Not surprisingly, Labour's erstwhile campaign manager Trevor Mallard has climbed into Key on Red Alert. And if anyone should be in a position to comment on dummy-spitting and storming out, it is Trevor Mallard. Check out this video; the action all happens in the first minute:
Take your pick dear readers; where does John Key's exit from this morning's media stand-up rate on the Trevor Storms Out scale? We're normally pretty charitable, but we're struggling to award Key any more than a three out of ten for this morning's effort.
Perhaps John Key needs to take some lessons from the master of the art of storming out!
30 comments:
wow. you really are blinded by key's faux charm aren't you? desperately going down the semantics road...
and what say you of his refusal to answer political questions in the public interest in the middle of an election campaign?
Is that 3/10 rating Trev's effort as the 10/10?
I'd rate them 1/10 and 6/10 repectively on a scale that puts James Jnr as the benchmark when he's told he can't watch Star Wars Clone Wars after school.
I'm classing JK this morning as a "walk out" and Trev's effort as a "flounce".
From interest.co.nz:
"From my vantage point at the press conference, it looked like a planned move from Key and his staff. In the video below of Key answering my questions on the Renminbi and trade, you'll see him say he'll take questions on the teapot stuff after any questions on trade. "
He then walked off in a huff once a question was asked. Great PM alright.
If Key had walked out because he was refusing to answer political questions, I'd be angry. But they weren't political questions; they were questions from Duncan Garner that the PM has repeatedly refused to answer because they are the subject of a police investigation.
Not political questions?
YOU MUST BE DELUDED.
The whole point of this debacle is that Key is unable to distinguish between the political and what he thinks is his personal brand. One and the same my friend. The entire incident is political and in the public interest.
Crosby/Textor/Key/Joyce have slipped up big time.
"Not political questions?
YOU MUST BE DELUDED."
So what was the question again Tamsin?
Go on remind me....If you can think of one.
All I see here is Key politely reminding the media that they do not set the agenda. Something he should have done at the beginning of this non-event.
ps. Caps lock is third key up on the left hand side.
oops...... m = Moist
"Crosby/Textor/Key/Joyce have slipped up big time."
Well that's certainly the wishful thinking in lefty circles. I'm picking that you'll be disappointed by the polls. Again.
Your inability to admit when a person or party that you support has royally stuffed up and is continuing to do so on a daily basis by deflecting and attempting to bring up worse about his opposition is becoming frustrating INV2.
Can't you just admit this is a major, major balls up and hte longer it goes on...the worse it gets?
Just because you support a political party doesn't mean that you always have to agree with their actions.
I happily and readily admitted that the Green vandalising fiasco was a major stuff up and not a good look.
You can do it INV2.
John Key is stuffing up BIG TIME!
It gets easier after the first time you say it. :)
It's only a balls-up because the media is making it one Jacqui. Key wanted to answer questions on trade and the economy; subjects that might just have a little more bearing on our future prosperity than a brief chat with John Banks almost a week ago.
I think he's playing a smart game; he's stonewalling Garner, and trying to get either 3News or the HoS (your old friends!) to release the information which it is alleged was illegally obtained. The only power that those two media organisations have is the information, and they risk prosecution if they release it.
When the contents of his discussion with Banks are released, it's going to be a huge anti-climax. But I've been listening to Newstalk ZB most of the afternoon, and callers, even some who identify as Labour voters are overwhelmingly supporting the PM drawing a line in the sand.
I have seen and participated in a number of "storm outs" (generally to make a point in a negotiation) in a reasonably long legal career.
If Mr Key walking away from the media this morning is regarded as a "storm out" then those who take that view have led sheltered lives.
You give advice better than you take it, Jacqueline.
The first video is a Labour authorised ad, IV2
NewsTalk ZB? Heh. Fox news you mean?
Try RNZ. Key's never turned up for a chat there as PM.
Running scared for 3 years and now we can see why.
Arrogance personified.
@ iaMron - thanks for that; a different version now appears!
National has been a terrible government,
John Key a well below average PM.
National have crap policy,
with ACT it'd be worse.
Key is arrogant, rude and sly in the house and now his buttons have been pushed he is exhibiting it outside in public. Good on the media for getting him to drop the facade. As with the throat-slitting gesture he is running from the heat...
there's more to come too...
@ Anon (4.38pm) - given that Red Alert has withdrawn my commenting privileges, you can forget about cut and pasting their opinions here.
And there are some very Guytonesque comments appearing. Just remember Robert; you're banned, and you told everyone you'd never be back.
