Implausible deniability

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 pm, September 26th, 2012 - 16 comments
Categories: brand key, john banks, john key, same old national, slippery, uk politics - Tags:

There’s a lot of it about in right-wing parties at the moment. For John Key, John Banks and David Cameron it appears to be becoming the strategy of choice. It’s not working very well for any of them – Banks and Key have become walking Tui billboards. You can’t believe a word any of them says, and no-one does.

I’m currently in Britain, where  Cameron’s problem may appear minor besides the debacle Key is deliberately avoiding presiding over. Andrew Mitchell, Cameron’s recently-appointed chief whip,  known as “Thrasher” at his public school, had a hissy fit inside the gates of  Downing Street, calling the police “plebs” and telling them to “best learn their “f***ing place” because they wouldn’t let him out the main gate on his bicycle. He did this on a day after two women police constables were lured  to their death in Manchester, and at a time when police numbers are being cut.

Mitchell offered a completely unconvincing non-apology, and Cameron, off on his way to the UN and a David Letterman interview, has “looked him in the eye” and accepted his non-denial denial. Cameron’s first problem is that Mitchell’s “pleb jibe exposes the Tories’ Flashman thinking”, as Polly Toynbee points out in this scathing article from the Guardian.

“Pleb” says not just how Cameron and co think, but it defines with deadly accuracy who they govern for. This stamps them as a Mitt Romney regime – not bothering with the plebs, not with the bottom half. This crystallises how they ignore those who are not their voters, not their leafy shire constituents. They govern for those who their class sometimes calls PLUs – “people like us”. The social class of Cameron’s crew hardly matters: what counts is whose side they are on. Without a shadow of a doubt, they rule for their own ruling class.

The same is true of Key and Banks. Cameron’s Conservatives are now ten points behind Labour. Banks is dog-tucker, and I’m picking Key’s numbers will also start to slide south very soon.

16 comments on “Implausible deniability ”

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  1. burt 1
    26 September 2012 at 11:23 pm

    Mike Smith

    I see so many parallels in Key’s government today with Clark’s in it’s last term. I find it hard to comprehend how you will make any running against issues like;

    Banks: The PM took a minister at his word when clearly there were some questions that should be publicly asked. Winston Peters anyone ? What was Labour’s position on Winston Mike ? Why would Banks be any different ?

    Party funding: It’s the way we have always done it – that ring any bells Mike ?

    How do you possibly start to credibly attack this stuff Mike ?

    • Kotahi Tāne Huna 1.1
      27 September 2012 at 6:18 am

      He doesn’t have to. you are doing a perfectly good job yourself:

      Nail em rOb – blog this stuff hard out and get people talking about it – ignore the self serving idiots who make excuses for their team because it’s convenient to look the other way so the self serving munters can stay in power.

      • burt 1.1.1
        27 September 2012 at 8:10 am

        OK, so sure – I wouldn’t look like a hypocrite attacking this stuff – that was kind of my whole big thing point. Adding some emphasis to my last line might make this clearer….

        How do you possibly start to credibly attack this stuff Mike ?

        • Kotahi Tāne Huna 1.1.1.1
          27 September 2012 at 8:44 am

          Remind me again what the police report on Winston Peters said.

          Still, take heart, at least John Key hasn’t signed a painting for charity. That would be much more serious than turning a blind eye to illegal surveillance and keeping donations “anonymous” in order to “help” the donors more effectively.

          Never mind the fact that the Minister with oversight was either ignorant of the illegal actions of the GCSB for six months (they’ve briefed him 15 times this year) or he’s lying.

          That’s him lying, not the leader of his support party, not one of his ministers.

          Now I tend to the theory that bored, shifty, lightweight that he is, he’s incapable of doing the job properly, rather than actively malignant and treacherous, but who cares?

          They all have to go; Key, English, and Banks. The longer they stay the more damage the rotten corrupt National Party will sustain. Win/win for the left 😀

  2. bbfloyd 2
    26 September 2012 at 11:56 pm

    On a personal level, one has to wonder what sort of effect this is having on johnny sparkles… It must be disconcerting to have an important role model be so rapidly exposed as less than true leadership material…

    I wonder if that’s why he’s looking so self involved lately.. more obviously than normal I mean….It couldn’t have anything to do with the “shine” coming off his foray into public money trading…?

    He’s pretty much done the job he was shoehorned in there to do….He’s had the heaviest promotion from the “free” press I’ve seen in my lifetime….. It was lots of fun while he could swan around doing Pierre Trudeau impersonations….But the structure, and the people to work it, is in place for the divvy up…………So maybe he’s giving Hawaii a bit of thought….

