The slow dismantling of a Prime Minister continues

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Continued from:  The slow dismantling of a populist prime minister

Amidst the latest scandal swirling around this increasingly desperate National government, the chaos at Serco-run Mt Eden prison is just the latest in a long line of ministerial botch-ups.

Lost in the growing shocking stories of violence, drug-taking, and even prisoner deaths – the latest 3News/Reid Research Poll paints a strikingly clear picture of a third-term government fast losing public support.

As was reported previously, the personal popularity of our esteemed Dear Leader, John Key, has been in slow free-fall since 2009;

Oct/Nov 08: 36.4%

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(Source)

Feb 2009: 52.1%

April 2009: 51.1%

Aug 2009: 51.6%

Oct 2009: 55.8%

Feb 2010: 49.4%

April 2010: 49.0%

June 2010: 49.6%

Jul/Aug 2010: 48.7%

Sept/Oct 2010: 50.6%

Nov/Dec 2010: 54.1%

Feb 2011: 49.1%

April 2011: 52.4%

May 2011: 48.2%

Jun/Jul 2011: 50.5%

Aug 2011: 53.3%

Sept 2011: 54.5%

Oct 2011: 52.7%

1-8 Nov 2011: 50.0%

9-16 Nov 2011: 49.4%

16-23 Nov 2011: 48.9%

Feb 2012: 45.8%

April 2012: 44.2%

May/Jun 2012: 40.5%

July: 43.2%

(Source)

Feb 2013: 41.0%

April 2013: 38.0%

May 2013: 41.0%

Jul 2013: 42.0%

Nov 2013: 40.9%

Jan 2014: 38.9%

Mar 2014: 42.6%

May 2014: 43.1%

Jun 2014: 46.7%

Jul 2014: 43.8%

5-3 Aug 2014: 44.1%

19-25 Aug 2014: 41.4%

26 Aug-1 Sept 2014: 45.1%

2-8 Sept 2014: 45.3%

9-15 Sept 2014: 44.1%

Jan 2015: 44.0%

May 2015: 39.4%

(Source)

The most recent 3News/Reid Research Poll is no better for John Key. His PPM ranking has slipped again;

July 2015: 38.3%

From the rarified-atmosphere heights of 55.8% (2009), Key has dropped 17.5 percentage points in the Preferred Prime Minister rankings by July of this year.

The artificial construct of the  relaxed, “blokey”, apolitical, public persona of John Key worked well for the first two terms. But scandal after scandal; a sense that National lacks any firm economic direction (except for asset sales and more roads); and a growing perception amongst New Zealanders that the most basic of Kiwi Dreams – owning your own home – is slipping from our grasp, has put National precisely where it was in the later 1990s, under Jenny Shipley’s stewardship.

People are looking for answers and they are not finding it from Key’s  easy-going approach, nor  National’s message of the Big Aspirational Dream. Both are wearing thin. And irritating to more and more people who, once-upon-a-time, voted for him.

Especially if you happen to be a young person looking to buy  their first home in Auckland.

The fact that the housing bubble is occurring in Auckland is significant for a critical reason;  it is often said that when it comes to general elections, where Auckland goes, the rest of the country follows.

Key has done nothing to address the Auckland housing bubble and the perception/reality that foreign investors are snapping up properties will continue to  gnaw away on his remaining popularity.

When Key utters sentiments such as;

“But the point here is simply this – I don’t want to ban foreigners from buying residential property.”

– most New Zealanders hearing that will be wondering to themselves if their elected Prime Minister is more concerned with the interests  of foreign  investors  speculating on our houses, pushing up prices and locking out young New Zealanders from home-ownership – then he is with the aspirations of those same young New Zealanders.

If New Zealanders, en masse,  begin to believe that multi-millionaire John Key is no longer empathetic to their needs, and instead prefers to justify the rights and interests of wealthy foreign speculators, then their support for him will decline further. The perception that John Key, living the life of a millionaire, in a multi-million-dollar mansion, expressing sympathy for other millionaires to buy houses that we see as rightfully our heritage, will be a toxic one.

Make no mistake; this is an ideological viewpoint from our esteemed Prime Minister, and most New Zealanders will see it as being divorced from their daily realities of living, working, paying bills, trying to get ahead, etc.

Also ideological, is Key’s commitment to Serco. Despite Key’s assurance that “all hell will break loose” if Serco does not improve it’s performance at Mt Eden Prison, there is no possibility – either in Hell or Heaven – that it will loose it’s contract. None whatsoever.

Quite simply, if National were to cancel the contract and dump Serco, it would be a massive admission of failure  that privatisation of social services is fraught with risk and no guarantee that “private is better”. It would set the right wing agenda, to out-source government activities, back by a decade.

