Key descends into farce

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, July 11th, 2015 - 72 comments
Categories: john key, making shit up - Tags: ,

As widely reported yesterday, Labour has lodged a formal complaint over John Key’s most recent lie to Parliament:

Labour complains to Speaker over John Key’s KiwiSaver claims

Prime Minister John Key is facing a breach of privilege complaint over his claim Inland Revenue told him changes to the KiwiSaver scheme “will not make a blind bit of difference” to enrolments. …

Questioned about the move in Parliament, a week after the May Budget, the Prime Minister said it would have no impact.

“[T]he removal of the $1,000 kick-start contribution will not make a blind bit of difference to the number of people who join KiwiSaver,” Key said on May 26.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei asked Key in response: “What evidence does the Prime Minister have that the sign-up rates for KiwiSaver will not be affected?”

“That is the formal advice from the Inland Revenue Department,” Key said…

That’s the claim. What the IRD said was:

it would lead to “lower numbers of KiwiSaver members (particularly among the self-employed and children)”.

As Grant Robertson puts it:

“The Prime Minister has a fundamental requirement to tell the truth to Parliament. Blatantly misrepresenting advice he receives brings the integrity of Parliament into question.”

So Key has been caught out in another lie to Parliament, how does he respond?

A spokesman for Key said he stood by his statement.

Of course he does. Key is now standing by a statement which is a lie (what the IRD told him) about an original statement which is factually incorrect (changes to Kiwisaver won’t make a blind bit of difference):

A month after the Budget, ANZ, the largest provider of KiwiSaver, revealed that the number people enrolling had fallen by more than 50 per cent. Other KiwiSaver providers have also indicated a sharp fall in enrolments since the Budget.

No wonder his fans are so proud of him.

72 comments on “Key descends into farce ”

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  1. shorts 1
    11 July 2015 at 8:23 am

    this like every other attempt to paint Key as a liar will gain no traction with the people… or media largely

    and around we go again, wasting valuable emotional energy on a man who simply doesn’t give a fuck

    • BM 1.1
      11 July 2015 at 8:34 am

      All labour and the greens are achieving is switching people off from the political process.

      This endless nit picky wankery is the reason why nobody gives a shit about politics.

      If that’s the lefts end goal, you’re doing a great job.

      • Psycho Milt 1.1.1
        11 July 2015 at 8:44 am

        Objecting to the PM lying about official advice he’s received is “nit picky?” Could you explain your reasoning?

        • BM 1.1.1.1
          11 July 2015 at 8:54 am

          Just read the stuff article, I stand by my initial statement, it’s trivial stuff.

          • dv 1.1.1.1.1
            11 July 2015 at 8:59 am

            Lying is trivial!!!

            • repateet 1.1.1.1.1.1
              11 July 2015 at 8:14 pm

              Mission accomplished! When the minions agree that lying is trivial, telling the truth is not important, John Key has achieved what he has sought.

              I would like to be a kid again with lying as the expected behaviour. I can remember the anxiety around not telling the truth.

              The people who think it is unimportant for the Prime Minister to tell the truth and did not expect the previous Justice Minister to tell the truth will no doubt be doing a brilliant job of bringing up their kids to be honest.

            • meconism 1.1.1.1.1.2
              11 July 2015 at 10:39 pm

              No, its perceived as trivial, there is a difference.

          • RedLogix 1.1.1.1.2
            11 July 2015 at 9:43 am

            There are two issues here. One is the question of this govt continuing to debase KiwiSaver. We can debate whether or not this is a ‘trivial’ issue. All I can say is that if you tried the same line over the Tasman with regards to their Super funding – you’d get howled out of town.

            The second quite separate matter is the PM giving a politically convenient and factually false answer to Parliament during Question Time. And then refusing to correct the lie when caught out in it.

            There are numerous examples of Ministers being sacked for getting this kind of thing wrong in the past. Because this is NOT a trivial matter. Question time is one of the core mechanisms in our Westminster system than permits the Opposition to do it’s job. Ministers are bound to give correct answers. The Speaker is required to ensure this.

            Failure to get this right – is failure of our Parliamentary system. The word ‘trivial’ does not apply.

          • Macro 1.1.1.1.3
            11 July 2015 at 9:43 am

            So how can you rely on anything Key tells you?

            • RedLogix 1.1.1.1.3.1
              11 July 2015 at 9:56 am

              There is your mistake right there. Key’s supporters already know that anything Key says in public cannot be relied upon. They quite clearly understand that Key will make the required soothing noises in public, while saying and acting on quite different words in private.

