John Key is relaxed. Good on him. Its certainly important in politics to not sweat the small stuff. A lot happens in a day and if you get too uptight it can be bad for your health. There are big issues to worry about, they are the ones where your energy needs to be focused and where the future of the country is at stake.
So, for my own enlightenment I did a Google Search to look at the things our Prime Minister is ‘relaxed’ about, to see whether the chilled out leader has got it right. This is but a sample.
- Afghanistan. Well specifically requests for troops to go there. On the same subject, how does his good buddy Barack feel? Ah, not so much.
- Religion. A thorny topic, so probably best to not get too uptight about it. Mind you some people do….
- About being called relaxed. This was the Rodney moment suggesting he ” did not do anything”. Ah, its the friends you make in politics that matter….
- Changes to Auckland City boundaries. They are a little less relaxed in Rodney and Franklin….
- Low uptake of the nine-day fortnight. hmm, lots of people losing their jobs? Ah lets just all chill out.
- Christine Rankin. Not even Christine Rankin is relaxed about Christine Rankin.
- The Emissions Trading Scheme. What he told Fed Farmers but rest of planet might feel differently.
I think we might set up a “relax-ometer” to monitor the tension levels of our fearless leader. Will be interesting to see the shifts.
Spud, you could have used 3 emoticons if you had written ‘Goof 2011′ as I thought 3 was your ambition.
Ha! You could have written goof yourself! LOL
Not three specifically, it all started when my one week ban was lifted, to celebrate I tried to type five in a row and only two came out. On a later post tried three, no. Later had to settle for commas in between.
Just wait until their 10, 000th post
There’s a capital G in Goof, Spud.
Logging off now. Have a great weekend everyone. This has been a very relaxing way to spend a Friday morning. Cheers.
See ya, Rich
Somebody help!!
I seem to have stumbled across a group of children who got into Dad’s liquor cabinet last night, and they have armed themselves with emoticons. They are draining this thread of all reasoned debate…
Grunt, okay then, it’s been pretty quiet on the Families’ Commission of late. Then there’s the ETS, shambles, that’s not going to be much fun (where’s the gin?). And Auckland’s boundaries appear to be very undemocratic. All good reasons to drink, methinks.
Banksie 11:15am
It’s a blog for little kids who think they are Adults.
@Doug – RELAX – have a drink and tell me what you think of the ETS – is Key being too relaxed about it?
And the biggest kid of all replies.
LOL
I don’t think that we should’ve sent combat troops to Afghanistan. Goff was right, we are much more effective working in a constructive manner in the country. I didn’t like Key’s decision on that.
Yeah the nine day fortnight wasn’t a roaring success, but I suppose it’s better than a 0 day fortnight, though really on the whole not effective.
Spud
It’s about relaxation keep on topic.
Doug – If Spud, the greatest cheerleader, is advocating that we all take to the bottle then the signs are ominous.
I also find the repeated attempts to shift or sideline the debate to be quite revealing.
Does anyone know how one goes about lowering emmissions on a dairy farm?
No sorry spud. I heard a while ago that a genetic modification process on cows was being researched to reduce emitions, but have not heard anything since that comment…not even sure if its true. Will try and find out.
I heard about certain kinds of feed. I don’t like something I saw on country calendar about GEing their personalities to make them easier to handle. That’s awful and if they stuff it up, they will never know.
Your not a fan of GE?
I’m weary of GE because of potential safety issues and also because of creepy stuff like changing their personalities.
Does anyone know how one goes about lowering emoticons at the funny farm?
No wonder they file this thread under humour.
Compare Goff to Key and the thread gets hijacked a more humourless blog would be hard to find.
Well come on Doug, how the hell is Goff supposed to compete with an entire circus turning tricks in the hive?
John Key is an embarrassment as a PM. He is “relaxed” because he does not take the job seriously enough judging from his own semi articulate public utterances. His adoring public don’t take things very seriously either it seems (yet), good on ’em, but I will not be joining them.
I long for articulate, knowledgeable ministers. It is going to be a long two years with this unseemly lot of “Hollowmen, crushers, brawlers and choppers“.
