Larry Williams: Waitangi is a mess the PM is right to avoid

The hikoi from the anti-TPP protest in Auckland is welcomed back onto Te Tii Marae. Photo / Michael Craig

Opinion

Listen to Larry Williams now on Larry Williams Drive, 4pm to 7pm. Today, the show previews the weekend's Waitangi events and looks at the aftermath of the TPP demonstrations.

The Prime Minister promised he would not quit Waitangi - and he has broken that promise. But here's the thing - nobody cares. Quite the reverse, there is a wave of support for John Key's decision.

I played the Prime Minister a clip of Ngapuhi's Kingi Taurua's threatening language the other night and the next day, Key pulled the plug. He could see Waitangi wasn't a safe place to be.

Look at the mess up there today. One of the trustees of Te Tii Marae says the PM is a "coward". Hone Harawira says the PM is a "cry baby".

Tell me, why would anyone with half a brain want to mix with that company? They're out of control and some of them are delusional.

Lack of leadership

Then we have Labour's leader Andrew Little saying the PM shows a lack of leadership. Little's fundamental problem is he fails to pick up on the mood of the country. That is why Labour is flatlining in the polls.

Little's dissing of the TPPA is a case in point. It is a huge miscalculation.

He's dredging up all sorts of nonsense about the TPPA that has caused a split in Labour's caucus. Free traders like Phil Goff know that the same rules are embedded in FTAs that Labour has already signed. Go figure.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement signing was a significant moment for this country. We have been trying to get greater access to the likes of Japan and the US forever. The protests weren't about the TPPA, it was just another anti-government, anti-corporations, anti-American, anti-John Key tantrum.

Down in the Trumps

Donald Trump has had a bad week too. He ran second in Iowa and that's a loss for a guy who says he always wins. I don't think Trump or Ted Cruz will win the Republican nomination.

Marco Rubio is the guy I think will win. He is the one that will beat Hillary Clinton - national polls in the US tell us this. Trump and Cruz won't get the support of the mainstream.