              This is how the world of business operates and it’s how they expect Key to run this country as well. Indeed it is exactly why they are so proud of him.

              • Pat …
                11 July 2015 at 12:09 pm

                nailed it

              • Draco T Bastard …
                11 July 2015 at 1:42 pm

                This is how the world of business operates and it’s how they expect Key to run this country as well. Indeed it is exactly why they are so proud of him.

                QFT

            • RedLogix 1.1.1.1.3.2
              11 July 2015 at 9:56 am

              There is your mistake right there. Key’s supporters already know that anything Key says in public cannot be relied upon. They quite clearly understand that Key will make the required soothing noises in public, while saying and acting on quite different words in private.

              This is how the world of business operates and it’s how they expect Key to run this country as well. Indeed it is exactly why they are so proud of him.

              • Macro …
                11 July 2015 at 10:09 am

                lol I see your relying on the repetition makes it true principle Red!
                There is also the maxim that “there is no honour amongst thieves”.
                So whilst they are proud of his ability to pull the wool over the eyes of the sheeple, they must also be wary that he doesn’t stab them in the back!

              • BM …
                11 July 2015 at 10:31 am

                I disagree.
                Greenbour has cried wolf so many times, every one has given up listening.

                Key could sex up a goat in the debating chambers and I doubt anymore than a hand full of people would ever know about it or even care.

                • Paul …
                  11 July 2015 at 10:33 am

                  The fact that you and ‘other people’ don’t care says more about you than the opposition parties.
                  Lying is not something anyone should want in our leaders.
                  I wonder what you would be typing now were it Helen Clark that had just done this.
                  I sense a lot different.

                • Sabine …
                  11 July 2015 at 12:55 pm

                  poor goat.

                • Stuart Munro …
                  11 July 2015 at 12:59 pm

                  In fact he has repeatedly – he has even installed it as speaker.

                • Hanswurst …
                  11 July 2015 at 5:55 pm

                  The trouble with your use of the expression “cried wolf” is that, in almost all cases, there actually was a wolf.

            • BM 1.1.1.1.3.3
              11 July 2015 at 10:38 am

              I’m more interested in National and the direction NZ is going.

              Key’s just the current face of National, he’s not some omnipotent dictator.

              • Macro …
                11 July 2015 at 12:11 pm

                “I’m more interested in National and the direction NZ is going.”

                So am I, and in my view National is rudderless, lying, duplicitous, and leading muddle nusealand down a very steep, slippery slope, into a very dark future.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                11 July 2015 at 1:45 pm

                I’m more interested in National and the direction NZ is going.

                So, you’re fine with NZ becoming a cesspool of corruption, cronyism and nihilism under National?

              • Ffloyd …
                11 July 2015 at 6:39 pm

                He isn’t omnipotent but he’s very close to being a dictator. And which direction IS NZ going in pray tell? I see us as being very directionless at the moment.

          • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.1.4
            11 July 2015 at 11:03 am

            Just read the stuff article…

            I did. It makes it quite clear that Key lied to Parliament about official advice he’d received from Treasury. The fact that you personally don’t care that the PM lies to Parliament with impunity doesn’t make others’ objections ‘nit-picking.’

          • Ffloyd 1.1.1.1.5
            11 July 2015 at 6:47 pm

            Stand by anything you like but the evidence is there. He’s still a lying little dag. Don’t just read Stuff….. Watch the Dodger in question time. Lying is in his d.n.a.!

          • Tracey 1.1.1.1.6
            12 July 2015 at 1:31 pm

            is this what you have told your children as you raised them?

      • marty mars 1.1.2
        11 July 2015 at 10:08 am

        bm – key and his supporters don’t care if he lies, or cheats, or abuses – they simply DO NOT CARE. This is the great pride of key supporters – they are proud that they don’t give a fuck – and that is why they are a blight – they are like the first of the rats in overcrowded conditions that start to nibble on their neighbour, they are the threat, the alphazombie, the beginning of the end, the warning ignored, the siren unanswered. Key is their hero, he is the 12th moneykey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Weepus beard 1.2
      11 July 2015 at 9:05 am

      It’s better than doing nothing.

      Besides, have you not heard the phrase; death by a thousand cuts?

      We must be up to cut number 989 now. Not long to go!

  2. red-blooded 2
    11 July 2015 at 8:26 am

    He’s either;
    a) so slack that he didn’t bother to read the advice, or
    b) so arrogant that he decided his hunch was more reliable than their research.

