The spluttering shock and surprise from pundits and academics that NZ First has managed to sidestep the SFO investigation into fraud will have enormous political ramifications.

This failed prosecution became political because of the timing of the charges just before the election and follow other attempts to screw NZF over like the Superannuation leak and Trev’s attempt to trespass Winston from Parliament.

The curveball in the 2023 election will be Winston and NZ First, if he gets over 5%, he will be the Kingmaker/Queenmaker and Mallard’s bizarre desire to trespass an institution like Winston will sow a bitter harvest at negotiation time.

Winston could bring a genuine isolationist stance to NZ politics by reviving Muldoon’s Think Big anti-free market economic sovereignty. At a time of global financial collapse, economic nationalism will be extremely populist.

The last poll had NZF on 3%, Winston is a campaigner like no other and if NZF are 3% 18months before the next election he has a real chance of crossing the 5% threshold on Election Day.

This SFO investigation implosion was the last albatross around Winstons neck and now it has been cut from him, expect his vengeance to be blistering.

The NZ First handbrake is back.

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