What has a man to do?

Politics has got to be the most unrewarding, butt-kicking, unmanageable business there is. If it wasn't for Rodney Hide, newspaper editors around the country wouldn't have their lucrative front page stories. Talk-back hosts would be scraping the barrel for another topic to ignite the passions. And John Key would still be sitting on the spiked MMP fence that has become almost as unpopular as the Berlin Wall, thanks to a certain show pony's odious shenanigans.

But today, as the Winston debacle winds up to full force, the man responsible hardly rates a mention. Not on the front pages and not in the editorials.

Johnny come-very-lately steals the show by almost, just about, very nearly, ruling Peters out of participating in a National cabinet. (Note that is not government and not necessarily the Peters' Party). It's a decision about as bold and decisive as another he made yesterday earning him the headline, Key slams bill - but has backed it for now.

What has a man got to do to earn the deserved credit he so badly needs to then translate into voting support? There is little Hide hasn't tried.

Now he has delivered the headlines that make the shiny Key shine even more. And has, to boot, to publicly praise the man who is really standing in the way of his party's advancement.

The electorate is as fickle as finance companies and as dense as dirty dishwater. Even yesterday people were still saying Winston has done more good than harm, Winston looks after us. Winston looks after himself. Period.

Will Peters ever get what he deserves? If there was any real justice in this world he would. And so would Hide.