19 August 2004

Brash Shows Lack Of Leadership Skills

Rt Hon Winston Peters says Don Brash’s comments in an Australian newspaper reflect his inexperience and lack of political leadership skills.

Writing in the Australian Financial Review, Dr Brash said the gap in living standards between Australia and New Zealand risked New Zealand becoming "just another Pacific island state".

Mr Peters said it was unwise and disloyal for a political leader to “bad mouth” his country overseas as it was a long term convention for politicians of all persuasions to show a united front on the international scene.

“Don Brash fails to grasp even the most simple elements of political leadership. He also has a cheek to point to New Zealand’s shortcomings when people of his ilk created them through stupid, short-sighted free market policies in the first place.

“Let me remind you Dr Brash that Australia rejected the policies you hold so dear and that is why they are prospering,” said Mr Peters.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>