A gutless strategy

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 pm, June 22nd, 2011 - 41 comments
Categories: brand key - Tags:

I see Key is due to fly in to help announce the bad news in Christchurch tomorrow only to fly straight out to India the next day. It’s seems to me the timing is all about keeping Key’s brand away from the bad news – he’ll do the sombre announcement and then leave others to deal with the fall out.

Much as he chose Australia as the place to announce his u-turn on pike. It’s easier that way: no hard domestically-informed questions, no-one to hold him to account, no chance he’ll look bad on the telly. Of course when the time came to answer some tough questions on Morning Report he wasn’t available (again).

And it’s important to keep him clean. To make sure his brand isn’t tainted by mishandled tragedy or by the policies that are failing New Zealanders so badly.

Because he’s the one and only hope for a National Party re-election. Just look at the way his PR team are starting to move him away from policy focused media and into relational media. The recent “get to know the real John” interview on The Nation, for example, or the oleaginous “world according to John” piece in the latest North and South.

The point behind these pieces is to build a living-room relationship with Kiwis because Key’s PR team know that policy talk doesn’t make a great deal of difference to the big chunk of disconnected swing voters that decide elections. They also know that nobody wants to make friends with the bad-news guy.

Keeping Key clean like this is a gutless strategy but it’s one that will work in the short term. For Key and the Nats that is. Not for New Zealand.

41 comments on “A gutless strategy ”

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  1. Rob 1
    22 June 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Oleaginous ! Great word just sums him up

    • Deadly_NZ 1.1
      22 June 2011 at 10:57 pm

      @ Rob, To a T. And for those who can’t be bothered to Google it a veritable feast of spot on descriptions of Smile and Wave.

      Google search

      o·le·ag·i·nous :adjective.
      Buttery: unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; “buttery praise”; “gave him a fulsome introduction”; “an oily sycophantic press agent”; “oleaginous hypocrisy”; “smarmy self-importance”; “the unctuous Uriah Heep”; “soapy compliments”

      In other words a Bullshit artist of the first water.

  2. ianupnorth 2
    22 June 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Is it anything less than you would expect from smile and wave…..
     
    Maybe he could catch Delhi belly and expire?

    • Jim Nald 2.1
      23 June 2011 at 2:45 am

      Actually, I’ve been skyping with a friend in New Delhi where it was early evening (six hour diff with NZ).

      He charted John Key’s bhavas, rasi, dasha, etc (Vedic-based horoscope thingy) in anticipation of the India trip. He says it would be better if donkey stayed away and didn’t visit.

      So, ianupnorth, not sure about the Delhi belly bit but from my astrological casting friend’s readings, it sounds like India will be afflicted by unlucKey (!) rather than the other way round.

      All the best, Bharata Gaṇarajya, you can have him for the rest of the month!

  3. Brett Dale 3
    22 June 2011 at 9:45 pm

    Uhm hes Prime Minister, they do have to travel overseas? I mean Keith Locke a green party poiltician has been hanging out and sucking up to CUBA, the past few weeks, I dont see him with his gumboots on, digging muck up in Aranui.

    • Colonial Viper 3.1
      22 June 2011 at 9:48 pm

      Uhm hes Prime Minister, they do have to travel overseas?

      The PM’s little first class flights and six star hotel stayd are more important than engaging with the people of Christchurch.

    • ianupnorth 3.2
      22 June 2011 at 9:51 pm

      Most leaders do the leadership thing and lead by example, they don’t runaway from the crisis – is he modelling himself on De Gaulle?

      Maybe it’s a recruitment drive for builders and hospitality staff for the RWC?

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3
      22 June 2011 at 9:51 pm

      Jonkey isn’t digging up muck either. He’s doing a fly-by photo-op and that’s it.

    • freedom 3.4
      22 June 2011 at 9:57 pm

      gimme a B, an R, an E and 2 Ts
      and i’ show you someone who likes life upon their knees

      a D an A an L what the hell another E
      slavery is fine but i say it’s not for me

      a Y an O a big ol’ U will satisfy the needs
      then i will remember who to thank when scrounging feeds

      an N would be good and 2 E’s another D
      can you tell me how to stop the facts that scream from history

      a T and then an O and it is oh god what did we do?

      a T an H an I an N and a K road job for you

    • Eddie 3.5
      22 June 2011 at 10:27 pm

      um. hasn’t he delayed travel plans in the past?

