You can just imagine his inner dialog seconds after he said "a personal jet'...

I always found Don Brash's inner monologue quite endearing every time he was asked a leading question by some devious journo:
"Wait on, I'm smart! I 'm sure I know this one! And when I get…

Actually giving away money is not as easy as it looks

Of course you can give it to"development agencies offering education and opportunity and campaigns against HIV and AIDS in developing countries"

Which sounds good but if that is really short hand for the UN

Which sounds a bit bumlikky…

Clarke then asked what songs in…

Brooke Fraser. He bought a CD.

Key: "Fast Car" by Tracey Chapman
You don't expect it but then you think about and think "yeah it could fit".

I had just read this when I saw that

Where does a junkie’s time go? Mostly in 15-minute increments, like a bug-eyed Tarzan, swinging from hit to…

He was also a well respected Mayor of Wellington where he helped drive forward the introduction of a sewage system

... I think you mean sewerage system. Man, when I found out that the difference wasn't just American…

The two privious Jewish PMs of NZ were the forever forgotten Francis Bell (Mum was Jewish but converted to Christianity)

He's not that forgotten as actually his name is remembered when ever this company (which he helped found) is mentioned. He would probably rank as one of our most intelligent…

You can just imagine his inner dialog seconds after he said "a personal jet'...

With apologies to Homer SImpson:

Inner Monologue: Don't say "Personal Jet". Don't say personal jet. If you say "personal jet" I'm outta here!

JK: "Personal Jet"

Inner Monologue: That's it! I'm outta here! (footsteps recede & door…

They've been asked to pick their favourite book

Clark: "Fou de fa fa" by Flight of the Conchords

Key: "Fast Car" by Tracey Chapman

And then I get fired for picking songs, not books

Well how about a little philosophy from one of the more interesting (sadly now late) Americans, John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith is an interesting late Canadian.

Key might be rich but this is burn your money rich.

Yikes! What would you pick to convey the right image of your boss? Something local, not too edgy, not too niche? What would it be?

Key: Absolute Power
Clarke: The Hollow Men

I know I'm late to this, but ... Johnny English???

Seriously. For all the great comedy that Rowan Atkinson has done (admittedly , not much in movies), he chose that?

I guess we're lucky he didn't choose "Hot Shots Deux".

On the…

And as for that Tearaway thing, am I the only person who thinks both Key and Clark were engaging in a Olympic-level bullshitting?

Q: What is your favourite song right now?
Clark: The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Nabucco by Verdi.

Will that swing a few marginal seats? Hardly.…

I can't imagine Helen or John admitting to quite so lowbrow literary tastes. :)

Actually, a man who publicly picked Johnny English as his favourite film – not just a film he saw recently and which was good…

I know I'm late to this, but ... Johnny English???

Oh I know... but didn't you love Clark's choice as well. The Motorcycle Diaries is right-on (and nicely fit in with Che chic) but not actually, you know... radical like something by Mike Leigh (before he got all cheery), Ken…

I know I'm late to this, but ... Johnny English???

That's when I knew that he was, irrevocably, a lame, tasteless, idiotic cipher. Forever and ever, amen.

Key and Clark's answer when local movie site Flicks.co.nz asked "Notable NZers" to name their favourite and most hated movies.

I know I'm late to this, but ... Johnny English???

I admit to having some reservations about a former currency trader running the country. In fact any former investment banker. But what makes a good former career for a PM?

Well, I know Darren Hughes and he's a perfectly nice chap — and certainly not on the list of MPs…

But how did we end up with a Foreign Minister who attempts to negotiate with a Fijian government created by a military coup, and then calls for the summary deportation of people sheltering Indian overstayers in the same week?

We were amused enough by Peters to let him hang around…

Try "going forward" next time – all of the necessary pomposity and meaninglessness in three less words...

Your recommendation has been taken onboard and will be considered at our next monthly lexicon review.

in a chronologically forward direction

Try "going forward" next time – all of the necessary pomposity and meaninglessness in three less words...

Key was back on mainstream message, and chose "Anchor Me", hoping the kids' parents were reading (whatever happened to Coldplay?).

Polling shows that while mainstream New Zealanders enjoy the musical Cold Players pop group, being seen to support musicians of a local nature may prove to be a more robust…

Where did I here the rumour Key came home with a whack of cash for the Nats, had a dinner with Shipley when it was in fashion, the quid pro quo was getting into the…

reminds me of that meme where you put your digital music player of choice on shuffle and count how many songs until you get to one that would see you out of the running for PM.

Eight songs in – Cock in My Pocket by The Stooges. Another victory for…

Song one: 'Girls, Girls, Girls' by Jay-Z.

