Reports Peters will be Foreign Minister in a Labour Led Government

Today's Herald reports Winston Peters will be Foreign Minister outside Cabinet in a Labour led Government. This is most curious if it comes to pass.

In the UK the Foreign Office is one of the Great Vessels of State - along with the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, and the Home Office. People crawl over broken glass to be Foreign Secretary - there is no question it is a Cabinet level role.

Here we appear to have the extra-ordinary position of the role being downgraded to one outside Cabinet and perhaps amusingly inhabited by a politician who has variously pilloried and shaken migrants from countries apparently New Zealand (under Labour) wants to have some influence - Muslim migrants and migrants from China.

How will Peters reconcile his position at either the Minsiterial level or perhaps more importantly among NZFirst's constituents. I see this as a significant leg rope. Rather oxymoronic to be a Foreign Secretary reaching out (from) under the moniker NZ first. That's the sort of thing we expected from imperial Britain or neo-Imperial US.