    It’s not his fault his handlers overestimated their own intelligence, and got caught out by those annoying, opportunistic, water rights thingy’s….But the banks thing was just a cock up from conception, to execution, to aftermath……By all concerned…..

    That’s going to make this a long year for johnny…..

  3. Glg 3
    27 September 2012 at 6:26 am

    The Doctom scandal will be the end of Key. He obviously discussed the Dotcom takedown and, I assume promised to help, a long time ago. Who he promised – the US govt or Hollywood entities I dont know. He took care to make sure he would have NO involvement with Dotcom, so he could not be blamed for interfering.
    His biggest mistake is he went too far. He made sure any electorate issues arising from Dotcom were referred to Simon Power. He obviously made sure no-one passed him any information about the raid. He said publically he had never heard of Dotcom before the raid. Unfortunately Key is head of the SIS and the GCSB. The SIS was also heavily involved in the planning for the raid. And they, as well as the police were going all out to cooperate with the US. Who told them to do that?
    It is impossible to believe not one Minister or Official never mentioned Dotcom. it is impossible for someone who has said in the past his morning routine involves reading the Herald never saw ONE front page article about Dotcom over the years.
    It is impossible that Keys electorate office would refer all Dotcom queries to another MP WITHOUT BEING ORDERED TO.
    This is just another stuff up by those who think they are entitled to act without adhering to the rule of law.

  4. karol 4
    27 September 2012 at 6:32 am

    And another part of the case against Dotcom unravels:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/7734301/Cops-knew-Dotcoms-status-before-raid

    Immigration officials passed their file confirming Kim Dotcom’s residency status to police in December.

    And still the GCSB didn’t know?

    And no-one told the PM?

    And remember, the meeting between GCSB, OFCANZ, and police chief Wormald, planning the raids was on 14 December (2011), and the surveillance (by police and GCSB) began 2 days later.

    Of course, the police are still looking like the fall guys.

  5. marsman 5
    27 September 2012 at 8:31 am

    Polly Toynbee of The Guardian calls Cameron’s Administration a Mitt Romney regime. Exactly what I’ve been thinking about John Key and his arrogant, job-slashing, Public Debt loading Administration.

  6. ed 6
    27 September 2012 at 8:38 am

    Every time Key opens his mouth with respect to this, he gets that goofy vacant look that we first saw when Fran Mold busted him with the Transrail shares.

    He cant hide his lying eyes.

  7. Jo 7
    27 September 2012 at 9:29 am

    Indeed, the lean and hungry look of yonder Cassius has slipped a bit. If he’d been more careful what he wished for, he might have learned that every action has an equal and opposite reaction – otherwise known as Newton’s Third Law of Motion. Karma is another word for this exquisite phenomenon.

  8. prism 8
    27 September 2012 at 10:00 am

    ‘leafy shire constituents’ in Mike Smith’s head piece quoted from Toynbee. That is just such a apt term when referring to UK rightwing voters.

    And calling the ordinary people plebs and using f..ing – will the pollies here have that right face to face but soon on the internet take away the right for the plebs to express strong vulgar descriptions of discounted? There was something about the Bill I think on Radionz this morning don’t know when. Just imagine. Ooh I am running to the police to tell on you for calling me bad names.

    I wonder which would be controlled or would it be on a case by case basis so the Court decides and you wouldn’t know until that word had been judged before a Judge alone, presumably not a jury, gave the thumbs up or down. Or will it be under the Human Rights that no-one can swear at you on the internet and vice versa. People get passionate here and long may that continue. We need to do some hard thinking about our government’s procedures and as we care and can praise if there is something good but also strongly call a spade a bloody useful implement for digging into the mire of doublespeak from govt.

    The big problem we have with freedom of expression I think, is the egregious right of turds to throw dirt on other’s dearly held religious beliefs that actually shape their whole lives and personal standing, and the potty mouthed slack speech of many men/women in using words like mo…fu..er.

  9. Dr Terry 9
    27 September 2012 at 3:44 pm

    I don’t know how many times I have seen people declaring that “now Key is on the slippery slope, will fall in the polls etc etc”. Unfortunately, to date at least, it has not happened. Given the record, he and his pals ought to be at about 20% popularity by this time, but there he remains regardless up in the 40’s. Once more, predictably, he is scapegoating and rapidly sliding out from under.

    Good to hear strong words from Dr Norman. I think much of the population is rather enjoying the daily “Key Show”, however! Everything to do with him is dreadful, but have to admit he ensures that “life is never dull”.

  10. Jokerman 10
    27 September 2012 at 7:58 pm

    ” I did not have onanistic sex on that report”

  11. Tanz 11
    28 September 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Oh, for a snap election now!