In chronological order:
John Key: “[I never promised I wouldn’t raise GST]. I said I would not raise GST to cover deficits, and we are not doing so.”
Guyon Espiner: “he would have been better of just saying ‘look, times have changed and GST is now back on the agenda'”
Duncan Garner: “The Prime Minister could have taken a different approach saying, ‘that was then, this is now’ or ‘the tax experts have reported and change is needed’. But both excuses now appear to be too late for the beleaguered PM.”
John Armstrong: “it would surely have been more advisable for the Prime Minister to have been straight up and down yesterday and instead argued along the lines of ‘that was then and this is now’.”
Colin Espiner: “What Key should have said was that times have changed, that that was then and this is now”
Bill English: “Times have changed and we’re dealing with the economy as we find it.”
Dear National. If you’re going to take lines from your myriad of right-leaning media pals best you do it before you’re filmed saying the exact opposite thing.
I wonder if the gallery will be invoicing English. Or is the pay-off for them the kick they get from being able to put words in the mouths of democratically elected representatives?
I suspect it’s a combination – the kick they get when politicians use their lines and the tax cuts that they’ll get at everyone else’s expense.
And I hear on National Radio this morning that Key is already contemplating a back-down on GST … the overnight polling must have been a bit negative on his Big Ideas.
So if he doesn’t do GST then how does he do tax cuts? Or does he take the “do nothing” path?
No GST rise, no tax cuts but lower top rate. Because ‘times have changed’.
Key’s endless ‘testing of the waters’ has grown tiresome. We all know he outs policy early so he can focus group how it plays and this is clearly no different. Honestly, the moment this man is booed off-stage he’s going to go foetal.
Indeed. Someone buy that man a spine!
AS regards the media feeding the lines for the politicians. Its the old saying you dont bite the hand that feeds you.
Espiner has already ‘moved on’ so doubt there will be little questioning of Key on this broken promise if he appears on Espiners show Q+A.
Move along . . . nothing to see here . . . oooh, look over there, Bill Clinton’s in hospital!
home run z – thanks
The greatest political failure here is that it’s been public. If I’d been in the same position I’d have been inclined to just take my lumps and stick to the story, rather than be transparently led by the media.
L