      Hasn’t he been back in NZ since Tuesday afternoon?

      Why will the announcement be made hours before Key leaves the country for something so trivial as mid-point talks on the India FTA. He’s not going to sign anything. The talks don’t depend on him going this week.

      • William 3.5.1
        23 June 2011 at 11:29 am

        He’s previously returned early from overseas trips to attend to urgent matters here, eg the funeral for the crew of the ANZAC day helicoptor crash.
        Oh silly me, that was a photo op guaranteed to have public sympathy!

    • North 3.6
      22 June 2011 at 11:06 pm

      Yes of course Brett Dale……all the politicians travel……thousands of people travel……even this pleb’ travels from time to time.

      Scored a magnificent AirAsia CH-KL-CH for $549 taxes incl. in September. But I’m not running away like that characterless, gutless little Crosby Textor dork. Leaving Schultz Brownlee to fart his obese way through the aftermath of tomorrow.

      The only people who travel to run away from the bad news are criminals, child support defaulters, and the OLEAGINOUS John Key. Wonder if he’s taking the Plastic Meorrie Sharples with him, BMW stuck to his arse and all ?

      “OLEAGINOUS”…….beautiful ! Better than “Endora” (that sly-smiled witch from “Bewitched” of 60s/70s television) as the dead-ringer for the malignant Judith Collins,

      Maybe you’re OLEAGINOUS II Brett Boy.

      What utter shit you talk……..gummies and muck in Aranui indeed ! That was all for photo-op. The crud’s runnin’ away……..leavin’ it to Schultz to bluff his way through.

  4. hellonearthis 4
    22 June 2011 at 9:46 pm

    Off to India, setting up another MOSTLY Free Trade deal.

  5. Sookie 5
    22 June 2011 at 9:48 pm

    TV3 basically gave the gist of Key’s announcement tonight. While I grudgingly applaud the government for offering to pay people out now and then fight it out with EQC and the insurance companies afterwards, as that will speed things up greatly, giving people the GV on their houses might leave a few people seriously out of pocket. I know the GV on our house is now less than what we paid for it, because of the slump in the housing market and that it doesn’t take into account non-consented improvements. Market value as of Sept 2010 would have been more generous but hey, its the Nats, what do you expect?

    • Oscar 5.1
      23 June 2011 at 12:05 am

      You do realise that GV values for the large part in Sept 2010 were still the values from Oct/Nov 2007?
      Our GV Value in Wellington didn’t change until November 2010 for this new rating year, so I would expect the same in Christchurch.

    • Peter 5.2
      23 June 2011 at 9:21 am

      To be fair it would seem they are taking values prior to the 2008 crash. Using values after 2008 would no doubt cause an uproar.

  6. Peter 6
    22 June 2011 at 9:59 pm

    On the subject of PR and image building. The political trainspotters amongst you will have noticed that Brian Gould is a regular contributor to the NZ Herald. His articles also get posted at http://www.bryangould.net/. Well not all website posts get published by the Herald. A noticeable omission by the Herald is the satirical piece “John Key Is Missing”.

    Yes, I believe in PR conspiracy theories.

  7. Greg Presland 7
    22 June 2011 at 10:14 pm

    Key today in Parliament was appalling.  He tried to run the line that the consent for the Pike River mine was issued while Labour was in power.  The original consent was issued in 1998.  I am not sure what consent he was referring to, it must be a subsequent one relating to water discharge or something like that.

    This is worth a story complete with copies of both consents disclosed.

    Maybe then the MSM will pick up on it rather reporting a he said, she said …

    • ianupnorth 7.1
      22 June 2011 at 10:18 pm

      To quote an Aussie expression

      Mate, you’re dreamin’

      The media are not reporting all John Key’s disasters.
       

    • richard 7.2
      22 June 2011 at 10:29 pm

      John Key needs to remove the ‘e’ from his surname – John KY – very slippery!

      • Colonial Viper 7.2.1
        22 June 2011 at 10:43 pm

        Yeah, the NZ public is being bent over, screwed and given a thorough butt fucking.

        And John KY’s job is to make it happen with the least resistance possible.

        • freedom 7.2.1.1
          22 June 2011 at 11:29 pm

          i suggested a slogan for the election earlier this week :]
          ” STAND UP or BEND OVER
          IT’S YOUR VOTE ! “

    • Roflcopter 7.3
      23 June 2011 at 9:06 am

      Go back and have a look at general debate time, where Mallard retracted that date, and tabled the consent date to 1999.