And if he staged the walkout as is now seeming just as likely he is even more duplicitous. In fact he is multiplicitous. We can't trust anything we see or hear with this chap. The evidence is there. Just not the good policy.
Wouldn't it be nice just for once to have an election campaign where things of importance to the future of this country were discussed.
I am old enough to remember political parties issuing manifesto's which contained their policies, which were scrutinized in detail before elections, and which they were held to account on over the next 3 years - good times eh.
Todays media are pathetic and let our politicians get away without any serious policy scrutiny.
NZ is actually facing some pretty big issues coming up (without even thinking about the effect of a European recession on the world economy) and it would actually be nice to see what all parties had to say about how they are planning to address these issues instead of the infantile level of discussion that is going on at the moment
Too true Ross; I too remember those weighty tomes known as manifesto.
But the irony with today's scenario is this; Key was trying to do exactly what you were suggesting; discuss the none-too-small matter of the Trans Pacific Partnership, which along with the FTA with China will be pivotal to our future economic success. But because of the grandstanding of Duncan Garner et al, that discussion was truncated.
PS: For those who accuse me of hackery, this is an opportune moment to acknowledge the work done by Phil Goff as Trade Negotiations Minister in the previous government which laid the groundwork for negotiations towards ther TPP. It was the kind of role in which Goff excels, as opposed to his leadership efforts, and New Zealand should be grateful to him.
Oh, you mean like the retirement age that Key has ruled out talking about, the credit down grade he lied about a lack of long term savings he ignores, and the assets being sold down the river against the electorates wishes if he's back. Those are some good policies to talk about hmmm?
Ironic that he wants to talk about policy now after all the crap photo ops and the lack of policy for hard interviews. Chickens. Home. Roost.
Anon@5:18,
I would like all political parties having a lot of scrutiny and analysis applied to their offerings, not just National.
Election campaigns are a contest of ideas, whereby people decide which ideas best fit where they see the future direction of the country.
It would be helpful to see what the range of ideas was to make those decisions.
IV2 I would agree storming out is probably going to far, but it was a bad look. The recordings legality has not been established yet and having read Andrew Geddis at Pundit I doubt very much it will end up being deemed illegal if this goes to court.
John Key has stuffed this up big time. As for them not being political questions, they are highly political questions every question in an election is political.
Key needs from his perspective to shut this down. I would think Banks would be useful in doing this as Key has made a fool out of himself saying he can't remember what was said.
This will lead the news tonight what the right fail to understand from reading the comments at Kiwiblog it is no longer about the comments we all fairly much know what was said.
The media have discovered that it is fun throwing shit at the PM, there is nothing to be gained by releasing the information themselves when by not releasing they have stick to belt Key with.
I commented over at Kiwiblog that Goff needs to distance himself from this and follow DPF's advice and stay on message notice he failed to do that today, but Grant Robertson just has on Prime News. He sheeted the blame for real issues that matter not being discussed right onto Key.
Despite our differences politically you and I both know that politics is about perception.
Mallard is the right person to stir the pot not Goff, Labour have the challenge of not throwing shit but calling this a distraction, taking the policy high ground and staying on message. They can count on Peters to keep it in the public gaze.
Labour have politically delt with this in an at best average way. National have stuffed it up.
Wow Key came across as a clown in that press conference didn't he? How the hell did someone so inarticulate and truculent become PM? It must be embarrassing to have to defend this IV2.
National made this a presidential campaign. Vote for John. He is their campaign. But when "the campaign" then throws his rattle, it has to be big news. I find much of the modern conduct of politics gormless, yet this is how it is now played, and National have, in the rules of the modern game, just stuffed up big time. And in doing so, have compounded the errors in the handling of the recording issue.
The thinking voter - the majority -will be watching this, for they don't like fits of pique in their PMs and they don't like being bad-mouthed behind their by politicians (and that's what is emerging from the recording).
Insert "backs"
James @2:58PM Trev's was more of a "mince" than a 'flounce".
And the Green Party vandalism on National Paty billboards fails to warrant a mention on TV1 news. Independent TV media - my arse!
If Key knows the tape is bland he should have,if smart enough,done what he has in getting it banned....then at the right time say "oh well,if you really think its important to hear it..."....then lift the ban and let HOS and the rest of the media deliver one hell of a let down of a "scoop" to the NZ public....who will wonder what the fuss was about and probably give Key and National a further few points of support in the next poll out of sympathy.
Robert Winter at 8.50pm said:
The thinking voter - the majority...
Correct, as indicated by the polls, supporting John Key.
The unthinking minority is already in Robert's camp voting Labour
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