Puddleglum: We no longer have a Prime Minister

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, September 2nd, 2014 - 34 comments
Categories: accountability, blogs, john key, Judith Collins, national - Tags: ,

Puddleglum at Political Scientist has an excellent post that you should read all of  Here are a couple of lengthy extracts, but go and read it all:

Having just listened to an item featuring John Key on Checkpoint (National Radio) I now have to announce that New Zealand has no-one at present performing the proper role of Prime Minister.

John Key could not have acted less Prime Ministerial if he had tried. Sadly, it’s becoming a habit for him.

Beginning at about 1min25secs in the audio (just below or in the link above) John Key manages to both trivialise the seriousness of the broad allegations that surround his government and turn these serious issues into the pettiest of political point scoring and the weakest and – because of what it says about his capacity to take responsibility – the most alarming of ‘challenges’ to David Cunliffe.

“But I think this sort of quaint little notion, but that there’s a lot more going on or that the left of politics don’t talk to bloggers, don’t do things, all the rest of it, it’s a lovely little notion that might be running around David Cunliffe’s head but it ain’t reality” …

“If Mr Cunliffe wants me to hold an independent inquiry into the actions of the Labour Party between 1999 and 2008 he should let me know. If he wants to do that, if he wants to do that, that’s all cool.“

An inquiry into the actions of the Labour Party between 1999 and 2008?? What is John Key on about? Does he have some documented evidence (e.g., a well-researched book and a swag of emails) that suggest the need for a full inquiry into that period?

[…]

Key was quoted as saying:

“The left have sat there and they’ve said we’re not going to win if we talk about the economy, law and order, health and education so let’s illegally hack into a computer and throw a bomb in.”

This is either a worrying turn to paranoia by John Key or an ill-thought out and completely incorrect and misleading utterance. “The left“? “They’ve said”? “[S]o [let us] illegally hack into a computer“?

What is this monolithic ‘left’ monster in which John Key appears to fervently believe? What huge conspiracy does his fevered mind believe is plotting against him? Is it hundreds of foes? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Where do they meet? How do they communicate their wicked plans?

In short, where is his evidence that there is some combined and coordinated plot against him and his government? In fact, where even is his evidence that the person who hacked Cameron Slater’s blog is part of  this ‘left’ that he seems to see everywhere?

And what’s this claim about ‘the left’ having said to itself that “we’re not going to win if we talk about the economy, law and order, health and education“?

…

As Key announces a ridiculous enquiry into whether a single hair on Judith Collins’ head is clean, rather than looking at the bog she’s waded into, this cartoon on Stuff today seems appropriate:

key hands clean

Also a good read is Chris Barton on the Herald showing a little media self-reflection.

And interesting: The Worm turned down for Key in last Thursday’s Leader’s debate.

34 comments on “Puddleglum: We no longer have a Prime Minister ”

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  1. karol 1
    2 September 2014 at 11:53 am

    This from the Chris Barton article at the link in the post:

    It’s this owning of the news agenda by the government, witnessed during the GCSB Bill debate and now with the Dirty Politics revelations, that leads to an inescapable conclusion. We, the media, are not properly doing our job. If we were, the public faced with this massive Machiavellian network of lies and deceit, would give a damn. Instead, to paraphrase John Key’s masterful direction to an emasculated 4th estate: At the end of the day the public will see this is nothing but a left wing conspiracy smear campaign.

    Nothing to see here. No highly orchestrated, high-level, right-wing conspiracy. Move on.

    In fact it’s more like a character assassination blitzkrieg and I’m far from alone in the view that we, the media, have capitulated. Hager says it himself: “Our small, mostly foreign-owned media risks being a push over for well organised PR campaigns”.

    But the headline and lead paragraph to the article is misleading – that puts all the blame on new technologies and the Internet. It is the powerful and wealthy corporates and other vested interests that make it possible.

    • aerobubble 1.1
      2 September 2014 at 2:26 pm

      Mining deaths from dergulation. Forestry deaths. Now frontline WINZ deaths.

      Workplace safety all directly leading back to the policy relaxation of John Keys government.

