Polity: National’s new ministry: Key fires himself!

36 comments on “Polity: National’s new ministry: Key fires himself! ”

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1. travellerev 1

   6 October 2014 at 12:55 pm

   John Key: “Christopher Finlayson is my new fall guy!”
2. Matthew 2

   6 October 2014 at 1:00 pm

   Key has done this solely so when the GCSB get caught doing illegal stuff & when Cam Slater ends up with photos taken by said GCSB of opposition MP’s or other political foes he can plausibly deny it has anything to do with him.

   I would suggest that he still has full confidence in his office but he now has one more degree of separation between himself & the dirty politics we have come to expect from him.
   • Kiwiri 2.1

     6 October 2014 at 1:28 pm

     the key is lots and lots of pretend separation stuff
     omfg, national’s gay cabal is on the rise!
   • Chooky 2.2

     6 October 2014 at 2:49 pm

     shape shifting to avoid taking responsibility for what has been going on under your watch ….and avoid having the magnifying glass of Commissions of Inquiry…as to exactly what your role was …in what

     it makes the focus of attention less relevant if you are no longer overtly there in charge ….but still there covertly
     • The Pink Postman 2.2.1

       6 October 2014 at 3:09 pm

       Does anyone wonder if the story in the Sunday Times regarding vote fixing has any connection with this decision
       I would not be surprised if evidence come out that the election was corrupt.
       • Chooky 2.2.1.1

         6 October 2014 at 3:27 pm

         do you have any links?…i am sure they would ‘ave if they could ‘ave
3. Blue 3

   6 October 2014 at 1:18 pm

   I note the media reports do not say a word about why Key might have done this. It’s so hard to remember just a week or so ago when Key’s office was under investigation for slipping top secret information to a right-wing blogger.

   Stuff at least draw attention to the fact that Key has made this radical move. The Herald don’t even bother and have made the headline and the story as bland as possible.

   Media covering Key’s arse again.
   • Tom Gould 3.1

     6 October 2014 at 1:40 pm

     You get what you pay for, so what’s the point of owning the media and then have it criticise you?
4. coaster 4

   6 October 2014 at 1:40 pm

   It could be that the media relise the public doesnt care. As a people we watch movies that involve intelligence agencys doing what they need to, to protect us, average jos think this is reality, so they ask whats the issue, I thought they did that anyway, and aslong as I dont do anything wrong I dont have to worry.

   shows like person of interest are taken as semi fact and what goes on.

   you have to admire how national are able to get away with things, by having vague plausible deniability, or when caught out by slowly changing a story over a week, by small increments to reduce the shock and impact when caught out.
5. One Anonymous Bloke 5

   6 October 2014 at 1:47 pm

   I think Idiot Savant probably has it right.

   Parliamentary questions and Official Information Act requests will be dealt with by the appropriate Minister.
   • Matthew Whitehead 5.1

     6 October 2014 at 9:01 pm

     Yep, I expect many games of Shuffle the Question. This also lets them say that supplementaries directed to the new Minister need to be asked to the PM, etc…
6. ghostwhowalksnz 6

   6 October 2014 at 1:54 pm

   The other news that is buried is that Chester Burrows is fired.

   Expect Paddy to breathlessly report on whether the door caught him on the backside on the way out.
   Because isnt that the way he talks up all these sort of events?
   • phillip ure 6.1

     6 October 2014 at 2:19 pm

     gower:..’was this the final nail in burrows’ coffin..?..exclusive pictures of burrows crying on nightline..!..i’m patrick gower..!..i expostulate..therefore i am..!.’
     • Tracey 6.1.1

       6 October 2014 at 2:57 pm

       lololol
7. Tamati 7

   6 October 2014 at 1:54 pm

   Regardless of Key trying to shift the blame for his own office, this is a good step. Having too much power vested with one individual is dangerous, splitting it up makes more sense. Ideally the roles should be split further again, so one minister takes care of internal security (e.g the AG) and one takes care of foreign intelligence (Foreign Minister). The PM would still obviously have ultimate oversight, but there would be more shared responsibility. This is similar to the system in the U.K.
8. ghostwhowalksnz 8

   6 October 2014 at 2:06 pm

   Mr Key said he would seek bipartisan support for Labour to pass new Security Intelligence Service (SIS) legislation once Labour had appointed its new leader.

   Here we go, cant let those cunning Aussies have one up on us, lets have15 years jail for revealing any information what so ever about the secret police.

   Asio will gain broader powers to secretly detain Australians without charge and conduct “coercive questioning”, even when less intrusive measures are available, under proposed national security laws. People can essentially be held without contact with the outside world, may lose the right to silence and may be subject to coercive questioning.

   lets raise that “coercive questioning” to out right torture, well show those namby pamby aussies.

   And who will be the minister who has oversight ?

   Cue Australia:The new laws, if passed, would allow the attorney general to grant a warrant for the use of the orders in a much broader range of circumstances, when it is reasonable to do so.

   Attorney General, ha to save time we make the Attorney general also the Minister for the SIS. What could go wrong .
   • emergency mike 8.1

     6 October 2014 at 3:18 pm

     “Attorney general also the Minister for the SIS. What could go wrong .”

