Polity: Cold, calculated and cynical
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The dead cat got even more prominence because the Speaker of the House, National’s David Carter, inexplicably ruled that it is perfectly fine within Parliament’s rules to accuse MPs of “backing rapists” or “putting yourself on the side of sex offenders.”
Carter's performance today was unbelievable. Bear in mind that he actually had to cut Key's mic when he made the same offensive claims yet again.
Also, Carter's patronising putdown of Marama Davidson, interrupting a pretty standard – and mostly certainly relevant – question to remind her what a noob she was ... just disgraceful. The whole thing.
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Then again, there are only so many dead cats that can be thrown before hitting diminishing returns. It didn't seem to work for Stephen Harper's final term as Canadian PM. And some issues, like the Chernobyl meltdown or the Great Depression, are inherently too big to throw a dead cat around.
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It’s not the worst assault ever, but that’s beside the point. Key was in no danger – he was already on his way. And Prime Ministerial security guards do not get to lay a hand on Members of Parliament who are doing their jobs.
Fucksake. What a day.
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Key and his entourage of goons performance are of a man dangerously arrogant, one who has now completed confused the difference between him and the government.
Key was rattled by Davis, and his response has been to lose his temper and lash out like an insolent bully.
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He's looking rattled to me, if he'd have lost that last election, he probably would have been able to generate some sympathy because of the Hagar book and half the country would remember him fondly. But ultimately he's stuck around too long and I think his time is running out, you're only funny for so long and he's contributed nothing and it's started to show.
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bob daktari, in reply to
Fucksake. What a day.
Just another day in NZ politics under this govt
nothing to see here other than some cat corpses littering the hallways
all so very depressing
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Also, I don't think the dead cat strategy will work. This government has been desperate to keep a potentially explosive confrontation with Australia over their multiple human right violations of New Zealand citizens in their concentration camps out of the news and away from being an issue. This has exploded the issue onto the front page here (the Aussie media is still obediently playing their role in the state ideological apparatus on this issue) and given New Zealanders an opportunity to express their growing anger at Australia's racist treatment of us.
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The problem as always is that middle NZ will be thinking
"I kind of agree with that stand up guy John Key - we don't want those nasty criminals to come back to NZ"
Key knows his audience, it certainly isn't us here, and it isn't the parliamentary press gallery. He has now framed Labour as supporters of rapists, as dishonest and irresponsible as that framing is. He should have been ejected from the house but he got away with it.
Never mind that those New Zealand citizens on Christmas island may well have relatively minor criminal records, never mind that the job of PM doesn't have an exclusion clause that allows you to ignore citizens you don't really like. John Key plays to his audience and he wins because of it.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
“I kind of agree with that stand up guy John Key – we don’t want those nasty criminals to come back to NZ”
Yes. I just saw someone on Facebook buying the whole "they wouldn't be there if they weren't dangerous, violent criminals" pitch.
Sigh.
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Hebe,
On to it. Look at 2mins28: Kay starts the killer line and English grins because he knows what's coming.
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Mark Graham, in reply to
Yep. What you just said. Cynicism rules supreme.
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Hebe, in reply to
never mind that the job of PM doesn't have an exclusion clause that allows you to ignore citizens you don't really like.
That's it: John Key is not behaving as a Prime Minister should. The niceties of governance elude him.
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It might give Labour the kick up the arse they need to stop being so fucking feckless.
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I like the Dead Cat theory and I'm convinced it's used at times... But I don't think this was one.
I think this was an opportunity to both score points against the opposition and also to re-frame the detainees to limit public sympathy for them (and by extension those opposition parties who are supporting them).
The 'truth', as spoken by the Prime Minister and soon widely reported by the media, is that the majority of the detainees are violent sex offenders. The PM even has a document to prove it, although he doesn't think he'll be able to make it public.
Not sure how opposition parties can fight against that now. They are unlikely to have useful data to refute it.
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Matthew Hooton, in reply to
"they wouldn't be there if they weren't dangerous, violent criminals"
For many of them, that is true. But it was also true that Lorraine and Aaron Cohen wouldn't have been in Penang Prison were they not drug traffickers. Same for Schapelle Corby. But they received consular and diplomatic support anyway. And when the Cohens finished their sentences, they were quickly kicked out of Malaysia and sent home. As will Corby be kicked out of Indonesia when her parole period ends.
What doesn't happen is that you get sent to some other detention centre after your sentence has been served and kept there. If that happened in the Cohen case, New Zealand would have made strong diplomatic representations on their behalf. As would Australia if it happens to Corby.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
The 'truth', as spoken by the Prime Minister and soon widely reported by the media, is that the majority of the detainees are violent sex offenders. The PM even has a document to prove it, although he doesn't think he'll be able to make it public.
Both Martyn Bradbury and Helen Clark played a similar line to what turned out to be a largely imaginary middle NZ at the time of the Urewera raids. It's early days yet.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
What doesn't happen is that you get sent to some other detention centre after your sentence has been served and kept there.
Getting punished twice for one crime.
And the person who should be supporting you giving you the finger.
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Idiot Savant, in reply to
And here’s the video of one of Key’s DPS guards pushing Kelvin Davis after he told Key he was “gutless” in the foyer earlier.
Easy response to that: Privilege complaint. Its a breach of privilege to assault a member in the course of their duties, and DPS need to be reminded of that.
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Fox, Davidson, Turei...wahine toa!
I think perhaps Our Leader sees his Maori Party support disappearing.
No wonder he is acting like a cornered cat.
All hissy spitty....
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I wonder if Labour has backed the wrong horse here. The detainees are, as far as I can tell, people who left NZ, some a long time ago, and who are fighting to avoid being sent back here. Some have serious criminal records. Does the Labour party seriously think the Government is going to lose support over this? And what exactly do they think the Government should do?
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Trevor Nicholls, in reply to
And what exactly do they think the Government should do?
The NZ Government should protect the rights of NZ citizens against the injustices of foreign powers.
It's what you call a fundamental issue. -
B Jones, in reply to
The detainees are, as far as I can tell, people who left NZ, some a long time ago, and who are fighting to avoid being sent back here. Some have serious criminal records.
As I understand it, supporting them includes supporting their bid to stay in Australia. If they already have a ticket out of Christmas Island, but it's a one way trip to New Zealand, supporting them getting other options is logical, even if it's a purely self-interested motive in keeping them over there.
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Nick Russell, in reply to
Protect them how? Send an aircraft carrier?
Seriously, I think the Labour Party is walking into a trap here. Unless they can explain exactly what more they would do to support the detainees, and convince the public that it would be a worthwhile use of Government funds and resources to do it, they risk looking like a dog chasing a car.
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Guess who’s coming to dinner…
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What B Jones said. If Key wants to run the line that Labour are supporting rapists, then the logical conclusion is that Key wants the rapists to come to New Zealand, not stay in Australia. How on earth does that manage to win him votes?
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