Airport thoughts: What about Winston?

Passing through Auckland Aiport yesterday I meditated on a few things, a couple of which I'm going to share with you lot.

Every time I visit Auckland's privately-owned International Airport it's changed, and always for the better. Over a relatively short space of time the formerly drab, unattractive, government-owned and uninspiring airport has become in private hands an efficient, attractive and delightful gateway to the rest of the country and the rest of the world. And works will no doubt be continuing to keep the improvements continuing, the passengers flowing, and the share price rising. (Such a shame about the government-owned roads that regularly delay access to the airport.)

Things airport-wise in Auckland are in short going well. Very well. So what was the problem with selling the other airports?

Do you remember the fuss Winston Peters made when previously in coalition about selling off the Wellington airport? After having previously let the sale of Auckland Airport proceed unprotested -- in fact, as Treasurer he announced the sale of the Government's majority interest -- in a subsequent bid to bring down the Government and stage manage a point of difference for the forthcoming election, Winston if you recall staged a walk-out over the sale of Wellington airport.

What a plonker.

Now, you don't need to be an Army astrologer to predict that the headline-hunting plonker will walk again at some stange this Parliamentary term. But what do you think his next stage-managed walk-out will be over? And when? And how much will Helen crawl to try and keep him in line?

TAGS: Privatisation, Politics-NZ, Politics-Winston_First, Auckland