And I'm OUT. :)

I figured starting with 'Young Folks' meant that I'm down with the kids like Nandor, 'The Good, The Bad ad The Queen' meant I'm down with the monarchy, and 'No Quarter' means I'm anti-immigrants and that works for Winnie.…

Song one: 'Girls, Girls, Girls' by Jay-Z.

And I'm OUT. :)

20 very dull* songs in and I finally get 'Opiate' by Tool, which should do it

*I figured Mos Def and Le Tigre were borderline

reminds me of that meme where you put your digital music player of choice on shuffle and count how many songs until you get to one that would see you out of the running for PM.

Excellent! I tried it just now.

Song one: 'Girls, Girls, Girls' by Jay-Z.

And…

Congratulations, Andrew. It's Dunne.

Well that's f*cked Simon & Garfunkel for the rest of us then.

Are you sure it wasn't "I am a Crock"?

'It's laughter and it's loving I disdain', huh? Nice sentiment for the Families Commission guy...

reminds me of that meme where you put your digital music player of choice on shuffle and count how many songs until you get to one that would see you out of the running for…

According to Brian Easton, Muldoon was the lowest ranked member of Holyoake's cabinet in the late 60s.

From Wikipedia:

When Lake died in 1967, Muldoon seemed the natural (and only obvious) choice to replace him; at 45, he became the youngest Minister of Finance since the 1890s. However, because Holyoake…

The two privious Jewish PMs of NZ were the forever forgotten Francis Bell (Mum was Jewish but converted to Christianity)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bell_%28New_Zealand_Prime_Minister%29

And the brilliant Sir Julius Vogel, responsible for opening the immigration doors to my Mums family (from Poland and Blumsky as well who I didn't…

– An island. Niue, perhaps.

– A pony.

http://www.tearaway.co.nz/interview-with-peter-dunne

Add jokes here about 'Sound of Silence', 'Homeward Bound', etc.

Grant and Hadyn both get nice consolation prizes for taking part in my little game. Thank you very much. Well done. It's not the winning that matters. And you didn't.

Then it must be Peter Dunne, 'cos he has no friends.

¨The modern conservative is engaged in one of man´s oldest exercise in moral philosophy: that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.¨

Dat you John, dat you

Which politician chose "I am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel?

Winston Peters? He's a rock, he's an island (with no immigrants).

Today's PA quiz (prize: a ride in David Slack's jet):

Which politician chose "I am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel?

My money's on Prebble. Palmer was more of a light-jazz man.

Muldoon entered parliament in 1960, elected to PM in 1975. In between he was a pretty influential Minister.

According to Brian Easton, Muldoon was the lowest ranked member of Holyoake's cabinet in the late 60s. (Easton is/was a terrific lecturer and a terrible name-dropper)

I'm looking forward to the Foreign Minister testing his.

Don't those things explode?

(Jet packs or foreign ministers – take your pick)

I admit to having some reservations about a former currency trader running the country. In fact any former investment banker. But what makes a good former career for a PM?

To be honest, for some of these people it was so long since they did a 'real job' that it's…

I'm with Helen – give it to people who really need it ...

Like the Labour Party?

Go for a jetpack and maybe you get my vote.

The entourage follow with their jet packs. I'm looking forward to the Foreign Minister testing his.

A private jet? He didn't even pay lip service to the underprivileged peeps? Tut!

they'll be proud that our PM has a racy private jet. It'll make them think they're part of the first world. Or something.

(This reminds me of one of our favourite TV-watching rituals: during any programme showcasing particularly ridiculous examples of conspicuous consumption (MTV Cribs, Grand Designs, etc), my husband and I, in the character of the person on…

"Thanks for the vote Citizens" (waves to crowd) Whhoooosshhh!!!

spend his money on a private jet and of course we have the right to decide for ourselves whether we would like that in a Prime Minister.

New Zealand 1 anyone? I think we should have a flying vehicle of some sort to transport our PM & other dignitaries, so that…

If you suddenly had a billion dollars, what would you spend it on?

A consulship to Monaco.

Actually giving away money is not as easy as it looks

Of course you can give it to"development agencies offering education and opportunity and campaigns against HIV and AIDS in developing countries"

Which sounds good but if that is really short hand for the UN I think…

Key was back on mainstream message, and chose "Anchor Me", hoping the kids' parents were reading (whatever happened to Coldplay?). Clark chose some poncey foreign opera song.

Today's PA quiz (prize: a ride in…

So here is good pub debate: I wonder if we are not seeing the emergence of the same sort of undemocratic globalised ruling…

a box of crystallised fruit

If only Key had said "bag of jet planes"...

I know someone with more money than God (well more than a billion) – he can't travel like the rest of us – too much danger of kidnap for ransom (a few million ransome is pocket change but…

Clark – Political Studies Lecturer
Shipley – Primary School Teacher
Bolger – Farmer
Moore – Printer/Trade Unionist
Palmer – Administrative…