Red Alert

Key’s worst day ever ? Runs away from the media.

Posted by on November 16th, 2011


47 Responses to “Key’s worst day ever ? Runs away from the media.”

  1. John Dalley says:

    LoL

  2. Tracey says:

    But, he’s not upset????

  3. Ray Naud says:

    Media repeat ‘storming out’. More like a light breeze.

  4. Tracey says:

    C’mon Ray, fair’s fair, the PM has been “repeating” memes for about 3-4 years, true or not.

    He courted the media, basked int he media now he has to experience the other side of the media.

    Remember when he said he would answer honestly and answer questions journalists forgot to ask???? I guess he was lying then.

  5. old sammy says:

    It’s Dennis Connor, without the syntax.

    When the going gets tough, Key gets going … out the door. Any chance he called Garner a “creep”? ;)

  6. true wheel says:

    Well it is certainly stretching the Nat’s “non engagement, control the narrative” strategy.
    Really it is never ok for a Prime Minister to walk out like this. He gets well paid to take whatever comes his way on behalf of the citizens.

  7. bob aka jem says:

    YAAWN!!! Non event.

  8. jennifer says:

    Extraordinary behaviour, really. So now he wants to talk about “policy” and the “real issues” concerning New Zealanders? Funny, he didn’t give a damn about them a few days ago, when it was all happy smiling faces and endless photo ops and carefully polled CT grabs and bites? This is actually the first time that MonKey has come under any serious pressure from the media, and he caved, choked, folded like a sun chair. Pathetic.

  9. Clare says:

    YAAWWNN too! Lame. Storming out? I think not.

  10. insider says:

    Didn’t he walk out of a media conference at the Beehive one time in similar circumstances – ie repeatedly pressed on a subject he wasn’t willing to address

  11. Tracey says:

    jennifer, I chuckled about the party with no policy in 2008 and 2011 suddenly wanting a focus on policy too.

  12. Clare says:

    And if this is Key’s worst day, there’s not much to worry about. Trev, excuse the pun, but the pot calling the kettle black. Surely you take the crown for storming out and the odd temper tantrum.

  13. Tracey says:

    Oh but Clare you’re forgeting, Mr Key was going to be better than Labour, have higher standards, always be honest and even answer questions journalists forgot to ask him. If you are saying his behaviour is fine if Labour used to do it, then tsk tsk tsk on you.

  14. Sadu says:

    OK – he’s not running away and he’s not storming out.

    He’s plainly decided that progress isn’t being made after answering the same question 3 times in a row with the same answer. So he left. What did TV3 expect him to do?

    Seriously – if I wanted to read “juicy gossip” I’d go and buy myself a Women’s Weekly.

  15. old sammy says:

    if I wanted to read “juicy gossip” I’d go and buy myself a Women’s Weekly.

    Well, that’s certainly where you’ll find John Key.

  16. Mac1 says:

    Key does the non-politics very well- cats, barbies, cars – but doesn’t do politics at all well. He couldn’t control the questioners- he did try with an attempt to deflect till the end, and then an attempt to over-ride the questioner- this didn’t work, so he walked out.

    Sadu- with the same non-answer, you mean.

  17. Tracey says:

    sadu

    Can you tell me what you think the second person in the following exchange meant?

    ” Henry: Do you promise you will never do that if you become the Prime Minister?

    Key: I do promise I’ll never do that.

    Henry: You promise you will always be honest?

    Key: Yeah

    Henry: And if a journalist forgets to ask you a particular question you will answer it anyway?

    Key: Well I’ll do my best.”

  18. Richard the First says:

    Tracey, you are beginning to show a bias which you were very careful to avoid in earlier posts.

  19. sophie says:

    Stormed out, breezed out or minced out? Whatever – he couldn’t take the heat and that’s all there is to it!

  20. Bea says:

    I actually think it could be good for him.

    One issue he has had is in being able to portray someone with a backbone as opposed to someone who bends with popular opinion.

