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Leave John Key Alone

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:57 pm, November 17th, 2011 - 22 comments

Whenever the PM is talking politics, that is a matter of public interest. If he doesn’t want to be embarrassed when private conversations become public, the solution is in his hands…

Also a hugely funny video by a distraught supporter of John Key, or so it seems.

Key declares war on the media

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:33 pm, November 17th, 2011 - 67 comments

This headline speaks for itself. Tea tape: TVNZ, RNZ to be searched – “Four media outlets, including Radio New Zealand and TVNZ, are to be searched for any material they might have in their possession that relates to the tea pot tapes”. Outrageous.

National Election agenda setting fail

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 12:27 pm, November 17th, 2011 - 7 comments

This is just from one news outlet. Stuff, the Herald, RNZ, TVNZ – they’re all focussing on what’s making Key looking like a fool. They aren’t interested in hearing what National has to say about anything until they fess up. Nine days from an Election, now that’s a spectacular agenda setting fail. Who’s advising Key’s campaign, Melissa Lee?

Caption Contest

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 11:32 am, November 17th, 2011 - 33 comments

Interesting poll results

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:33 am, November 17th, 2011 - 13 comments

Minor Leaders’ debate: Winston Peters 36%, Hone Harawira 27%, Don Brash 14%.
Fairfax Epsom poll: Paul Goldsmith 45.5%, John Banks 29.1%.
Impact of Key endorsement: More likely to vote Banks 23%, Less likely 30%.
Taranaki Daily news debate exit poll: Andrew Little 64.5%, Jonathan Young 28%.

“Anyone who is innocent has nothing to fear”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:34 am, November 17th, 2011 - 19 comments

Key would have had slightly better grounds for opposing the release of the teapot tape if he hadn’t led a government which trampled on civil rights in its determination to strengthen search and surveillance powers. I wonder if his “anyone who is innocent has nothing to fear” line is sounding quite so good to him now…

A matter of integrity

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 6:29 am, November 17th, 2011 - 120 comments

The Right’s crying we should be talking about policy, not certain tapes. Funny, until recently they were mocking Labour for putting out so much policy. Fact is, we don’t elect policy implementing automatons. We elect leaders for their policies and because we trust them to act with integrity on our behalf. The tea tapes matter because they go to Key’s integrity.

Did Key “stage” the teapot tape tantrum?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 3:32 pm, November 16th, 2011 - 114 comments

There’s a theory going round that Key deliberately “staged” his walkout from questioning over the teapot tape fiasco. 3 News has a version, and Tracy Watkins really goes to town with it. I don’t buy it. It looks like what it is, a panicked reaction from a PM trapped by his own hubris.

[insert tea-related pun here]

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:08 am, November 16th, 2011 - 65 comments

The teapot tapes story (seems that’s the name that’s been settled on, despite the story involving neither teapots nor tapes) has evolved two distinct strands: the contents of the Key-Banks conversation, which is gradually coming out through the media, and the very aggressive, poorly conceived response of National which is making it worse for them.

Update: According to Fairfax reporter Danya Levy on Twitter, Key has just “stormed out” of a press conference after further questioning on the tapes. He’s losing it. Now The Herald has the story.

‘Dying off’?

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:07 am, November 16th, 2011 - 116 comments

Winston Peters is suggesting that in the transcript of the PM’s meeting with Banks, John Key made some derogatory remarks about the older New Zealanders that tend to support New Zealand First, along the lines of “not to worry [about Winston’s support] they’re dying off”. Slagging off older New Zealanders (ie. the ones that always vote) is a sure way to lose an election.

Could Key really be so clueless? Well yes, when you look at the excuses he’s trotting out – probably.

Key’s second credibility downgrade

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 4:49 pm, November 15th, 2011 - 70 comments

A lawyer representing victims of the News of the World phone hacking scandal says that Key’s comparing that event to the recorded conversation with Banks is a “cheap shot”, and the recording should be released. (Good work from 3 News.) How’s Key going to justify gagging the media now?

Once a bully always a bully

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:08 am, November 15th, 2011 - 43 comments

Key is now using the police to intimidate journalists at The Herald and at 3 News to keep the “game changing” teapot tapes from being released. What a surprise! Not. John Key and the Nats have a long, long history of bullying their critics and intimidating the media.

Transcript Contest: Johns’ Magical Teapot Tapes

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:31 am, November 15th, 2011 - 26 comments

John: “I hear you might be able to get your hands on something to get me through the Election?”

Key & Banks chatted about rolling Brash?

