Fran O’Sullivan, who championed National most ardently in Opposition, has become disillusioned with Key as PM. She savages him today, saying he has a “deep need” to be “Mr Popularity”:
Prime Minister John Key’s practised inclination – crack a few jokes about daughter Steffie usurping his credit card and/or messing up her en suite and son Max telling dad there would have been more upside if he had been an All Black and/or how he has got a tad porky since entering politics – still gets laughs when he ventures about the country.
It worked also for Key this week when he pulled out the “Steffie and the chequebook” gag again at the launch of the new New Zealand Global Women network at the University of Auckland Business School…
Key’s rampant good humour suitably seduced those present that he was taking seriously their stated aims to increase the leadership opportunities for “their members” through building a diverse, supportive and well-connected network that extends from New Zealand on to a global stage…
Get real sisters. Key’s impromptu gushing was so notably light on commitment to what matters for most women that frankly little of a factual nature resonated…
Ministers in Key’s own Government have disestablished the Labour Department’s pay and employment equity unit and scrapped two other investigations aimed at improving the pay rates of female social workers at Child Youth and Family and female school support workers who are demonstrably getting less than male peers.
The rationale offered by State Services Minister Tony Ryall that such investigations would “generate an additional form of remuneration pressure that is unaffordable in the current economic and fiscal environment” is so deeply insulting to women that he should have been slapped down by his leader.
Where is the commitment from Key’s Government to eradicating the 12 per cent gender pay gap?
Key’s female appointments: Melissa Lee to challenge for Mount Albert; the Christine Rankin nonsense; and the increasing morass growing around Paula Bennett does not help the perception of women leaders…
All hat and no horse is the term they would use in Texas. Key talks a big game and ingratiates himself with people but doesn’t deliver. I’m reminded of another article I saw a while back in a business magazine describing a chamber of commerce breakfast with Key:
So, he soothed us, charmed us, and encouraged us, but he stopped short of inspiring us. Why? Because he didn’t even pretend to be interested in the views of the business people and government officials present. 10 to 15 minutes of Q+A would have Key a good sense of the ‘mood’ of our Wellington business community. How else does this man of the people, know the people?Have I told you the one about the tie Max bought me?
Both audiences saw the same thing. Key’s good at the funny family guy schtick and people are prepared to be disarmed by that. Key’s even good at talking about the issues facing New Zealand, which is nice. But there’s nothing more. There’s no solutions from him. Despite the fact these are business audiennces, there’s absolutely no interest from him in learning about their concerns and ideas. It’s all show and no substance, and it’s not going to change.
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