    Getting stroppy back with the media will be a good look for him in many people’s eyes – thinking Robert Muldoon and Helen Clark.

    The whispers of Brash getting dropped as leader of Act are, whether true or not, surely a good thing for National as well. The idea of Brash scares a lot of horses, whereas John Banks is more of a populist. He’ll sway with opinion.

  21. Sadu says:

    I agree that Key isn’t good at politics, and actually this was seen to be one of his major strengths last campaign. It’s easy to tell when he’s bullshitting (he puts on that stupid face like a possum in headlights) but generally speaking he could admit when he was wrong, apologise, and move on. Clark couldn’t do this in the later years and people grew tired of it. Personally I like politicians that are easy to read.

    I’m sure the tape will come out at some point, and will prove to be slightly embarassing – as opposed to “Bland” as Key is saying. But I guarantee it won’t contain anything of national significance either, which is why this whole thing is a big waste of time. People want the election to be about policy, not petty points-scoring which is what this is.

    Which comes back to my original point – TV3 should be covering the trade policy and other things that are actually of national significance, and leave the sideshow for Women’s Weekly.

    Key’s mistake is that he let himself get cornered over a non-issue. He hasn’t handled it well, but that still doesn’t change the fact that it’s a non-issue and the journalists are doing a crappy job of covering the issues that matter.

  22. Tigger says:

    Bea – but he doesn’t look strong here – he looks shifty and slippery. The only backbone he’s exhibiting is that of a snake.

  23. ghostwhowalksnz says:

    Sadu thinks Not answering the question is answering the question.

    Would that be like raising GST is fulfilling your promise not to raise GST

    Would that be like promising to cut taxes before the election and passing the law and then six months later repealing the tax cut law.

    Oh yes , then there was promising a brighter future where the opposite happened but then promising it all over again 3 years later

  24. ak says:

    Whoa….as close to meltdown as you’ll ever see from any politician. Utter embarrassment, mental seizure, unable to mouth anything but the prepared spin in excruciating repetetition, and that only just. Poor bugger ran because tears weren’t far away – Alisdair Thompson all over again. Very hard to come back from.

  25. Sadu says:

    Duncan garner didn’t want to talk about trade and john key didn’t want to talk about the tape. I guess they could have chatted about the weather?

  26. ghostwhowalksnz says:

    Sadu , you arent aware of what happened before the meltdown.

    he was was asked about the teapot tapes at first and he said he wanted to talk about ‘trade’ and the ‘other questions’ later.

    So he was asked about trade blah blah for about 8 mins and when they got to what was really on their mind and going to be in the headlines he ran away

    Check Radio NZ and Checkpoint after 5Pm. Their political reporter had all the timings

  27. kate says:

    hes a coward total slim

  28. Sadu says:

    Ghostwalker – That part wasn’t in the video I watched.

    I know that if I say to the kids they can have stories after they brush their teeth – and then I try to wiggle out of the stories….. not pretty.

    If this is the case, he’s a fool for telling the children they could have stories. He probably should have given them a smack bottom when they started misbehaving, but it’s a bit late for that now.

  29. Curious says:

    Great montage. The wheels have well and truly come off. Spot the true National Party sycophants above.

    This whole thing has damaged Key as a brand.

    Key shouldn’t have met with Banks.
    Shouldn’t have done deal in Epsom.
    Shouldn’t have engineered media sideshow in line with Banks meeting.
    Should have released tape and cauterised the wound.

    I would think he has lost 5-10% of possible votes over this sort of attention so close to election.

    The only problem with being at the top is that it’s a long way to fall.

  30. bolliehollie says:

    Lip reading expert: they were discussing their summer holidays. One is going to Hawaii, the other to Omaha. Game changer.

  31. Big Norm says:

    There once was a man named John who enjoyed a cup of tea and a scone. He planned with his mate, who just happened to be a snake, and by lunchtime both gone!

  32. Evan says:

    In answer to the original question .. It was a shocking day for John Key. But really it started Friday, so lets see .. he has had 6 really bad days – and they say a week is a long time in politics.