    Either way, he’s wrong and either way the effect is the same. When, oh when are people going to wake up to this smug asshole?

    • Macro 2.1
      11 July 2015 at 9:45 am

      They will wake up when the housing bubble in Auckland explodes, and they find that they are not as well off as they thought they were.

      • AmaKiwi 2.1.1
        12 July 2015 at 9:29 pm

        Macro +1

        When the economy is soaring, a party headed by Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha can’t win.

        When its crashing, they elect Hitler.

        Sad, but true.

  3. Gruntie 3
    11 July 2015 at 8:43 am

    +100 Redblooded

  4. Lucy 4
    11 July 2015 at 9:20 am

    i know this is portrayed by the media as trivial but it is important that every lie is called out. Every person that votes for him and National votes in the full knowledge of who and what he is. There is no German voter defence – they do know that he lies.

  5. Nick 5
    11 July 2015 at 9:21 am

    Death by a thousand cuts works on the living. Key is just empty.

  6. Realblue 6
    11 July 2015 at 10:51 am

    ” A briefing paper prepared for Cabinet a month after the IRD advice said removing the kickstart payment was “likely to have only have a limited effect (if any) on enrolment rates in Kiwisaver” because other subsidies and employer contributions remained in place.” ODT Today.

  7. Sable 7
    11 July 2015 at 11:40 am

    Key’s behaviour is what happens when you have a MSM that supports his every word…..

    • AmaKiwi 7.1
      12 July 2015 at 9:34 pm

      It is not MSM. It is Main Steam Propaganda.

      They owe you and me NOTHING because we don’t pay them to run million dollar ad campaigns. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

    • ropata 7.2
      13 July 2015 at 10:46 pm

      Not malevolence so much as incompetence. Fresh faced reporters more into celebrity chasing than doing any analysis or fact checking.

  8. infused 8
    11 July 2015 at 11:44 am

    If it was something more substantial then people would take notice. Complaining about this is just stupid and BM is right.

    • red-blooded 8.1
      11 July 2015 at 12:03 pm

      Bullshit. He was answering a parliamentary question. That’s meant to be the mechanism for holding the government to account and making their decision-making process transparent. Of course we know that ministers often try to evade or spin (and Key is master of both mechanisms), but it doesn’t make it OK to lie. He’s not just lying to parliament, he’s lying to all of us.

      Plus, it’s about a policy change that matters. This was presented as if it was a mere formality, but it’s actually part of a series of decisions that have weakened Kiwisaver and made it less attractive and beneficial for those who need it most.

      The man is a weasel.

    • appleboy 8.2
      11 July 2015 at 12:40 pm

      The countries’ PM lies to parliament and his supporters believe its not important. there you go. The right whinged mentality exposed clear as a bell. Lies are normal and Ok and nothing to even back down from when caught. Beggars belief.

      • mac1 8.2.1
        11 July 2015 at 1:03 pm

        A sociopath is typically defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others. A sociopath is often goal-oriented (i.e., lying is focused – it is done to get one’s way).

        “Force’ more than ‘farce’, I fear.

    • Brigid 8.3
      11 July 2015 at 1:25 pm

      No, it’s stupid not to complain about it. What is the point of Question Time if ministers are not obliged to tell the truth? What is the point of a democratically elected government if ministers are not obliged to tell the truth?

      • Draco T Bastard 8.3.1
        11 July 2015 at 1:49 pm

        +1

      • David H 8.3.2
        11 July 2015 at 8:52 pm

        Plus it could also show the Cyclops Carter up for what he is as well, if he just refuses to send it to the privileges committee without a good reason. But also who is on said committee? If it’s Nat run all the way down, then no wonder they lie with impunity.

        • Chris 8.3.2.1
          12 July 2015 at 4:19 am

          Carter will refuse to allow it to go to the Privileges Committee and that’s that. Is abundantly clear because Carter is a national party stooge to the bitter end. His legacy will be him being the most biased speaker in the history of the New Zealand parliament. Issue will definitely not go to the committee. Five nats on there out of ten, with Winston, one Green and the rest Labour. Carter won’t risk giving Winston the final say. Simple as that. Probably even simpler. Keys will just tell him not to and he won’t.

        • AmaKiwi 8.3.2.2
          12 July 2015 at 9:42 pm

          @ David H

          Carter has excellent reasons for not pursuing this. Upon retirement would he prefer a diplomatic posting in London, Paris, or Geneva? Or would he prefer to be fisheries inspector on the Chatham Islands?

