OPINION: Here's your problem with Winston Peters, well one of them anyway, there's only so much time.
In his desperation to be relevant and to be heard, Winston plummeted to a frightening new low this week. I thought I'd seen most sides of Winston, but this was shameless and an irresponsible pitch for votes.
Firstly, and I don't think he meant for it to slip out, Winston wants to drive the price of cigarettes down so no one pays more than $20 a pack.
If you love your durries, you'll be loving Uncle Winnie right now cause they cost about $33 a packet.
You'll save thousands of dollars if you're a chain smoker.
But for me, this translates as: Winston wants to kill you sooner by making smoking cheaper.
Talk about swimming against the tide.
These annual tax hikes on cigarettes have been by general agreement across all parties, hiking the prices makes people quit.
And Winston has certainly had decades to make his view and vote count on this.
He's sat there and voted for the tobacco tax increases pretty much year in year out.
Yet only now is he rushing to market with the exact opposite view, now it's the election campaign.
He was even forced to put out a statement saying he will drop the price of cigarettes if he's elected.
Bet he doesn't though.
Anyway, this country needs every dollar of tax revenue right now, not some cowboy advocating for smoking.
It's a credibility issue.
Peters has had 40 years to stand for and against these ideas, and his flip flop now to me isn't genuine
His other idea this week was to fully fund St John. I agree with that, but again he's had 40 years to do it - he chose not to.
Besides you need tax revenue to fund St John, Winston. You just rid yourself of a whole bunch by making smokes cheaper.
Duncan Garner hosts The AM Show.