    Losing credibility, losing votes for National party and electorates, losing ACT (!!) .. and helping Winston Peters, who is playing him like a well-tuned Stradivarius! Revenge is sweet as they say.

  33. jennifer tooseman says:

    Winston’s face must be aching, with all the smiling he’s doing at the moment. Revenge is sweet, and from the look on Winston’s face, it’s mighty delicious too!

  34. mark says:

    hey lets not get ahead of ourselves,still 9 days to go and 30% points to catch up. lets seee what the next poll says. The greens may have damaged the left. Winston will have egg on his face for sure

  35. Huginn says:

    @Sadu: November 16, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    “It’s easy to tell when he’s bullshitting (he puts on that stupid face like a possum in headlights) but generally speaking he could admit when he was wrong, apologise, and move on.’

    You are wrong. Key bullshits because he won’t admit he’s wrong.

    Watch him here telling us that the MediaWorks loan isn’t a loan even though he signed a paper that called it a loan. He sorts it out in head by calling the Public Finance Act definition a ‘treatment’.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdbJwWmwOVM

  36. Jack Ramaka says:

    Key is acting like a spoiled little schoolboy, the pidgeons are coming home to roost, he is merely a puppet for the Business Round Table and the big boys that control this country.

    They just want to further enrich themselves gorging on NZ Assets he’s probably given Fay Richwhite the first option on the Power Companies.

  37. Jack Ramaka says:

    Silly move Key getting tied up with those two old racist Teabaggers Banks and Brash.

  38. Curious says:

    There was a man named Key
    Who loved his cup of tea
    The media hit, it all turned to shit
    and now he’s all at sea

  39. Peter G says:

    I had the National candidate for Mangere ring up at home last night trying to sway us in their direction.. As far as she is concerned it is all the media’s fault , particularly that known Pro Labour newspaper the ” NZ Herald” I nearly fell out of my chair at the last comment…Had some fun with that one …

  40. Tracey says:

    RT!

    My bias is toward honesty and the truh and holding people to their word. Those who railed against our former PM for the Owen Glen affair, for her wrongly signing that painting etc etc etc seem to be oddly silent at the moment. Equally those on the left who excused those actions are frothing at the mouth.

    The PM made an explicit promise, as I have posted, and not a single person has bothered to address it, especially those defending him.

  41. al1ens says:

    I’m quite surprised whaleoik hasn’t got the audio of the tape up on his site. :grin:

  42. Dion says:

    > not a single person has bothered to address it

    Tracey – you’re right – Key’s handling of this… debacle has been pretty disappointing. However, Labour aren’t really in a position to critisise.

    Phil Goff’s comment about Key’s behaviour being “unprecedented” is untrue – and at least Key didn’t go so far as to call a journalist a “little creep” when faced with unexpected questions.

  43. Tracey says:

    Agreed Dion. So now we’re back to policy and detail, and performance. National hold the reins, they need to prove what they’ve done and what they will do, with detail. labour has come out with policy over the last 2 months. The Pm painted himself as “better than” Labour, particular ont he honesty and transparency front. He’s not. So what are we left with???

  44. Mike says:

    JK is used to having only adoring sycophantic media surrounding himn (like the sycophants that he always has sitting in the parliamentary galleries who all laugh on cue at his jokes). On the rare occasion that someone who doesn’t subscribe to the JK Appreciation Society gets through the cordon and asks him a pertinent question he can’t answer it because he can only “answer” scripted spin doctored questions.

  45. Marty says:

    Has anyone noticed the rather obvious link between the cup of tea affair and the “teaparty” politics of the US Republican Party. Now we have our own Teaparty here and a couple of mad hatters in charge. There they sit in a cafe with media only a few metres away playing Napoleon for the cameras, discussing how NZ can be sold off and divided up for their benefits and for their friends’ benefits. When we rightfully want to know what they intend to do they say it is a private matter and to mind our own businesses. They must have a very low opinion of most NZers.

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