Maybe North Korea's reclusive leadership have got it right. Because, judging by Key's recent efforts in the public arena, it might be better if he just went into hiding.Here are two reasons why our own Dear Leader should adopt Kim's approach of never being seen in public.
First Oops: Climate Change Denial Mask Slips
John Key in a speech on Tuesday, said about climate change activist, actress Keisha Castle-Hughes:
"My advice to Keisha is this: Stick to acting."Keisha's passion is admirable. She's a young woman who deserves respect for taking an interest in the planet and the environment.
Key's snarky comment merely illustrates what many of us suspect: his heart's not really in this climate change lark. Yes, of course he's required to mouth the appropriate platitudes, and of course he's committed to tackling the problem blah blah blah...
But fine words are not followed by fine deeds. And occasionally he lets the mask drop.
Here's what Key said in Parliament in 2005 on climate change:
This is a complete and utter hoax, if I may say so. The impact of the Kyoto Protocol, even if one believes in global warming—and I am somewhat suspicious of it—is that we will see billions and billions of dollars poured into fixing something that we are not even sure is a problem. Even if it is a problem, it will be delayed for about 6 years. Then it will hit the world in 2096 instead of 2102, or something like that. It will not work.He has since claimed he now believes man-assisted climate change is occurring. But Key doesn't strike me as a man who holds strong beliefs about anything. He's a man who claims he couldn't even remember how he felt about the 1981 Springbok tour.
So why should we believe the view he holds in 2009 is any different to the view he enunciated in Parliament in 2005?
Key has refused to meet Castle-Hughes. You might ask why he is always eager to be photographed with All Blacks, but won't meet a well-known actor.
I suspect the real actor in all of this is Key.
Second Oops: Fiji People Power Be Damned
When Key was asked this week what he thought of the call by Niuean Premier Toke Talagi for the people of Fiji to rise up against the military regime, he said:
"You can't have a good coup and a bad coup."Sorry, John, but a popular uprising is not a coup by any normal definition.
Wikipedia defines a coup d'état as:
the sudden deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the State Establishment — typically the military — to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military.Never mind that Key has no idea what a coup actually is. What business does he have telling the people of Fiji not to take popular action? Does he think the military rulers will just hand over power when they get bored of it?
While I can understand why New Zealand might not officially sanction or overtly support a popular movement, do we have to actively discourage one?
I am pretty sure that National realised from polling that climate change denial wasn't working with key swing vote demographics. On the other hand, they owe a lot of payback to the road transport lobby, Federated Farmers and a host of other big business backers.
ReplyDeleteSo the ideal compromise position is stop denying climate change, and start denying you can do anything about it.
It is the same thing, but you have think about it for 30 seconds before you work that out, so you are safe from Guyom Espiner and Duncan Garner.