The Prime Minister is optimistic

Rudd's fate a lesson for us all, says Key
Prime Minister John Key says the leadership coup in Australia shows how brutal politics can be and how important it is for leaders to keep close to their caucuses and the voters. Yesterday, Mr Key was the first leader to congratulate Julia Gillard after the Labor caucus replaced former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with her. "What it shows you is that things can move very rapidly in politics and you can't take for granted your position," Mr Key said later. "Hopefully, I won't repeat the same thing this side of the Tasman." Six months ago, Mr Rudd was Australia's second-most popular Prime Minister, after Bob Hawke. "So it is a dramatic fall in six months." Mr Key, who has high popularity himself, told reporters the leadership change did not make him nervous, "but it shows you the brutal side of politics in every part of the world and it shows you need to keep closer to your caucus and obviously to the people, the country you represent".

God I love our slightly spaced out Prime Minister. He just floats in that eerily medicated glazed world of his and sometimes you can see the wheels still spinning before he clicks where he is going. These weird lapses are covered over in the way Bush would have his weird little episodes glossed over, last week was a great example. While being interviewed at the airport for his comment on Gillard's rise via mining industry coup he started waffling on about had happened...

"What it shows you is that things can move very rapidly in politics and you can't take for granted your position,

...the look on his face during the interview as he says this when he clicks how that could relate to him is just priceless, he quickly adds...

Hopefully, I won't repeat the same thing this side of the Tasman."

...God, he just walks into these things doesn't he? He should be concerned, with his Government's deep links to the mining industry and his desire to allow them even more power in our tiny economy, NZ could become as beholden to the mining industry as the coup in Australia showed Canberra was.