      Form Dotcom raid, to privacy breaches in ACC, WINZ, IR.

      Fiascoes by McCully, Smith, Banks…

      Why hasn’t media been on Key’s back?

      GFC was not Labours fault. Key hasn’t helpe the economy by turning rivers into sewage drains, and the only thing saving Key is the ChCh rebuild and Chinese having babies in the year of the Dragon.

      Is there anything of note Key has done that will outlast him?

      Nope.

  2. fambo 2
    2 September 2014 at 12:04 pm

    I seem to recall US president Richard Nixon became quite paranoid towards the end of his presidency.

    • DS 2.1
      2 September 2014 at 1:05 pm

      Nixon started off as merely “very paranoid”. He went from there to “mindbogglingly insanely paranoid,” of the variety that would suggest a visit to a soft padded cell would be helpful.

      (Useless trivia: towards the end, Nixon would have conversations with Abraham Lincoln’s White House portrait).

    • aerobubble 2.2
      2 September 2014 at 2:30 pm

      Nixon started the thawing of US-China relations.

  3. Tracey 3
    2 September 2014 at 12:16 pm

    Did Checkpoint challenge him…

    • Puddleglum 3.1
      2 September 2014 at 12:24 pm

      Hi Tracey,

      The item on Checkpoint was a ‘cut and paste’ of Key’s comments, the presenters’ narrative and Cunliffe’s response. While obviously Key’s comments came from an ‘interview’ (or perhaps ‘stand up’) there was no to-and-fro as with the interviews on Morning Report.

      So, in this case, there was no ‘challenge’ although Cunliffe was presented with the Prime Minister’s challenge to him (i.e., over holding an enquiry into government between the years 1999-2008).

  4. Tracey 4
    2 September 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Just a shame Chris doesnt see through Farrar yet

  5. Charlieboy 5
    2 September 2014 at 12:53 pm

    The Natz strategy is clearly the “everyone does it” spin.
    The Key examples as detailed above and Espiner and Ryan on RNZ bringing up Clark and Doone, and Clark saying by definition she cannot leak.
    This is all BS folks, the Natz think they can hide the present day corruption of their government by smoke screens and sleight of hand.
    Don’t be fooled, it is only the tip of the iceberg.

  6. cogito 6
    2 September 2014 at 1:10 pm

    That “clean hands” cartoon sums up the whole of the Key government. Their hands are always clean and yet they have created a culture of dirt, lies and corruption where anyone who isn’t part of their favoured few gets hit. No different from organised crime.

    • aerobubble 6.1
      2 September 2014 at 2:12 pm

      It never lasts. National party will soon realize that Key is damaged goods and look to putting their best foot forward.

      Bennett should resign, a third Minister gone.

      Then National should get behind Bennett for taking personal responsibility.

      Of course, she might just be too inept and fickle for the political contortions necessary.

  7. disturbed 7
    2 September 2014 at 1:40 pm

    Keep the cartoons coming as the portrait says more than words do.

    Goebbels Hitler’s propaganda used grotesque portraits when getting Germans to learn to accept the running down the Jews in 1937 by showing them as sloppy unclean while eating with flies swirling around, and ugly deformations.

    Maybe the NAZI Bilderberg group has black op’s here to undermine us all working undercover for Key’s Government?

    Below he was in attendance as John Key Prime Minister of New Zealand.

    Attended by most the biggest industrial and richest elite globally their aim is to dominate the globe and control all activities.

    http://twochurchesonly.com/supmat/03/most_influential/bilderberg_group/
    list_of_bilderberg_attendees.pdf

  8. One Anonymous Bloke 8
    2 September 2014 at 2:01 pm

    Hands up who thinks the latest #whaledump is invisible because putting it in the public domain could prejudice an investigation, and that the dump has gone to the appropriate authorities.

    Note to Matthew Hooton: this is speculation, not rumour.

  9. disturbed 9
    2 September 2014 at 2:47 pm

    We never had a Prime Minister friends.

    Definition of a Prime minister,
    Collins dictionary; – Leader of the Government,

    Definition of Government; – Executive policy making body of a state.
    1/ Key was not in charge of his office of the PM was he?

