By Duncan Garner
Chris Carter was buried by the Labour Party last night, now he's threatening to destroy the political careers of those he used to work alongside.
Labour's ruling council had no option but to expel Carter last night. To do anything else would have been a slap in the face for leader Phil Goff. Goff needed the party to be shot of Carter and the party's done that. So, in many ways Goff's hand is strengthened.
But Carter's still there. He's still a major and noisy nuisance to the party and its leadership.
He continues to say Goff is a flake and can't win. And now he's threatening to dump dirt on those in the party he got offside with over the past few years.
He tried this line of defence last night with the council - he threatened them basically - and they ignored it and ignored him. Carter is being vindictive and nasty and clearly he's threatening utu - he wants revenge on his old mates.
His affidavit also blamed a series of 3 News stories I did over the past year on his travels. I stand by all of them. Especially the one I did calling him the Minister of International Travel, and also the one when he took off for two weeks to Great Britain to "observe" the elections. What a junket.
So some Labour MPs may be just a touch worried by his threats. He does know where the bodies are buried. Some say he's now irrelevant - and while that's largely true - if he decides to go tropo and nail one of his own with a seedy and sordid tale - then he becomes relevant, if not spiteful all over again.
He's hinting at a by-election, but still holding onto the purse strings of office. I think he's largely ignored Helen Clark's advice - and continues to speak out. I understand she is far from impressed with him.
So Carter is now a lonely figure. He is finished. He should force a by-election. He should walk away. He's no longer productive. It's a sad way to end a political career. This is the party he supposedly loved so much - but through his actions, he's been treacherous. History will show he is the only Labour MP to have been expelled from the caucus and the party.
He may fight the expulsion - but who cares. He may dump dirt - and wouldn't that look nasty.
But the overriding impression is this. He was protected and encouraged by Helen Clark. He was able to hide under her skirt (when she wore one.) But under Goff he was no longer special. He ran out of friends. He couldn't cope with the isolation. He is a dead man walking. But with a dirt file under his arm, he remains a poisonous snake. Who will he bite first? And who is the most nervous Labour MP right now?