I live in Central Otago and even away in the boondocks I hear about Kiri Allan’s after hours antics, about her drinking and about her tortured love life. This has been going on for 18 months.
In fact I first heard about her night time activities the summer before last, about the same time I heard about Chris Hipkins marriage breaking up.
So she has led a troublesome personal life for some time. The relationship with Mani Dunlop was fractious back then before becoming all official again with the engagement and her very vocal and out of order support for the broadcaster at the Radio NZ function that Allan had to apologise for.
But then the relationship broke up again and that appears to have started her on a downward spiral which ended on Evans Bay Parade last night.
She appears unable to contain herself in office interactions and obviously doesn’t know how stop drinking to excess when she knows she has to drive.
And then on top of that she’s charged with refusing to accompany a police officer.
Labour will almost certainly now have to find a new candidate for East Coast.
Her portfolios are to be shared around an ever diminishing number of cabinet ministers. The cabinet is supposed to number 20. Now it’s down to 18.
But doesn’t Hipkins deserve to have a hot spotlight shone on him over this?
Allan was on stress leave. She was back for precisely one week before her career literally crashed, although mercifully did not burn.
Did he really do a thorough warrant of ministerial fitness check on her? Or was he just relying on her own assessment of her state of mind?
So the roll of cabinet dishonour is getting longer – Nash, Wood and Allan are fired, Whaitiri walks and Tinetti is in front of the Privileges Committee.
Let’s not forget Arden who was the first cabinet minister to leave this year.
All this in the six months Hipkins has been Prime Minister.
Surely, surely those polls are wrong. How can a party and a government in as much disarray as this still command over 30 percent support?
I think October 14 will tell us they don’t.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack where this article was sourced.
But then the relationship broke up again and that appears to have started her on a downward spiral which ended on Evans Bay Parade last night.
She appears unable to contain herself in office interactions and obviously doesn’t know how stop drinking to excess when she knows she has to drive.
And then on top of that she’s charged with refusing to accompany a police officer.
Labour will almost certainly now have to find a new candidate for East Coast.
Her portfolios are to be shared around an ever diminishing number of cabinet ministers. The cabinet is supposed to number 20. Now it’s down to 18.
But doesn’t Hipkins deserve to have a hot spotlight shone on him over this?
Allan was on stress leave. She was back for precisely one week before her career literally crashed, although mercifully did not burn.
Did he really do a thorough warrant of ministerial fitness check on her? Or was he just relying on her own assessment of her state of mind?
So the roll of cabinet dishonour is getting longer – Nash, Wood and Allan are fired, Whaitiri walks and Tinetti is in front of the Privileges Committee.
Let’s not forget Arden who was the first cabinet minister to leave this year.
All this in the six months Hipkins has been Prime Minister.
Surely, surely those polls are wrong. How can a party and a government in as much disarray as this still command over 30 percent support?
I think October 14 will tell us they don’t.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
I'm with you Peter on the polls. If they aren't a mile out then this country must be about half-filled with crazy Lefties who either suck off the state or have guaranteed work with the public service. Or are part of the entitlement brigade.
And then there's the Greens voters, who are next level deranged.
If NZ doesn't elect a centre-Right coalition with a good majority in October, after 3 completely dysfunctional and divisive years of Labour, watch the exodus of tax payers who have had a gutsful.
I'm learning Italian just in case.
No. Let's forget Adern!
Totally agree with you, especially the comment about the polls which are clearly rigged.
The polls are rigged, in line with the rest of the news. But a real poll would look much better if National could get rid of the puppet.
There is a ray of optimism here, a message that has clearly escaped those baying for blood right down to those looking for reasons to excuse Kiri's unfortunate slip-up. Declaring herself Maori, worn out by carrying too big a burden, gob-smacked by emotion fuddled by a little drink in the hope of medicinal effects, Kiri has proved herself human. In spite of being a politician she is one of us. The talent she has displayed until this blip, her efforts facing havoc in her electorate, her general competence all round are rare and too valuable to the country to dismiss over something that any of us could be trapped into doing in her circumstances. Why not give her a "Naughty Naughty" admonishment and restore her to where she is needed.
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