    2/ How many times has he said “I don’t have full knowledge of what other ministers do or the agencies”.

    3/who makes policy? according to Key he says SIS make their own policies? This also has been proven to be the case with many others.

    4/ he can’t even hold government to any standards, evidenced by him not conducting any meaningful enquires.

    5/ excuses used from him are, “It’s normal political practice”.

    Sign the Petition to Governor General please.
    IMPORTANT!
    https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Governor_General_of_New_Zealand_Investigate_all_the_allegations_of_corruption_in_the_National_government/sign/?aeArPbb

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
      2 September 2014 at 3:08 pm

      Wayne Mapp has a go at defending Key’s style at Pundit. I think he’s naive: Key and Slater weren’t playing tiddlywinks in those phone calls.

      • Tracey 9.1.1
        2 September 2014 at 3:58 pm

        Like hoots his nat DNA prevents him from condemning the Liar in Chief.

        Is he quiet on Judge Judy?

      • RedBaronCV 9.1.2
        2 September 2014 at 9:15 pm

        I see Wayne has abandoned us yeah! Use to find it interesting that he would come on here and basically tell us all what we should be thinking and then seem surprised that his opinion wasn’t taken as the only one. I’m sure pundit will suit him better for the sermon from the mount type approach but I do hope the RWNJ’s aren’t starting to colonise pundit.

  10. dave 10
    2 September 2014 at 3:18 pm

    The sounds like a threat to me pm now adds blackmail to the list he totally corrupt
    And we should not put up with this shit

    • Murray Olsen 10.1
      3 September 2014 at 2:35 am

      Yep.

      “If Mr Cunliffe wants me to hold an independent inquiry into the actions of the Labour Party between 1999 and 2008 he should let me know. If he wants to do that, if he wants to do that, that’s all cool.“

      That’s the style of a Mafia Don or a dirty cop, not a Prime Minister. The ethics learned or honed on Wall St do not suit government. Cunliffe should call his bluff.

  11. Tracey 11
    2 September 2014 at 4:01 pm

    lThis will make everyone feel better, wont it?

    “..Mr Key has said a broader inquiry into the Dirty Politics allegations isn’t warranted and the Opposition push for one was politically motivated.

    Speaking to reporters in Christchurch this afternoon he said the difference between a Government Inquiry and a royal commission were “a bit semantic”.

    “The powers of the inquiry we are proposing to establish are identical to the ones of a royal commission. The only difference is actually who appoints the actual people, and who it reports to.

    “The real powers of a Government inquiry as we’re proposing are very thorough, very broad and no different to a royal commission.”

    He said Mr Peters had “lots of bottom lines”.

    “This is just another one. As I’ve said before, I’m not going to get into bottom lines prior to an election. We’ll go and talk to political parties afterwards.”

    He suggested those calling for a wider inquiry should be careful what they wished for.

    “There are lots and lots of different players involved in this. And, push come to a shove, maybe that wouldn’t be what [Peters] would want.

    “The blogger in question has said that half the Labour caucus is involved. To cast a wide net across the media, realistically we all just need to take our breath for a moment here.
    There’s a specific allegation about a particular minister. She utterly refutes it and her position is supported by the State Services Commissioner. But I, as a Prime Minister, have to get an answer to that question and I’m setting up a Government inquiry.”

    A Government Inquiry has powers to order people to give evidence and produce documents and other evidence or face conviction and a $10,000 fine if they refuse. “

    • Tracey 11.1
      2 September 2014 at 4:08 pm

      I see he is still communicating with Slater or is that the PMs Orifice is still communicating with Slater

      If Key genuinely cant see the difference between his planned inquiry and a royal commission, he needs to step down immediately.

  12. emergency mike 12
    2 September 2014 at 4:12 pm

    Key was never a Prime Minister. He was always a two-faced corporate manager.

  13. RedLogix 13
    2 September 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Acksually we have a troll for a Prime Minister.

    (If an RWNJ used the line “but you guys do it too!” line here – they’d be laughed off the thread.)