the audience remained at this point, and most of them were clamouring to get out. By the time goofy Ron Mark got to wave appreciatively to the remaining, confused members most of them had started their trip back to the Bay of Plenty and to brick and tile, single level, antiseptic security. Back to their 2 channel existence, back to whatever age came before now.

I'm glad to see Winston sideline his usual race-baiting and immigrant bashing. Immigration is a messy issue that would benefit greatly in the advancement of the discussion and analysis if Winston were to unilaterally withdraw from that topic. That may cause him to be hated less, and make the country a more welcoming environment, but I'm sure that will translate into less votes for Winston. It looks like he's signaling he will not make immigration an issue in this election - that will be to his detriment, but to the nation's benefit.

There are elements of Winston's long-held economic nationalism that many people, Maori, Greens, Labour and even National, would or could agree to; so that would appear to be rich territory for him... but I don't see that having 5% traction with the electorate - Winston's electorate, Rob's electorate. As sad as it is I think that without the visceral hate - the negative force - Winston's campaign is doomed. Brand Winston is negative, reactionary and anti-establishment. But today Winston is part of the establishment, unwilling to criticise the PM - no mention was made of her in the speech. The only specifics mentioned about Labour was a claim that NZ First delivered:
the end of Labour’s politically correct social engineering agenda.
As for the other tried and true NZ First brand identification: law and order crack-downs, most parties - including Labour - have moved to that position - or beyond. He has been out-flanked on the right.

Then what's left? What is the point of Winston's political existence? Has the pensioner's biggest champion peaked too early to capture the 'Baby Boomers' retirement bubble? It's a growth demographic, it's a smart piece of real estate to occupy to build something very solid. The vibe I'm getting is that it's a stepping stone he won't quite be able to make.