L

However, I’ve already got friends. I’m looking for someone I can trust to honestly represent my country. No brainer.

Key on Midday Report just now: “I do condone [push-polling]. Oh, no, no, I do not condone it!” (or words to this effect).

Poor bastard.

L

Lynn, you sound like an ACT member!

Nope – I sound like I should be a ACT member.

But I have a slightly longer viewpoint and an abiding interest in history. I also have a keen awareness about factors outside of family that helped my progress. Doing night shift in factories, working as a farm labourer, and being an underage barman help as well. Then of course the army makes you very aware of the consequences of political failure.

Having a big family mean that you see all of the places people wind up and why.

In the end you get a keen awareness of society running as a whole, with less of the self-satisfaction of the self-made person. Stops you being an ACT member.

He is a family man. IMO having children qualifies him more to speak on family issues than someone who does not

Mike, that is very simplistic – by that logic, you would go to Chris Kahui for parenting advice over a paediatrician who doesn’t have kids.

By the way, Helen Clark also comes from a family, so she does have first-hand experience of family issues.

It takes a principle-free party hack to argue that a “swift boat” slur campaign free of any real policy is right, proper and good practice.

Bright side for me is the fact that good looks aren’t a major pre-requisite for a prime minister I respect.

—

Good point Lew. No one with an ounce of sense would judge Key based on the image presented since involvement with National. All that’s left is his history prior to National.

At least with Clark we have a clear idea of her motivations and values (through 9 years of observation).

I wouldn’t mind with Key so much if it was just lack of opportunity to display his true colours – it’s the fact that he’s actively concealing them that pisses me off.

Hahaha good one jaffapety

So you won’t be voting for National (or ACT, since they’ll be forming a coalition with National), then? Given the audio clip at the head of this thread, I mean.

Ruling out liars in politics means ruling out voting. I take the view that knowing one’s politicians allows one to vote for them in spite of their many and various failings. Key doesn’t give me that opportunity, by hiding his political self behind a facade created from whole cloth to do nothing but appeal to me.

L

That’s fair enough.

But what about that glorious photoshop of HC on all the billboards at the last election? Doesn’t it bother you?

I’d guess not, since you’re willing to overlook the same thing from people you agree with.