OPINION: Willie Jackson has gone all "sooky-bubba" and made the Labour list announcement all about his fall.
It is unfortunate because it should be about the rise of newcomer Willow-Jean Prime.
Rather than Willie's falling star, the story should be about Willow-Jean's rising one.
This should have been a story about how Willow-Jean Prime was an outstanding new candidate with a high list spot.
She is a lawyer, young mother, a Far North district councillor. She does it all - and has got it all.
She is Māori, likeable, she fights for the North, is battle-hardened after the Northland by-election - and most importantly, she's real.
Willow-Jean Prime is great, but in a symbolic brain-fade on The AM Show this morning Willie Jackson could not even remember her name.
This should also have been a story about the other great female candidates like top-flight lawyer Kiri Allan or policy analyst Priyanca Radhakrishnan
But Labour being Labour and Willie being Willie the story was all about his ego and him trying to bully his way up list and some standard shambolic political management.
The truth is Willie Jackson didn't like being ranked behind women like Willow-Jean Prime, and had a cry about it.
He needs to wake up and realise this: it is 2017, Willie.
Patrick Gower is Newshub's political editor.