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:44 pm, November 14th, 2011 - 102 comments

The tea tape didn’t interest me at first. Nats’ reaction seemed over the top but would Key and Banks be so stupid to discuss anything sensitive in a public cafe metres from the press mob? But then Key went to the cops. This said the Nats were really worried. It can only be something that cuts to the heart of Brand Key’s greatest weakness: Key’s honesty.

Key calling in police over tea tape

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 4:31 pm, November 14th, 2011 - 101 comments

Key says he’s “not bothered in the slightest about the tape”, but he’s laying a complaint with the police. Meanwhile the contents of the tape are being described as “potentially game-changing”…

Epsom: spit or swallow?

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:59 am, November 14th, 2011 - 66 comments

Oh to be an Epsom voter – what an enviable menu of options you have. A National candidate who cares so much about the electorate that he goes to extraordinary lengths to discourage people from voting for him, or a racist former National politician soundly rejected by all of Auckland after a dismal ‘Supercity’ mayoralty who’s actively campaigning to undermine his own racist former National politician party leader.

What a shonkey farce!

Three lies in one

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:38 am, November 14th, 2011 - 4 comments

Wave goodbye to higher taxes. Not your loved ones.

Choose a Brighter Future. Derp de derp.

This is what John Key was promising last election – before he came to power, raised GST, and record numbers of kiwis left New Zealand permanently for a brighter future in Australia.

Key bullies HoS on ‘cup of tea’ recording

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:08 am, November 13th, 2011 - 176 comments

So, John Key and John Banks have a meeting in a cafe, full of members of the public. They get the photo-op, then usher the media out. A HoS cameraman accidentally leaves his audio recorder. Key and Banks talk. In public. Anyone in the cafe could hear. The recorder gets the conversation. Key bullies the HoS into not printing it. The HoS caves. Disgraceful.

A cold cup of tea

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:23 pm, November 12th, 2011 - 15 comments

Well, that was a let down. The much-hyped ‘cup of tea’ climaxed in Key saying that he would be voting for Goldsmith but he “wouldn’t be unhappy” if other Epsom voters back Banks. A double negative? Hardly a ringing endorsement. I think it’s too little, too late, for a man and a party that are too unpopular. All Key has done is tie his brand to extremists.

Banks – in his own words

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:32 am, November 12th, 2011 - 137 comments

Brand Key is now tied to John Banks. Interesting decision, could backfire – most of us don’t want Banks, Brash, or ACT back. Here’s a sample of why…

Democracy in action

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:22 pm, November 11th, 2011 - 20 comments

A cup of tea and a lie down

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:00 am, November 11th, 2011 - 34 comments

hattip: the jackal

Phoney Charisma

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:50 pm, November 10th, 2011 - 12 comments

Emmerson in the Herald has a good take on John Key’s campaign style. As he continues to fail to front up to debate on actual policy.

Was it a full moon?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:02 pm, November 10th, 2011 - 61 comments

Oh hell. My worst fears have been realized. John Key is a wereperson. He is morphing into an incantation of the countries biggest ever political disaster. And talking of other story lines from True Blood. John Banks has been wandering around with the decapitated head of Don Brash.

The greatest threat to Banks: Brash (& that story)

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:50 am, November 10th, 2011 - 39 comments

John Banks says the brand he is campaigning for in Epsom is ‘Brand Key’, not ACT. Epsomites don’t want three-time loser Don Brash but it’s unavoidably true that a vote for Banks is a vote for Brash. This is leading to a further unattractive debacle as Banks tries to distance himself from his leader, who he’s trying to get into parliament.

Disrespectful

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:02 am, November 10th, 2011 - 44 comments

Why did Key keep talking through a minute’s silence for Christchurch quake victims?

200,000 children abandoned so already rich can get richer

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:31 am, November 10th, 2011 - 52 comments

How many children is 200,000 in the context of New Zealand’s population? Statistics New Zealand says between June 2008-2011 around 62-64,000 children were born each year. So 200,000 amounts to every single child born in this country since National came to power three years ago, plus another 10,000 or so.

The Recovery is here, it’s coming, it’s…

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 12:30 pm, November 9th, 2011 - 48 comments

National want it both ways. They’ve brought us economic recovery through their brilliance (we’ve just not felt it yet), but also the lack of a recovery is not their fault and is in fact why all the stats are so bad. Here’s a reminder of what they’ve said…

John Key’s mirror trust

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:19 am, November 9th, 2011 - 76 comments

All these things operate underground. There are two near identical pairs. But only one of these things is really not like the other. Let’s not forget John Key’s mirror trust that let’s him keep an eye on the investments that are supposed to be held in a blind trust while he’s PM.