Bruce Bisset: Has deeply contemplative Winston Peters had his day?

President Recep Erdogan of Turkey delivers a speech at the Islamic Summit in Istanbul, as Winston Peters appears to sleep. Photo / Supplied

Cometh the hour, cometh the woman.

But for all Jacinda Ardern's exceptional job of showing us what true leadership looks like, is she being let down and embarrassed by her coalition second-in-command, Winston Peters?

Peters turned 74 yesterday. Age is definitely catching up to him.

It seems like his rapier-like wit is rarely in evidence; he still shows belligerence but now lacks humour.

Then there's his developing tendency for "deep contemplation" (as he terms it) during important events.

There he was, eyes shut as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with Muslim community leaders after the Christchurch massacre.

Winston Peters, in deeply contemplative pose, alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as she meets with members of the Muslim community in Christchurch. Photo / SNPA

Peters appeared to be asleep during the high-level Organisation of Islamic Co-operation emergency summit two weeks ago. He denies being asleep on both occasions.

Then, he was sitting at the top table adjacent to where Turkey's president Recep Erdogan was addressing the conference, and for much of that speech appeared very deeply contemplative with his eyes shut - even as Erdogan praised Ardern for her "empathy and solidarity with Muslims".

Which was at odds with what the president had previously been saying: that if New Zealanders went to Turkey spreading anti-Muslim sentiment they would - referring to the Gallipoli campaign - be returned in caskets "like your grandfathers".

Peters was supposedly tasked with admonishing Erdogan for that rhetoric and for playing the gunman's video of the massacre at an election rally but failed to do so.

His explanation was he'd already given that message to Erdogan's deputy and his foreign minister when they were here just after the shootings, and that Erdogan was no longer using the footage.

That might have been acceptable had Erdogan not, a short time later, again used edited snippets from the video at a rally.

In my view Peters wasn't subsequently chastised because his role is part of the coalition agreement – and Ardern doesn't want to risk going to the polls over it, even if there's a wave of sentiment in Labour's favour and it's a good chance to finally be rid of the "kingmaker" and his motley crew.

Certainly in the wake of the massacre NZ First, with their tough immigration policies, look more than out-of-place in the Coalition Government.

Bad enough we have Ardern bringing Ron Mark into line after he was accused of implying grants might be pulled if people did not vote for NZ First - something Mark denies.

And Shane Jones accused of speaking out of turn, while the NZ Transport Agency goes through a court process with a Northland logging firm.

Then there are former MPs like Richard Prosser, who once suggested Muslims were "misogynist troglodytes from Wogistan". That he was once rated number three in NZ First's party list speaks volumes.

Which begs the question: if this is truly "not us", then what are these people doing in Parliament?

This has to be Winnie's final term, and if I were Jacinda, I'd chance a snap election partnered only with the Greens ahead of waiting for the dog's breakfast of an NZ First succession fight to drag the coalition down with it.