I got an email from a mate in the UK this morning asking what the hell is going on over here. He’d just got into work and was being asked by his British workmates why the police were searching media outlets in the middle of an election campaign.
That’s not surprising, a quick scan of the UK media turns up stories about this fiasco in the Guardian and the BBC.
By upping the ante Key has turned this into an international embarrassment for New Zealand.
In fact “embarrassment” is too gentle a word. Having the cops serving warrants on political journalists less than two weeks out from an election because the Prime Minister doesn’t want people to find out what he said is bloody shameful – Key has made us look like a banana republic in the eyes of the world.
It’s not just brand Key that’s getting hammered here. It’s New Zealand’s reputation as a progressive and enlightened international citizen. What a mess.
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