Peters talks crap on Agenda
Posted on Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 8:21 PM | Permalink
New Zealand's part-time Foreign Minister Winston Peters spent his appearance on TV One's Agenda show obfuscating the facts and attacking the media - as usual.
1. Claiming credit for the work of others:
OWEN: Good morning Mr Peters, when you took up this position you laid out several goals for what you'd like to see happen in the Pacific region, what specifically have you done to realise those goals.
PETERS: Well precisely that I have set out to ensure that we maintained or increased our budget with respect to overseas government aid in this part of the world, the overall budget is up as well because we've got serious challenges to meet at this particular time and the policy that I have reprioritised namely to make the Pacific and our future the number one issue in Foreign Affairs is happening, it's recognised in Japan having increased its aid by 50% just a week ago to 402 million over three years, the European Union is also recognising that so is the United States and so in the sense of getting a refocus that is happening and has happened.
2. Contradicting himself in just two consecutive answers:
PETERS: Oh look I'm not bashing National I'm just pointing out that this party is a party of placebo politics and placebo policies, those policies which they do have were all stolen from New Zealand First. Who began to demand accountability on the Waitangi issue, who first talked about one law for everybody in this country, who first raised the issue of a ..referendum and the governance of this country, who for example said that all money collected from road taxes should be spent on roads. New Zealand First and Winston Peters said that and they stole those policies lock stock and barrel but the problem is they can't sell them.
OWEN: Does this mean that you couldn't work with National after the next election?
PETERS: No National's problem is that it advocates policies which are unworkable, I think it was Einstein who said that the true insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, that's what National's problem is they haven't got policies.
3. And of course attacking the media:
"Well no contrary to media statements which were utterly wrong..."
"...the media demanded that we leave our position pre election and join one or other side..."
"I just want to remind you their actions belie their statements, for the media to join them is I think you know somewhat shallow."
"Listen to Morning Report on Radio New Zealand, they have the Greens on and Act on every darn day and their contribution is zero."
"...the problem with polls in this country is that they're totally unaccountable..."
"Contrary to certain speculation by the media I'll retire when I'm good and ready to."
"Just get over it for godsake and the media understand that democracy is an evolving institution and this is just one form of it."
"The fact is of course that the other parties get an enormous amount of coverage, enormous amount of air time and television time and they have a whole forest full of papers written about them excepting one thing - they don't get to form governments... New Zealand First is not that sort of party because we don't suck up to the media, we don't play the media's silly games."
"...we are still a third party in this country so why am I seeing the 7th and the 5th parties constantly on Radio, TV and print media?"
"It's because you journalists rushed along and asked a stupid question of him."
And this is our premier diplomat talking, go figure.
Tags: Winston Peters
1. Claiming credit for the work of others:
OWEN: Good morning Mr Peters, when you took up this position you laid out several goals for what you'd like to see happen in the Pacific region, what specifically have you done to realise those goals.
PETERS: Well precisely that I have set out to ensure that we maintained or increased our budget with respect to overseas government aid in this part of the world, the overall budget is up as well because we've got serious challenges to meet at this particular time and the policy that I have reprioritised namely to make the Pacific and our future the number one issue in Foreign Affairs is happening, it's recognised in Japan having increased its aid by 50% just a week ago to 402 million over three years, the European Union is also recognising that so is the United States and so in the sense of getting a refocus that is happening and has happened.
2. Contradicting himself in just two consecutive answers:
PETERS: Oh look I'm not bashing National I'm just pointing out that this party is a party of placebo politics and placebo policies, those policies which they do have were all stolen from New Zealand First. Who began to demand accountability on the Waitangi issue, who first talked about one law for everybody in this country, who first raised the issue of a ..referendum and the governance of this country, who for example said that all money collected from road taxes should be spent on roads. New Zealand First and Winston Peters said that and they stole those policies lock stock and barrel but the problem is they can't sell them.
OWEN: Does this mean that you couldn't work with National after the next election?
PETERS: No National's problem is that it advocates policies which are unworkable, I think it was Einstein who said that the true insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, that's what National's problem is they haven't got policies.
3. And of course attacking the media:
"Well no contrary to media statements which were utterly wrong..."
"...the media demanded that we leave our position pre election and join one or other side..."
"I just want to remind you their actions belie their statements, for the media to join them is I think you know somewhat shallow."
"Listen to Morning Report on Radio New Zealand, they have the Greens on and Act on every darn day and their contribution is zero."
"...the problem with polls in this country is that they're totally unaccountable..."
"Contrary to certain speculation by the media I'll retire when I'm good and ready to."
"Just get over it for godsake and the media understand that democracy is an evolving institution and this is just one form of it."
"The fact is of course that the other parties get an enormous amount of coverage, enormous amount of air time and television time and they have a whole forest full of papers written about them excepting one thing - they don't get to form governments... New Zealand First is not that sort of party because we don't suck up to the media, we don't play the media's silly games."
"...we are still a third party in this country so why am I seeing the 7th and the 5th parties constantly on Radio, TV and print media?"
"It's because you journalists rushed along and asked a stupid question of him."
And this is our premier diplomat talking, go figure.
Tags: Winston Peters
