Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Peeni is harming Labour's chances at government

Seems to me that Peeni Henare's shenanigans in the by-election right now is exactly the kind of thing that Labour has to knock on the head, quick smart, if they want to be in the game at the election next year.

Now, as we were discussing earlier, even though Carmel Sepuloni has told Peeni off for saying that he wants to repeal the gang patch ban, he is not backing down.

Right?

He said it on Wednesday, they told him off on Thursday, and today he's not backing down.

He's repeated it because he says it's his personal view.

If not the Labour party’s, and he has whānau experience.

Now, why he's actually doing this, in my opinion, is because the Māori Party's doing it.

That's the real reason, because if you have a look at what actually happened on Wednesday night in that by-election candidates meeting, it was the Māori Party candidate Orini Kaipara who first answered the question.
The question was, will you repeal the ban?

She said, yes, and after she said yes, Peeni Henare then said yes too.

Now, maybe he does truly believe that it is the right thing to do.

But as I told you, it makes no sense as a political calculation.

Why would you chase the vote of 10,000 gang members if doing that means that you lose the votes of, I don't know, maybe 100,000 normal Kiwis who think the ban is a good idea.

The only answer to that question is because you actually don't care about the 100,000 votes.

You're not trying to help the Labour Party win, you're just trying to win your electorate seat.

In one of the Māori electorates, and you will say whatever it takes to match the Māori Party.

Now, Labour needs to sort this stuff out before the next election.

If Peeni or other candidates or Willie Jackson or even the entire Labour Party keeps chasing the Māori Party down the nutty radical road, they will, they will lose middle New Zealand.

Just like they did when Jacinda was being told what to do by Willie and Nanaia.

If I was giving them advice, it would be to leave the nutty stuff to the Māori Party and go to the center themselves again.

Maybe it means MPs like Peeni Henare will lose their seats, but that may be the sacrifice you have to make in order to win the election.

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