Campaign foes ready to haggle

By FRANCESCA MOLD, political reporter

Winston Peters is not ruling out a coalition deal with Labour, even though he and Helen Clark have been accusing each other of being untrustworthy.

And the Prime Minister is also refusing to rule out an agreement, although she says a deal with New Zealand First is not Labour's "preference".

Labour and its allies have turned their guns on Mr Peters in a bid to stem his growing poll ratings and reduce the need for his support after the election.

Helen Clark stepped up the attack yesterday, describing Mr Peters as a "Rip Van Winkle" character - someone who had gone to sleep for three years and only just woken up.

She said he betrayed voters in 1996 by doing a deal with National that resulted in a "chaotic" Government.

Mr Peters hit back at a public meeting in Wellington, abandoning his written speech to make a vitriolic attack on the Prime Minister.

He accused Helen Clark of being responsible for shutting 29 hospitals and of "condoning" the Hepatitis C bad blood scandal in the late 1980s.

Later, the Prime Minister said she refused to dignify his attack with a response, saying she had acted honourably throughout the bad blood issue.

Despite the bitter row, Mr Peters said the question of whether he and Helen Clark trusted each other had nothing to do with a coalition deal.

"It's a matter of signing an agreement and sticking to your word," he said. "It's not a matter of personal trust between people."

Mr Peters refused to say whether he would support a minority Labour government from the cross benches.

"We don't rule anything in or anything out," he said. "We don't know what the public voice will be till the 27th and until we do we cannot intelligently answer that question.

"And nor would I have thought Helen Clark would be able to, but desperate people take desperate measures."

The Prime Minister has also been giving the Greens special attention in the past few days, as part of a push to encourage voters to give Labour the ability to govern alone.

She called them a "fringe" party, opposed to economic growth, trade and the superannuation fund.

"They are nice people, but not ready for government."

Greens co-leader Rod Donald said he found Helen Clark's name-calling frustrating but it would not affect his party's ability to enter into a coalition with Labour.

"I accept we're in a competitive period and by next Sunday we will be back to co-operation."

Mr Donald believed the Prime Minister's attacks would backfire because they exposed a side of her personality that would not appeal to voters.

Winston Peters also took a swipe at Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson yesterday, in response to the unionist's comment that his members did not want to see New Zealand First in government with Labour.

Mr Peters said Labour and the CTU had colluded in an attempt to hijack the electorate and grab absolute power.

"If the Prime Minister thinks that elections aren't important, that you can by a process of political ambush hijack the electorate and do what you like and as you feel, then I'm afraid that's not the kind of coalition we're looking for."

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