Top of New Zealand’s current political news: Prime Minister John Key is in trouble for pulling girls’ ponytails.
Yes, I can totally see why this is taking priority as a national, political, issue. I mean, how can the man rightly organise trade agreements with half the modern world in order to keep the nation fiscally viable, along with providing adequate child welfare to please mothers across all sectors while also ensuring humane treatment of immigrants; then there’s the task of representing New Zealand in the ANZAC commemorations around the globe; additionally, how can he keep us safe from ISIS and terrorism in general – how can the man be expected to run a bloody nation if he’s off in his spare time pulling bloody ponytails? Shit!
(I feel as though the sarcastic tone dwindled there, as I allowed it to mingle with too much exasperation. Please bear with.)
More alarming still is how other political leaders have jumped on board the slander-wagon to throw a bit more shit John Key’s way, crapping on about how ‘It’s behaviour unbecoming of a Prime Minister…’ or how, ‘If he’s busy pulling girls’ ponytails, how can he be expected to focus on the real issues?’…
Hah, the real issues? Yeah, nice one guys.
Are we so small, are we truly that petty? Sounds to me like some MPs need to spend some time pulling some heads in.
It seems that NZ newscasters are so fundamentally bereft that when there’s nothing big happening around the nation, particularly on the political front, it’s acceptable that the first ten minutes of the evening news broadcast should be filled with the kind of antics which at any other time would be utterly laughable; yet the news presenters must somehow dress them up and portray them as newsworthy…
(I am reminded of a piece I wrote some weeks ago by that very title.)
Seemingly the political scene in NZ is so small and so very insubstantial that when the PM is ‘caught out’ committing juvenile and admittedly, silly deeds, despite having nothing to do with politics per se – least of all the man’s ability to govern a nation – this is what passes for a ‘political scandal’.
Am I alone in perceiving this as pathetic, even borderline puerile?
Article by Time Walker
Edited by Whu Keers
Photography by Pane E Tale