Keeping the tent-wetters out!

Former US President Lyndon Johnson is credited with the political maxim about keeping annoying people inside the tent rather than outside of it.
Apparently the saying came from the time Johnson was seeking to remove J. Edgar Hoover from his post as the head of the FBI. However, when the problems involved in doing so proved insurmountable, LBJ philosophically accepted Hoover's presence with his infamous quote: "It's probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out," he reasoned, "than outside pissing in."
He was just putting a more rudimentary spin on the old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer.
However, LBJ’s political lore has been turned on its head by the decision of PM John Key to rule out any post-election deal with Winston Peters – 10 months before the election. Yet, while it’s a somewhat gutsy and risky call of Key potentially losing power rather than forming a government with the Victor Muldrow (grumpy old man) of New Zealand politics, it is a good one – except for Peters and Labour who are now inextricably linked to each other.
Key has basically given the electorate a choice – either me or him and admitting his political tent is Winston urine-intolerant. Because if anyone ever in New Zealand politics epitomised being a serial tent urinator –it would have to be Winston Raymond Peters. The guy is the equivalent to electoral Roundup – in other words: every government he has ever been involved with dies!
Firstly, he was sacked by Jim Bolger as a Minister back in 1991. He spent the whole time urinating all over his National Party colleagues – despite being in the executive tent and supposedly bound by Cabinet collectively. This gave him political martyrdom – which he still claims today – and the opportunity to set up his NZ First Party. The political home of this country’s old, grumpy, bigots and rednecks ever since.
Peters’ two other stints in Government since then – in 1996-98 and 2005-2008 – both also ended in tears. It saw him metaphorically urinating all over his coalition partners and destroying their chances of re-election. First with National in 1999 and again with Labour in 2008.
The man and his politics are pure toxic waste. He is a wrecker, not a builder. His only aim is self-preservation and feeding his huge ego. In fact, Peters is much more like maverick political colleague, rebel Maori Party MP, Hone Hawawira (even down to the same over-active, facial twitch when under pressure), than he cares to admit.
Both are far-better suited to opposition and protest politics, than the actual constructive, hard-work, and less-glorified role of being in government. Peters and Hawawira both have limp political prostate glands, which means they can’t help themselves from leaking all over their friends just to make themselves look better.
The Maori Party hierarchy should do themselves a favour and emulate John Key’s stance with Peters and ban Hone from their tent as well.
The New Zealand political scene would be far better off if both of these tent-wetters are sent packing!