John Key is an embarrassment as a PM
Not according to the voting public Tiger Mountain, the small number of Labour voters might think so.
Tiger Mountain: Well put.
Well, some people have had fun on this thread while I have been busy this morning. I guess as it was meant to be a fun post I have to accept that, but any further comments on this thread have to be about the post- ie John Key and his use of the term relaxed, otherwise they will be deleted. As you were….
Fair enough. Sorry Grant, we were getting a bit carried away lol
Spud, relax. You’re asking the wrong question. The issue for your lot is how did the ‘relaxed’ JK beat you when you had an “entire circus turning tricks in the hive”?
If John Key gets any more relaxed he will be a puddle on the floor. As a consequence of which he will have near universal popularity. I swear opinions in New Zealand have nothing to with achievement. Opinion polls are still in ‘oooh, shiney’ mode and that seems to be the way the country outside of blogland like our leaders at the moment. Send a grinning Ken doll to a press conference as leader and I’m sure you could get the same result.
@jennifer – I know why they lost so I don’t need to ask that question.
Yes, puddle is the perfect word because he doesn’t make waves!
@Grant – be happy that our posts have gotten your thread to 81 comments
ReLAX – this is lax, that is lax, soon the tax will be lax.
Camden, so there’s no hope for Goff, no matter how relaxed he becomes? Are you saying Labour should relax until 2014?
I think that Labour need to continue to stand their ground on all portfolios, as they have been doing excellently due to a very committed and hard working caucaus.
They need to show to the New Zealand public that they are here for us, and that our views are being expressed in that way. The ways that they can do this is by continuing the national tours or Mr. Goff, and electorate MP’s to continue to be in there communities on a day to day basis.
Does Goff need to become relaxed? I don’t know whether he does or he doesn’t, but trying to be the same as Key would possibly just make him invisible. Don’t know.
I think he may need to relax a bit, but not enough as to move his ground, if you get what I mean.
How really can he relax though?
@James – I agree 100%
Thats great
! Do you have any ideas on how he can relax? I cant think of any really 
1.47 was me agreeing with 1.44. I disgree that Goff needs to relax, relaxing isn’t what he does well, so I think he should do what he does do well. But still not sure.
Agreed. Sorry, I’ve missed something. 1.47, 1.44? What does that refer to?
LOL
We were writing at the same time. He could drink more, do power yoga in his office, make crank phone calls… 
haha. that would be good for him! I might pass a few tips on when I go into Parliament on Thursday lol!
Oh the times of our posts, they got out of whack when I took too long writing one and then posted mine and saw the one you wrote at 1.47 and then you thought I agreed with it. LOL
James, are you suggesting he can’t relax because the knives are out?
Yes and no. I think that relaxing isn’t something that is his best thing. Key does the relaxed thing well, but Goff won’t get far by trying to be a second Key.
Yes the knives are out, Goff has been getting a very hard time in the press and I can’t see any good reason for it.
oops, jennifer I thought you were James.
What do you think about Goff, relax or not?
@Spud. Gotcha. Sometimes this blog comment thing is far too hard lol.
@jennifer. No! I believe that politicians should always be firm in their beliefs, be respectful (yes hone, you too!)exercise them [their beliefs] 100%, be consistant and stand up for all people. You will note that these are all characteristics in what they do.
What is not often exercised by the book, as there is no book is the way the should behave in terms of attitudes and moods. This comes with different personality. So John Key may be naturally relaxed, while Phil Goff is alot different. This is neither a good or bad thing, it is just who they are as people. That is why this topic is very hard to comment on. But, in short, No.
Btw, hope that makes sense
James, maybe if he did relax more he might come across less robotic and the media might warm to him more? Having a good message is not much use if the delivery is off. Maybe people just don’t like him, simple as that?
well I’m not relaxed .. been shopping with daughter and grand-daughter who was irritable and got a call from mechanic re repairs to car at over 2K sigh.
So if John Key is relaxed with all his (our) problems then I better harden up aye?
I havnt’t thought of it from that angle. Could be that too. He does seem to be getting an extremely undue amount of negative media attention