Look, I despise Maggie Barry too – but this is Millennial snowflake nonsense – when can we start talking about John Key?

ByMartyn Bradbury

When Maggie Barry isn’t bullying staff, she’s strangling native birds

Is there anyone in National who doesn’t walk around secretly tape recording one another now?

Newsflash, Maggie Barry being an arsehole isn’t news.

I’ve worked with a lot of politicians over the years, some are genuinely great people, most are arseholes. The so called ‘bullying’ claims by a Millennial staffer however borders on the ludicrous.

She said mean things about his moustache and wearing clothes like the Great Gatsby…

in a meeting with others present, the former staffer’s moustache “was so 70s and had to go”, which made him feel “the butt of her joke”.

On another occasion the staffer joined Barry at a campaign stop at a retirement village in Northcote. Barry is alleged to have told the audience they could get a handout from “the man down the back dressed like the Great Gatsby”.

…FFS.

Really?

A joke about his moustache and being dressed like the Great Gatsby?

This is bullying?

She’s a tyrannical monster is she?

Politics is war by another means, it is rough and tumble. It doesn’t come with cuddles. This complaint sounds like every Millennial complaint, a micro aggression conflated to war crime levels where the lens of subjective pain trumps all objective rationality.

This definition of woke middle class millennial snowflake ‘bullying’ makes a mockery of those in the work force who are actually being bullied.

Yes, using Parliamentary resources for Party specific things is a breach of the rules, but like jaywalking and speeding, they all bloody do it so let’s dump the holier than thou bullshit shall we?

The only thing National are really guilty here is of hypocrisy…

…so she’s an arsehole and a hypocrite.

That this, a mean comment about a moustache and dressing like the Great Gatsby can take up so much news space is an indictment on the quality of so called journalism in this country and I find it very embarrassing that this is taking up so much focus when something far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far more fascinating is happening right now around John Key.

Remember back when the Panama Papers were hacked?

Remember what the hacker of those papers had to say…

Of course, those are hardly the only issues that need fixing. Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand has been curiously quiet about his country’s role in enabling the financial fraud Mecca that is the Cook Islands.

…Key was the only political leader personally named by the hacker in that massive disclosure of corporate fraud.

Key quit politics suddenly and went on to head the ANZ.

So, where is the NZ media attention over the incredible events of the last 3 days?

On the 29th of November, a breaking news story flashed through CNBC news

Deutsche confirms the raid is related to Panama Papers
CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ team discuss Deutsche Bank’s offices in Germany being raided by prosecutors as part of a money laundering probe.

…this on the heels of a June charge of ANZ and Deutsche bank involved in cartel offences.

So John Key, the only leader to be personally named in the Panama Papers hack is now head of a bank that has been charged with Cartel behaviour and is connected to a bigger bank who has just been raided 3 days ago in Germany in conjunction with the Panama Papers.

Shouldn’t that kinda get some investigation? How come we have to put up with staffers sobbing about moustache comments and dressing like the Great fucking Gatsby?

Your micro-aggression isn’t news worthy, can we get some actual investigative journalism please?

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22 Comments

  1. A National Party MP being an arsehole is not news, its a given.

    Mumsy folksy gardening Maggie has never once replicated that bullshit facade as an MP, rather she comes across as a seething bitch at the best of times. So again corporate media, that she is downright unpleasant, tell us something we don’t know, like maybe…..that knighted slippery sewer rat, John Key?

    I’ve always found it interesting that once New Zealand’s clandestine stake in and leadership of worldwide money laundering was busted by the Panama papers that he walked away from being PM. Nothing that man does should ever be seen as on a whim or by accident!

    And why do hackers seem to find him so so interesting?

  2. I suspect it may take several years before Key’s involvement in The Panama Papers is fully revealed to the public. Let’s not forget that Key, at one stage, was planning New Zealand to become a “foreign funds hub”.

    ref: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10691438

    This despite New Zealand already having some seriously dodgy foreign companies operating here.

    ref: https://www.interest.co.nz/news/60254/john-keys-unofficial-financial-services-hub-alive-and-well

    How much more is there in all this, I wonder?

    1. but your kids aren’t in parliament sam and they don’t get pd a fat salary for being an a..whole

  4. Well, you get what the electors vote for, an unfortunate reality I’m reminded of every day as a Christchurch resident.

  5. Having witnessed first hand her behaviour as a Minister, I can hand on heart endorse your comments. She is/was a class A arsehole. That said, there is a huge amount of behaviour buried under the inability to OIA PS.

    Bully? Hmm. Seems we’re going to need to create a universally agreed matrix of behaviours against positions in private/public sector to identify whether they’re officially tossers, arseholes, wankers, a bully, serial killer…continue upwards….

    Martyn, you need to stop assuming everyone that makes a claim is a millennial snow-flake. Most of the people I witness being the brunt of “robust” discussion are actually experienced staffers. That said, your points are well made..

    Now…John Key….that would be an interesting story….

  6. There are powerful individuals protecting John Key ‘s past activities – at a financial and personal level.

  7. On the money Martyn.
    I wonder if this lame moustache gate is another National factional knifing, otherwise it’s making a mockery of real instances of bullying as you say.
    Surely there is political capital for labour to investigate the Panama papers unless of course they are worried about what it might find

  8. Maggie Barry’s comments ARE important in this “metoo” world. Imagine what outrage there would be if Winston Peters or any male politician had in a meeting with others present, told a female staffer that their lipstick “was so 70s and had to go”; or at a campaign stop they had told the audience they could get a handout from “the lady down the back dressed like Doris Day”

    1. Even though I find mustaches and beards gross, I 100% believe her comments are totally inappropriate and demeaning.

      As you point out it’s a total double standard as equivalent comments leveled at a woman would be decried night and day.

      I believe politicians are public figures and need to have thick skins, mainly because they have ALL the power and ability to strike back. Staffers ARE NOT public figures and DO NOT enjoy the equivalent power to strike back!

      This staffer sounds like he was simply doing his job. Maggie Barry has now been outed as a bad employer. Top talent now know to steer clear of her. Snow flake or not, her comments were rude .. employees need to keep outing toxic politicians, bosses and environments that way potential staff can make informed decisions.

      As app giving employers a rating/review would be helpful to many I’m sure.

    2. Correct, Ken. A young guy – probably thinking he’s scored a good job- should be able to go to work and not be derided for his clothes, or his foliage by an old woman boss. It’s horrid ball-busting behaviour.

      These are N Z in the 1950’s sort of antics, and Barry should have left her concern with foliage back in the garden – along with the thorns and the prickles and the dirt. And the secateurs.

  9. I’ve never really been able to take that woman seriously for some reason..

    It’s a grain of salt thing, I dunno…

    But John Key , … now he IS an individual of interest, with quite a long list of discrepancies to answer for. And to date , has never been called back to explain those discrepancies.

    1. In what respect?

      Lots of distrust of the Maylasian government, it’s slowly turning into a dictatorship and semi theocracy but the people mostly seem resigned to it. Elder generation seems almost in favour, younger generations not so much but both sides make US minders look normal and sane.

      Weather’s nice. Lots of new businesses springing up.

      Asri Hamidon still annoyed with the mainland but that wont ever change.

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