Tamihere shakes off naysayers

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Tamihere shakes off naysayers

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John Tamihere has 2014 in his sights

John Tamihere has 2014 in his sights

By Brook Sabin

Former MP and talkback radio host John Tamihere says he may return to politics. Mr Tamihere wants to make a comeback for Labour, despite once infamously calling former party colleagues "queer" and "tossers".

Today he was again leading with his mouth about the calibre of today's crop.

“Everyone can pull their weight a bit bigger and a bit better,” says Mr Tamihere.

That's rather tame. Rewind seven years and Mr Tamihere labelled some of his Labour colleagues "queer", "smarmy" and "tossers". He also said he was sick of hearing how many Jews got gassed in the Holocaust.

But Mr Tamihere has moved on and 2014 appears in his sights.

‘It's a matter of whether you sit back on the couch potato complaining and moaning,” he says. “A lot of people do that. Others can jump in the ring and have a go.”

Mention Mr Tamihere to the current Labour Party leader, David Shearer, and the response is a laugh – a chuff, but the door's left wide open.

“John's free to put his name forward as anyone else is and that's his choice,” says Mr Shearer.

But for the moment, Mr Tamihere appears to have the Waitakere electorate, home to Paula Bennett, in his sights. He says taking on Ms Bennett would please him “immensely”.

So Mr Tamihere could put an end to the speculation by using one word: no. But he's refusing to use it. So expect a comeback, or at least an attempt, in 2014, because the Labour Party might not let him back in.

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Comments

10/10/2012 12:22:29 p.m.

Craig Young wrote:

And now he's stated that he supports charter schools, despite the fact that Labour Party policy is firmly against them. As I've said, Labour would be foolish to let this opportunist, populist character back into its caucus.

7/10/2012 2:46:17 p.m.

Craig Young wrote:

Tamihere is an opportunist. He was a short-lived Labour Maori MP, then he backed Key when the Waipareira Trust had a Whanau Ora contract, then fell out with them when Te Puni Kokiri ended it. He earlier stated that he had also considered New Zealand First. My advice would be to stop bothering the Labour Party, given he's obviously not a team player, and ask Winston to see if there's a vacancy on his party list.

3/10/2012 6:55:05 a.m.

alison wrote:

Gosh for a min I thought it was micheal laws wantin back in. That wud be annoying. At least we can switch radio off and if mr tamihere wants to tackle miss penny pincher then alls fair in the world of politics and whomever topples miss penny pincher from her throne is always going to be a hero and have lots of attention. No wonder he wants a go.

2/10/2012 7:35:39 p.m.

Ruz wrote:

Tamihere might be bored, but I think he has lost his mojo as far as returning to politics is concerned. If he was ever to get back into parliament I doubt that he would have the patience to sit on the back benches in relative obscurity. John is one of those people who need to have attention and be in the spotlight and I suspect that the only way he would ever achieve that is to say something outrageous and controversial.