It would also highlight to the voting public that National was engaged in risky experiments to push it’s privatisation/neo-liberal agenda. And funded by our taxes, to boot.

The housing crisis in Auckland will be a major test for National. Especially when the next bit of bad news hits the headlines;

Auckland house prices could hit $1 million within 18 months if interest rates continue falling, experts predict.

Geoff Barnett, national manager of real estate agency chain Century 21, said sales price growth patterns gave a strong indication that the magic million could be hit soon.

“If you look at the growth in the last 18 months of over $200,000, and if we had the same amount of growth over the next 18 months, we could get to $1 million in Auckland. If interest rates keep coming down, we could easily get there,” Barnett said.

The  3News/Reid Research Poll also asked respondents what their views were on foreign investors buying up properties. The results were predictable;

Should the Government should ban “foreign buyers”, people who are not residents or citizens, from buying houses?

Yes – 61%
No – 35%
Don’t Know – 4%

More critical for Key, even the majority of National voters supported a ban;

National voters

Yes – 54%
No – 43%
Don’t know – 3%

When the Prime Minister is so out-of-touch with the majority of his own supporters, and is more concerned with endorsing and maintaining a free market  ideology that supports foreigners’ interests rather than New Zealanders’ aspirations – then it is Game Over.

Unless Key does a complete 180 degree back-flip, and bans foreign investors from buying houses, this will be his last term.

National – the party of aspiration – undone and defeated when it could not meet that most basic aspiration of New Zealanders: owning your own Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise.

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References

TV3:  Poll – 61pct want to ban foreign buyers

Scoop media: TVNZ Q+A Transcript – PM – I don’t want to ban foreign buyers from buying

TV3: The Nation – Interview – Prime Minister John Key

NZ Herald: When will Auckland break $1m median?

 

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9. John Key Tenants in our own country

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= fs =

37 COMMENTS

  1. Ha! ….one only has to remember Aroha Ireland and Keys derogatory talk about Mcgehan Close and the publicity stunt surrounding that episode before he became Prime Minister to see what he was really all about….

    Selling off state houses to foreign interests .

    Selling off prisons …PRISONS !!!!….to foreign interests.

    And the surreptitious and deceitful reasons why he remained quiet about foreign capital driving up Auckland house prices from a country whose govt gives a 1% interest rate to lock out New Zealanders from buying their own homes…

    NO WONDER HE DIDN’T WANT A FOREIGN OWNERS REGISTER, EH??

    It all becomes quite clear now , doesn’t it . Crystal clear.

    Blindingly clear.

    From the man who was involved in the biggest Forex heist perpetrated against any sovereign nation’s currency in history – THAT being his own place of birth – New Zealand – people here ACTUALLY believed this man gives a damn about them???!!!

    With a Finance Minister known as the Double Dipper from Dipton who once stated a few years ago : ” We should be glad we have a LOW WAGE ECONOMY as this encourages foreign investment ” …..

    How do we know these two shady characters haven’t got a few sweet deals out of the Free Trade Agreements that have been signed?

    Care for a healthy slice of a share of dividends , anyone?

    NO WONDER they are silent on these issues – I’ll leave you to work that one out.

    So go figure.

    Well I tell you what New Zealanders – these scum suckers every plan has been to the disadvantage of you and your future children . And when the most basic of consequences come home to roost – as it always does – its not going to be them that pays for it.

    YOU will.

    But if you like living in some sort of Mad Max Brutopia while these crims skip the country and evade treason charges by an enraged public that’s finally woken up to the reality of being impoverished , serfdom to foreign interests and increasingly being held to the economic dictates of people who dont even live in this country ….

    Go ahead – knock yourselves out .

    Keep pretending.

    But as you all well know….all dreams and /or nightmares have to come to an end…

    And New Zealanders are fast reaching the point of waking up to a 6 year old nightmare in the form of this vampire John Key.

    Never EVER forget that infamous act committed against this country in that historic Forex heist in which Key was the right hand man – and never , EVER forget those infamous words of Bill English ….

    Do this ….and these actions of theirs will remain a guiding light on who to vote for in 2017.

    You owe it to yourselves.

  2. Key has painted himself into a corner by backing speculators. Of course he would as do Nationals other rich men, it’s in their DNA to enrich themselves.

    And he knows Auckland’s property casino is the last gasp of the three main pillars of growth now that milk powder prices are in decline and the Christchurch rebuild has peaked. National claimed credit for this dumb luck they had little to do with creating but equally he will know that after that they’ve got nothing except selling more assets to balance the books.

    Then there’s all those donors that clever National have managed to compromise themselves with. A fine example of that is the report in last weekends Herald where two Hong Kong based “students” who were big time donors to National are
    selling off millions of dollars of Auckland property they have accumulated. So it’s no wonder Key does nothing but fiddle whilst Rome burns as there is a lot of expectation from those who buy their favours from a political party!