     Yep that’s pretty messed up considering…

     “Secondly, the Attorney-General is the principal law officer of the Crown, responsible for supervising the state’s administration of the law…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attorney-General_(New_Zealand)

     How is this even allowable?
     • Foreign Waka 8.1.1

       6 October 2014 at 4:31 pm

       Conflict of interest? Nah, we watch, we listen, we judge and we are omnipotent….
9. Skinny 9

   6 October 2014 at 2:11 pm

   I can just see the new Minister of propaganda Chris Finlayson decked out in a black leather trench coat with jack boots to match. No report on what new title Paula Bennett has been given? I heard she was being lined up as English’s under study.
   • phillip ure 9.1

     6 October 2014 at 3:34 pm

     he could carry off a monacle..
10. Tracey 10

    6 October 2014 at 2:59 pm

    key says he knows nothing about stuff alot… I guess he is acting accordingly. ..
11. Dialey 11

    6 October 2014 at 3:01 pm

    Is not the combining of the roles of attorney general and Minister in Charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service and Minister Responsible for the GCSB of the legal process? Isn’t the attorney general supposed to be the watchdog for the legal process?
    “The Attorney thus has a unique role that combines, on the one hand, the obligation to act on some matters independently, free of political considerations, with, on the other hand, the political partisanship that is otherwise properly associated with other ministerial offices.”
    “However, it has long been recognised that the nature and value of the office within government lies in part on the Solicitor-General’s duty to give independent advice and, in relation to certain functions, to act independently. That independence is of considerable constitutional importance. Such impartial advice can be seen to be given without political direction, even on politically contentious issues.” (http://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/pagepub/docs/about/officers.asp)

    Is this not a major undermining departure from the built in protections of state ? Any legal eagles out there who can elaborate on the implications?
    • Tracey 11.1

      6 October 2014 at 3:04 pm

      so what is the minister of justice watchdog for?

      chris has been unofficially in charge of gcsb for ages

      http://thestandard.org.nz/the-long-reach-of-5-eyes-re-post/
    • phillip ure 11.2

      6 October 2014 at 3:36 pm

      @ diaely..

      ..so..?..the spook watchdog can watch himself..can’t he..?

      ..relax..!..john key is..’relaxed’ that is..
12. Undecided 12

    6 October 2014 at 3:06 pm

    Chris Finlayson is a good bloke and will do a good job, maybe Keys trying to ensure that no more cock ups occur?
    • framu 12.1

      6 October 2014 at 3:13 pm

      occams razor doesnt agree with you – not one bit
    • ghostwhowalksnz 12.2

      6 October 2014 at 3:31 pm

      Except he has been caught out breaking the law

      Chris Finlayson is in contempt of Parliament

      The Registrar of Pecuniary Interests, Margaret Bazley, has ruled that Chris Finlayson broke the rules when he repeatedly failed to declare his directorship of a company in his annual return of pecuniary interests. Which is pretty obvious. The rules are crystal clear, stating:

      (1) Every return of pecuniary interests must contain the following information as at the effective date of the return:
      (a) the name of each company of which the member is a director or holds or controls more than 5 percent of the voting rights and a description of the main business activities of each of those companies, and…

      http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2010/06/chris-finlayson-is-in-contempt-of.html

      How silly of us to think National Ministers, even a QC and Attorney General comply with the law
    • Chris 12.3

      6 October 2014 at 3:46 pm

      No, is just part of his pathetic attempt at distancing himself from the filth Hager has exposed and that is inevitably going to come out next year when the inquiries get underway. Keys is trying to reinvent himself after the event a caring and reasonable guy who couldn’t have been entwined in such filthy politics to help soften things when the truth comes out. Hopefully the truth will force him to walk the plank.
13. emergency mike 13

    6 October 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Key is sick of being the guy responsible for questions about the GCSB and SIS. He is the jolly front man, he doesn’t want his image called into question anymore over the 5 eyes stuff.

    Which tells us that there is more to come re spying on u law changes to uh, protect yo family from da turrists.

    All future questions will be directed to my lawyer.
14. phillip ure 14

    6 October 2014 at 3:31 pm

    and foss-the-hapless was so hapless..

    ..that nobody has noted/noticed his departure..

    ..i’ll do it for ya..!..fossie..!

    ..see ya…!
    • ghostwhowalksnz 14.1

      6 October 2014 at 3:52 pm

      Obviously too rich to need the payout offered to the other departing MPs.
      Was reputedly richer than Key himself- or so he said
15. NeutObserver 15

    6 October 2014 at 3:31 pm

    Very cunning move by the Prime Minister to deflect the heat from future problems. Mr Key is very adept and making those decisions.
    • ghostwhowalksnz 15.1

      6 October 2014 at 3:34 pm

      Yep. better to be thought a fool , than everyone know you actually are a fool.
    • Anne 15.2

      6 October 2014 at 3:55 pm

      No Right Turn says:

      Key has created a whole new Ministerial position so he can retain control of the spies, while no longer having to answer questions about them (something which has exposed him in the last two years). And if any dirt emerges from the Snowden leaks, the new Minister (Chris Finlayson) gets to be scapegoat, while Key gets to walk away from the agencies he was supposed to be overseeing.

      Well, he walks away if the MSM let him walk away. And its up to us to pressure the MSM not to let him get away with it. Karol has started the ball rolling with her post today.

      http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/a-new-minister-for-spies.html
16. Cave Johnson 16

    6 October 2014 at 9:28 pm

    And I note Maggie Barry’s first comment when asked what equipped her to be minister of conservation was to point to her experience with gardening???
    .
    Hereafter I shall know this dynamic duo as the Minister for Mass Surveillance, and the Minister for Daffodils.
    • Murray Olsen 16.1

      7 October 2014 at 1:29 am

      Maggie Barry thinks the Maui dolphins should be protected by captive breeding. This is the hopelessness of those who think they are born to rule.

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