It looks like Winston Peters is about to be cast into political oblivion today.
In the light of the various donation scandals surrounding him a Serious Fraud Office investigation into those scandals an an H-Bomb dropped by the Prime Minister yesterday that she had evidence of Peters lies, it looks like Peters political career is at an end.
I say looks like, because in a political poll out yesterday Peters was polling over 5% in the preferred Prime Minister stakes and if that was translated on election day then Peters and his party would be back in Parliament.
His supporters, older Kiwis, are likely to galvanise support for him , whatever he does because they all share Peter's victim mentality, so we could see him again if the SFO inquiry doesnt get him.
Most Kiwis though will be glad to see the back of him.
All to often Kiwis have treated Peters as a joke and the last 6 months we have all seemed to laugh along with him-and nothing has happened , up to this point.
That is partly why he has survived in politics as long as he has, we do not take him seriously.
What he has been up to over the last 6 months isn't a joke though.
He has lied to Parliament and a Privileges Committee, dodged questions over his secret donations and made a mockery of our Parliament, our democracy, and ultimately our country.
If we had taken him seriously Winston Peters would have been sacked along time ago and he would be in prison. That is what happens in other real democracies that take these things seriously.
Helen Clark should also be facing a Privileges Committee hearing over her cover-up.
c Political Animal 2008