    And after so many claims made by the PM so consistently that were simply not true or anywhere near the whole truth means his word is as worthless as a used pie wrapper. That he is even managing 38% is remarkable!

  3. Quite clearly this week there is evidence of a panicking John Key is ramping up the plan to make us “tenants in our own land” as he is reported today to be driving a TPPA plan forward at haste to make us all to be tenants and slaves in our own land period.

    We are seeing this clearly with the swamping of interest free Chinese Government money with their bidders sent here to but up all our properties.

    So we all are keenly aware where we will be left.

    While Key is spending lots of more borrowed money to change our flag?

    In Key now hastily signing us up to a global contact without us even seeing what he is locking us up to is a criminal act, while he is then effectively allowing the rest of the world to come buy up the rest of what’s left with the TPPA contract with all global elitists and corrupt bankers with our bailout money.

    Its the global rort designed by John Key and his corporate command structure using John key as a hired gun during their complete engineered takeover of our last vestiges of our sovereign ownership now about to disappear as we speak.

    This week it was announced by Hillary Barry on the 7.30am TV3 news that the TPPA in in it’s final stage of signing this week and she said there is warning by some that if the TPPA is not signed our Dairy exports will suffer!!!!

    Barry also interviewed the flag referendum winner and Gareth Morgan who said yes the flag is needed!!!!!!! the deranged despot and another tool of the emperor without clothes.

    Is key panicking and attempting to divert the focus away from the sagging results in the latest poll that shows Labour rising as National is loosing?

    (Yes I accidentally heard this as I flicked through the channels and heard this for one minute while checking my remote)

  4. ***UPDATE***

    Combined support for Labour and the Greens has overtaken National in the latest four-poll average, covering polls taken during July. And Labour has crept back up to 32.4 %, its highest since March 2014.

    […]

    National is down to 44.5%. That is its lowest since October 2013. Still, it remains far ahead of all other parties and not far below its election score of 47.0%.

    But Labour’s trend seems to be up and National’s down (for now). And Labour and the Greens combined lead National by 0.9% for the first time since February 2014. Around budget time National led by 8.8%.

    Winston Peters’ New Zealand First would decide which of the two sides would lead a government.

    Source: Poll of Polls, Radio NZ, http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/279836/polls-labour-and-greens%27-support-overtakes-national%27s

    • Roll on a snap election time is in the wind frank?

      Remember John Key said in 2009, “If NZ turns negative on us I will leave?”

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10697623

      Good can I help pack your bags again for Hawaii john?

      “Key – he has indicated he will leave politics if he cannot lead the country to a second term in Government.

      His candour on both subjects – the election and his future – breaks the convention of Governments and Prime Ministers.

      Mr Key made the comments in an interview with the Herald about the year ahead, given before he left for his summer holiday in Hawaii.”

      He also said he had made it reasonably clear that he did not want to revert to being Opposition leader.

      “I don’t think it suits me as a person. I’m not a negative person and a lot of Opposition is negative.”

      Mr Key said that 2011 election would be challenging for the fact that “essentially there is no money”.

      • Can we please have Judith Collins as PM – it was her that started this rotten slide for National?

        She should have to take over the party as leader and right the ship from its tilt to the left.

        • ‘At the end of the ship that’s rising
          While the other end goes down’

          (Roy Zimmerman.)

          Captains go down with the ship.

          The rats leave…

    • Oh Lord! The Winston factor…

      I haven’t forgotten this toe-rag’s efforts in the past including shoring up a National government.

      The best way to keep this bloody right wing wheel spinning; vote for NZ1st…

      Jeez some things just don’t change do they?

      How about taking a chance and voting left; it’s the only way anything will change here…

    • Frank, you may well be right. But we will all have to wait until 2017, when the next poll that matters takes place.

      • Hmmm, funny how we don’t often hear the phrase “But we will all have to wait until 2017, when the next poll that matters takes place” when poll results are favourable for Key and his shabby government…

        • My reading of the recent polls indicate either National or a collection of parties with NZ First holding the balance of power.

  5. John Key, on exiting, will receive a standing ovation from The Bilderberg.
    He has smiled his way to handing over the country to the money-changers.

  6. So “all hell will break loose” if Serco doesn’t get it’s shit together? Yeah, in the polls, public opinion, the media… Those indicators of his popularity in decline are Key’s version of hell. When your dominant driving force is your ego, that’s a lot to lose.

  7. …If National do not read the tea-leaves and make foreign purchase harder they will lose the next election. Okay, but no one believes Key can’t read tea-leaves.
    I predict he will make changes to control purchase without an outright ban. Some modification to the taxation regime due to come in later in the year. He will then loudly declare, to media acquiescence, that Labour has nowhere to go.
    For this reason, Labour has to spread the debate so wide thst thare will be no cosmetic reposte.