          We must confront the corruption which is the essence of our elected dictatorship.

          I fear Labour MPs are so brainwashed they cannot see the system’s hypocrisy.

    • North 8.4
      11 July 2015 at 10:45 pm

      Your words are infused Confused. “Complaining about this is right and BM is just stupid.” That’s what you meant, aye ?

    • Tracey 8.5
      12 July 2015 at 1:34 pm

      If you have children do you teach them about the grading of lying as you often allude to here?

      do they know which lies are ok, and which aren’t, do you give them examples to facilitate their understanding?

  9. Facetious 9
    11 July 2015 at 11:59 am

    Grant Robertson is not doing Labour any favour by pursuing this issue. Labour should be fighting the on policy issues, not this. What is going with the MP for Wellington Central?

    • Sabine 9.1
      11 July 2015 at 12:57 pm

      he is doing his job.

    • Stuart Munro 9.2
      11 July 2015 at 1:00 pm

      Lying in the house ends a political career under the Westminster system – if anything Labour has been far too soft on these kleptocrats.

    • red-blooded 9.3
      11 July 2015 at 1:23 pm

      Since when is Kiwisaver not a “policy issue”?

    • Draco T Bastard 9.4
      11 July 2015 at 1:58 pm

      It’s always “Labour should be fighting the on policy issues, not this.” from the RWNJs whenever Key and National get caught lying. This despite the fact that National still hasn’t got any policies to speak of and Labour do.

      • heather 9.4.1
        11 July 2015 at 3:13 pm

        Draco you are right on all your points.
        There is never a better time than now for Labour to be coming out with popular policy, not grabbing headlines with this Kiwibank issue. The followers of Key would not care in the least, as they don’t about poverty, child abuse, housing and all the other issues those on the left are worried about.
        They think he is a real fab money trader leader, protecting their interests and helping them make even more money.
        The divide in NZ is growing wider by the week in NZ.
        There are now two distinct systems for education, health, housing, food, electricity and medicine and this will only get wider.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.4.1.1
          11 July 2015 at 5:41 pm

          There is never a better time than now for Labour to be coming out with popular policy, not grabbing headlines with this Kiwibank issue.

          Ah, no. Labour do need to be pointing out that National are a bunch of lying schmucks and they already have policy. National probably wants some more of their policy to steal and water down to ineffectiveness.

          The followers of Key would not care in the least, as they don’t about poverty, child abuse, housing and all the other issues those on the left are worried about.

          The followers of Key won’t of course as they’re as psychopathic as their leader but some National voters will. Sure, they’ll probably vote NZ1st rather than Labour but they will change their vote.

    • David H 9.5
      11 July 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Facetious by name, and Facetious by nature. You taking the proverbial??? What part of Kiwisaver is NOT policy?

    • Tracey 9.6
      12 July 2015 at 1:36 pm

      isn’t removing kickstart from kiwisaver a policy issue? Isn’t saying removing it won’t make a blind bit of difference to uptake a policy issue?

  10. adam 10
    11 July 2015 at 1:21 pm

    “Rock start economy – Sheep, Rugby, I’m Rich – so I know better.” That’s all Beaker ever say’s – In some ways BM is right, the country can accept Beaker as the lying PM as long as they have sheep, rugby and a rich guy who does great photo op’s.

    Why do we bother, the right wing nut bags say nothing to see here. The media will ignore it, and Beaker will carry on lying.

    This is a government for the 1%, by the 1% ,in the interests of the 1%. These plutocrats are not going to let their boy Beaker fall, unless they have someone reliable who can replace him.

    So nothing to see here – Beaker will be their boy for sometime yet. Lies, and all.

    I’m use to living in a society with no morals, and a state which only interest is giving it’s mates money.

    I think we have a choice, build something or fight (I’m for build a better society without the state) – because once TPPA is here – were done. The left will never be able to use the state again, for the benefit of the people.

  11. yip 11
    11 July 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Remember the big stink about shower heads and lightbulbs?
    That was nit picking, while being a liar is just fine with the sheep it seems.

    • ropata 11.1
      13 July 2015 at 10:52 pm

      and losing billions from kiwisaver
      and literally taking the future from the next generation
      and selling off everything including the kitchen sink to foreign “investors” (predators)

      nothing really matters
      anyone one can see
      nobody gives a flying fuck
      because we love being reamed by Key

  12. Save NZ 12
    11 July 2015 at 8:20 pm

    At least opposition are calling him out on his lies. They should not let Key constantly get away with it.

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