Winston

When Winston Peters goes to bed tonight, he'll be a very happy man. After two and a half years of being ridiculed and treated as an untrustworthy turncoat who betrayed his old battler voters, he finally has just about everyone in the media attacking him over policy.

This is what attracts voters to Winston Peters - he portrays himself as the outsider, fighting against the corruption of big business and self-interest of the major parties. He appeals to voters who remember the old New Zealand - where the Government owned industries and protected labour intensive companies to keep employment high as their primary objective.

So in the past fortnight, Winston Peters has found three issues to diffentiate himself from Labour, National, and both. And he's gotten what he wanted most of all - publicity.

First, Peter Brown makes a statement out of the blue about non-english speaking immigrants - most of whom are Asian - and accusing them of not wanting to integrate into society. Cue an outcry from political opponents, immigrant groups, and the media.

Then, Winston Peters seizes on the Auckland Airport shareholders plan to sell their shares to the Canadian Pension Fund. Don't let Johnny Foreigner own our Airport - it's in our strategic interest to keep it. (How? - but that's not the point) Cue an outcry from the political opponents, business groups, and the business media.

Finally, Winston Peters appears to be mulling over the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement. Hours after he annouces his opposition, adverts appear in the main daily papers - looking all too planned in advance. Cue an outcry from political opponents, business groups, and the media.

Winston Peters has not really gotten anything he called for - there is no chance of a change in immigration policy and the FTA with China will go ahead. He may have shamed Labour into stopping the Auckland airport sale but they're going to take the blame for that from opponents - not him, he'll get all the credit.

But he has got the one thing he desparately wants - publicity showing him as the outsider, fighting the bg boys and their new ways in Parliament. Those that find that appealing will have taken notice, and begin again thinking about voting for 'thier' Winston.