    • A leetle unkind, no?

      Mental acuity doesn’t come into it. It’s all about pragmatism and ‘aspiration’.

      Or should that be ‘expiration’?

  8. i’m from scotland. all this looks so familiar. the only difference is that the scots can at least say they didn’t vote for it…

  9. JK may well gain the honour of being one of our most ‘dangerous’ prime ministers due to the covert way the Government is using the two handed USA political tactics of having the ‘nice photo genic boy from the state house’ on one hand, whilst the other hand gets on with their business. Wake up NZ.

  10. You guys are hilarious!

    You’ve got a leader of the Labour Party who even half his own MPs don’t like and you’re talking about a snap election??????

    Little’s popularity is less than Winston Peters

    Dream on!

    • You’re dead right Andrewo; we should dream on.

      After all you’ve shown us how on countless occasions…

      (Snore, snore, snore!)

    • Feeling a ‘ Little ‘ edgy about those housing investment’s you’ve got in Auckland , are we Andrewo ?…

      Your reply seems a ‘ Little ‘ shrill ….

      Have a lie down , old boy, ….have a good lie down.

      • Nope.

        But I was considering cashing out and living a life of ease henceforth. It’s awfully tempting.

        Who knows how long this housing market will run for?

        • Your selfishness betrays you as a National Party sycophant, Andrew. You don’t give a shit about anything except the money you make, and devil take the next generation??

          Truly, mate, you should be ashamed of yourself.

    • What, and you think everyone in National loves Key? Jesus, don’t be daft. They publicly support him because it gets them power and money. If they were in opposition now, however, with him getting the recent grillings he’s had, the knives would all be out. There are more than enough power hungry members with no scruples in that party to guarantee such an outcome.

    • But are they the half that matter? Or are they National Lite with borer?

      Helen Clarke left a toxic legacy as far as deadwood is concerned. Will Andrew Little have a useful bonfire? Or will the termites get the last of the foundations?

      We wait. We hope…

  11. Isn’t it sad, that because the opposition can’t find a leader that the public will actually like, we’re stuck with ‘the more popular guy’ who is completely ruining our country.
    I would like a house before I have kids. That’s not going to be possible, so my family will be at the mercy of foreign landlords in old, damp, cold rental properties for the foreseeable future. Thanks so much for doing something, anything to help, Mr Key.

  12. I wish one could share your optimism.
    After all the issues of the past few months the latest 3 News poll still has National comfortably ahead.

  13. There’s many reasons for keys popularity going down ……

    It could be that he lies so much and has been caught out so many times that only fools and morons believe what he says anymore …..

    Woman are starting to see the devious bully in him with his hair pulling habit.

    But I think people will be revolted with him when the nationals sabin secrets finally come out …….

    Key promoted sabin when knowing about his family problems/allegations.

    Key is evil ………………

  14. John Key is still claiming there is a role for individual private companies to run our prisons. And he is right. Mongrel Mob Inc and Black Power Ltd are doing an excellent job managing Mt Eden.

  15. The Serco fiasco ar Mount Eden is shocking, Serco should be terminated immediately as should the appropriate Ministers including Tolley. But I heard somewhere that they can not be terminated, the Government would have to pay them to sack them. Let this be a warming, this is a warning overture of what the TPPA could do on a regular basis TO New Zealand.
    Key has acknowledged medicines will cost more, why has he done that now? What a lier, he denied it previously and ridiculed those who spoke out their concerns.
    we just watched The Wolf of Wall Street again, could not help remarking to each other about money traders who had worked at Meryl Lynch and going on to be lead NZ

  16. The polls are so lame and why people keep using them is insane. They do not depict what the majority of NZ feels or wants. They are a bit of propaganda that the media uses to sway the public. The real test of a PM’s worth and ethics is in the way he manages and jonkey donkey has been a disgrace. He has lied to us ; disgraced us and sold us out to the greediest corporations. His legacy will be a horrific one because he has left our country much worse off. He is schmoozing and guzzling wine in Maui right now trying to get the TPPA passed and we will pay more for meds: our workers and environment and sovereignty will suffer and our laws will change to protect those who should not be protected but prosecuted.

    Good job jonkey ! Why not stay in Hawaii or better yet get a job with the UN like Helen did. Neither of these leaders are honorable. The UN is not the do-gooder holy institute that many think they are.

  17. What Prime Minister? John Key isn’t our PM, he is a circus clown performing for a low-brained MSM who hang around him waiting for his next stunt. It has been years since he even acted like our PM, now he can scarcely be bothered even to pretend that.

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