On the attack: Peter Dunne lashes out at Labour and National, saying they're 'scared' of Winston Peters

October 17, 2017

The former United Future leader says Bill English and Jacinda Ardern are bowing to Winston’s tune.

Former MP Peter Dunne has spoken out against the scale of NZ First's power over government negotiations, and thinks the process has made Bill English and Jacinda Ardern scared of Winston Peters.

"If you're seeking to form a government and be prime minister of New Zealand, you've got to step up and take some leadership," the former leader of United Future said this morning from Wellington. 

"I think they got his tactics wrong by basically bowing to his (Winston Peters') tune in terms of when the negotiations take place, how they take place."

Mr Dunne said the major parties should be driving the talks and Labour and National had been put on the back foot.

1 NEWS' political reporter Katie Bradford asked if he thought the major parties were scared of Winston Peters.

"Absolutely," said Mr Dunne.

"If they're talking about being leaders, people who can take the country forward and their starting process is to remain timid about upsetting a likely partner, it's not a very good way to start a relationship. 

The Labour leader criticises the Act leader's take on the coalition negotiations.

"You've got to form a government on the basis of trust and some agreement about direction. Not of fear of upsetting someone.

"I think that's why you've seen both leaders be so quiet over the last couple of weeks, and that's really absurd."

He said it mirrored the negotiations of New Zealand's first MMP election in 1996, and the repeat "runs the risk of discrediting the whole process".

"I suspect the outcome will be similar. I'm thinking it won't last."

Mr Dunne hinted the formation of the negotiations was built on the "basis of vanity", with an "inbuilt self-destruction mechanism". 

He questioned whether a system should be in place where the Governor-General invites the party with the largest vote to firstly attempt to form a government. 

"But at the moment it's very much cart before the horse."

Seymour says 'Winston is off talking to his imaginary friends' and that nothing has been made public about policy.

Yesterday, Act leader David Seymour said Labour and National should have shown more leadership and ensured NZ First's negotiations were public.

Ms Ardern hit back today, saying, "David Seymour would never conduct, for instance, a commercial negotiation in public and so why would you conduct a negotiation of this scale and nature in public?" 

"Transparency, I agree, is important. The moment an agreement is signed and is a done deal, those agreement are publicly released.

"I think people would understand why that would be the case."



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