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PETERS AND THE CHOPPERS

It doesn't get much more bizarre than the debate that broke out yesterday on "Agenda" as to whether Winston Peters campaigned in a helicopter. This started because of allegations in "The Dominion" that Mr Peters had asked the Vela brothers to finance a helicopter for the 1999 campaign.Somehow Winston introduced this into yesterday's interview. " I'm asking you to use your intelligence and your memory, do you recall me flying about in helicopters in any campaign? " Well, as it turned out the answer to that should have been yes. This is on Winston's blog today. "We used a helicopter to travel and I do not deny that, but to suggest that I somehow stood at the door of a flying helicopter shouting at voters is preposterous. We were campaigning - not deerstalking!" Just read the two statements. There you have the quintessential Winston Peters, the one I have known for now nearly 30 years and who hen he gets into a hole simply continues to dig and throw the dirt anybody in sight. Winston plainly wasn't happy about his Agenda performance which contrary to his allegations was not "cut short" but which probably went on far too long since he had little to say except for his rant about helicopters. He took a particular dislike to our panelist, John Roughan who the day before had written in "The Herald" that "my vote next Saturday will go to National, if the final polls suggest it needs it, or Act if it looks like a complacent conservative Government will need a spur in its flank." Winston took exception to this, calling John "a shit" as he left. Helen Clark contented herself with a frosty "I see you've declared yourself, John" . Instead it seemed to me that she was more concerned to avoid Winston. She came in just after 9.30. When she normally arrives she goes into makeup. The door is open and I usually go in and have a chat to her while she's being made up. Not yesterday though. She went in and the door shut while Press Secretary Julie Clausen interrogated me about what role Winston was playing in the programme. He arrived just before we went on air and apart from a silly scrap with him about how long the interview would be, he more or less stayed out of the picture till Miss Clark's interview was over. They crossed going in and out of the studio with a few words but nothing that could be described as a conversation. It looks like it's all over for Winston which may explain why he's behaving so bizarrely. And it certainly looks as though the Prime Minister would like a helicopter to take her away every time he appears.