John MacDonald: How can the PM trust this guy?

Winston Peters has gone too far this time.  Last week, Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis were telling us not to trust him.  They‘ll be saying it even louder now. After the NZ First leader released emails to the media which show how the Prime Minister was talked out of expressing “explicit public support” for the war in Iran.  And I'm in no doubt that peters has betrayed Luxon's trust.  The two of them, apparently, had what are being reported as “crisis talks” last night. With a spokesperson for the prime minister saying the NZ First leader has put politics ahead of national interest.  Which, of course, he has. And, if I was Christopher Luxon, I'd be ropeable.  Because that’s what he’s done. He’s put politics ahead of national interest. And i would have thought, after all the huffing and puffing about cool heads being needed when it comes to foreign affairs, that he wouldn’t have released these emails.  It’s this claiming credit thing that he just can’t resist. Like that time when Christopher Luxon went on social media and said he’d done a trade deal with Southeast Asian nations.  And Peters responded with that one-word tweet saying “we”. As in “we” did the deal, not “you”.  But releasing these emails about the Iran war is next level.  Because it shows a very clear difference of opinion within the government. With the prime minister thinking the attacks by the U.S. And Israel were and are a good thing - but saying something different publicly.  Which happens all the time in governments. But you don’t go telling the world about it. Which is exactly what Winston Peters has done.  Just as an aside, even though I think Winston Peters is in the wrong here, it does show how out of his depth the prime minister was when this all blew up.  As the released emails show, he was all gung-ho and wanted the government to show “explicit public support” for the war when it started.  But, as we saw publicly during those first few days (which is backed up these emails), it was Winston who was all calm the farm and don’t panic.  That’s what he was saying to media on the Sunday after the attacks started.  It seems to me that one of the things Winston is going to campaign on in this year’s election is “experience”.  Because last week he criticised the prime minister for putting his leadership to the test with that confidence vote. It was clear that he thought Luxon was naive doing that - because it only invites another confidence vote next time a bad poll comes out.  Now, by releasing these emails, he’s pointing to Luxon's naievity on the foreign affairs front.  Which is true. Christopher Luxon is way out of his depth when it comes to foreign affairs and international diplomacy.  But you don’t go showing to that to the world the way Winston Peters has.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.