      His initial quoting of 1998 was based on information at hand, which was later proven incorrect.

      • RobC 7.3.1
        23 June 2011 at 10:22 am

        So it was June 1999 instead of 1998. Not a substantive amendment to the point.

      • bbfloyd 7.3.2
        23 June 2011 at 10:40 am

        1999 would be the last year of the national administration. so your point being? or are you saying that key telling blatant lies to parlaiment is acceptable, as long as he is in the national party?

        of course, it’s completely acceptable, and rational to blame labour for everything that you can. the national party wouldn’t have survived past the 1950’s if they hadn’t been using the newspapers to blame labour for every little(and large) cockup they are constantly making.

    • policywonk 7.4
      23 June 2011 at 10:47 am

      Pike River Coal Company Resource Consents were not granted until August 2004

      Access consent was not granted to PRCC until October 2004.

      Access was granted by the Labour Minister of Conservation through Department of Conservation Land via an access agreement that sought to avoid or mitigate adverse environmental consequences, and to integrate the underground mine operations into the natural bush surroundings.

      This link provides more detail on what consents were granted by the then Labour Government and DOC

  8. Jewish Kiwi 8
    22 June 2011 at 10:52 pm

    I’m still waiting for my turn to use the cycle track.

    • pollywog 8.1
      23 June 2011 at 10:57 am

      This just in

      John Key announces new tourism venture

      Sony, in partnership with the New Zealand government, Weta workshops and CycleFit NZ have agreed to develop a virtual cycleway that will take participants on a playstation based tour of NZ’s premier cycling hotspots.

      Key says, “Using an exercycle type device hooked up to your playstation, virtual tourists will be able to cycle the length and breadth of our 100% pure country without leaving the comfort of their own home”

      It is estimated at least 1200 new jobs will be created from this, providing a much needed economic boost to the tourist industry since Key became Minister.

      A free demo version of Virtual Cyclist accompanying the dvd release of Peter Jacksons ‘The Hobbit’ will be available in July 2012

      “The best part is, you don’t need to wonder where to stop for a shit as you do were you to actually cycle the real NZ”, says a smiling and waving Key.

      🙂

  9. ianmac 9
    22 June 2011 at 11:02 pm

    If a person had replacement insurance that should net them an equivalent house, but one at GV from about 2007 will be a very different place. That will become an issue.
    If you were 75 years old and get just the GV you might need a mortgage to survive.
    And anyway it is no longer a GV. It is a statistical district equation called Quotable Value done by computer and based on retail sales locally and not by a visit..

  10. ianupnorth 10
    22 June 2011 at 11:03 pm

    I’ve been thinking, is there any way of working out the whereabouts of the Japanese PM sincere their disaster; I wonder if he has gone globe trotting much?

    Em… http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg2197.html

    3 or 4 days in Europe seems to be all…. G8 summit and anniversary of the OECD.
     

    • Colonial Viper 10.1
      22 June 2011 at 11:09 pm

      Benchmarking with the Japanese is not the issue.

      Key is shirking his responsibilities. There should be nothing more important than looking after the people in our second largest city.

  11. ianupnorth 11
    22 June 2011 at 11:17 pm

    CV, only pointing out, much bigger country (economically), their leader has been ever present in the heartlands of their disaster; our PM is smiling and waving and hanging out with his ilk at every opportunity.
     
    One is leading, one is shirking.

  12. North 12
    22 June 2011 at 11:32 pm

    Little John Ky San in kimono, minceeng along on little wooden jandals on stilts, waveeng, smileeng, simpereeng, fluffing away radiatieen ?

  13. Oscar 13
    23 June 2011 at 12:07 am

    I think that comment from Deadly has made the comments section go completely haywire. I see the third link as extending right out onto my screen so all the comments are only half visible. Using Opera.

    [lprent: Looked ok on Chrome. Fixed the link – try it now. Mutter another issue for the bug list. ]

  14. tc 14
    23 June 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Note the contrast of treatments Gillard/Obama/Cameron etc get from their own media with the free ride and sycophancy Key enjoys.

    There’s no need to show courage and front up when you get well rewarded for being a PR focused showpony.

    So why did TV3 have the jump when TVNZ had nothing last night? slackness on TVNZ’s part or mediaworks getting a timely favourable release ?

  15. Brett Dale 15
    23 June 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Bad news?? Some people can now get on with their lifes.