On Sun, 13 Apr 2025 07:36:18 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro
<
ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
There seems to be a difference of opinion between Winston Peters and >Christopher Luxon over what to do about Trumps increasingly erratic trade >policy. Luxon is gearing up to try to weather a trade war by
strengthening new alliances around the CPTPP and so on, while Peters seems
to want to give the Orange One the benefit of the (rapidly-shrinking)
doubt over the impression hes giving of wanting to totally tear up long- >standing trade relations (not to mention political ones).
Who do you think is right? I think Peters is increasingly painting himself >into a corner.
Peters is planting himself right where he wants to be - as Deputy
Prime Minister with a will to exert more power than David Seymour.
Peters merely wanted to follow advice from Foreign Affairs, which is
not to stick our head up into cross-fire. As it turns out, Trump is
already having to back-track on many of the outrageous proposals, but
he will remember those countries that made the biggest fuss - that
counts as public criticism in his eyes. Apparently Luxon did not even
consult with the Department before publicly having discussions! The
aims that you describe for Luxon may well have been right - he
probably thought it was an opportunity to be seen to be doing
something as a World Leader but - the normal order is ready, aim, fire
- Luxon was forgetting the first two steps and did not appear to have identified a target.
Peters is widely regarded as being very difficult in a coalition, but
he does, partly from years of experience including a previous term as
foreign minister, know quite a lot about that job, and about world
diplomacy - he is reputed to listen carefully to Foreign Affairs - a
welcome change from his attitudes to practically anything else.
So I think you may have Luxon and Peters the wrong way around - albeit
that Peters is at fault for not having made sure that Luxon did get
briefings, and personally checking that Luxon did not ''go off on his
own in the way he did.
For sure both Labour and National will be hoping that Peters does not
get back into a position to decide the government, and both would
prefer not to have him in a coalition. Seymour is however likely to be
needed by National to form a government - but many in National have
less time for him than for Peters. Peters is now 80, and we have
seen the effect of old age on both Biden (born 1942) and Trump (born
1946). Winston was born in 1945; his problem is that he has no
credible successor so vanity may make him stand for another term, but
that may destroy NZ First . . .
(Note my newsreader would not accept this reply without a change to
the Subject)
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