By Ali Ikram
It was the debate Phil Goff said his opponent didn’t have the balls to front up for.
But it took John Key just two minutes and 50 seconds to get in a low blow of his own.
“What Phil Goff is not telling you is he’s out there spending your money a bit like a drunken sailor to be perfectly honest.”
So what shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Well, if your answer was stand there and argue with everything he said for an hour and a half, you’d be right.
Welcome to the first leaders’ debate.
First blood went to Goff, highlighting Key’s claim before last election that he wouldn’t raise GST.
“That was a lie and people are paying more for your food and they can’t afford it,” he said.
“I don’t call you a liar and that’s because I have respect for the office of the leader of the Opposition,” Key shot back.
“And I respect the office of Prime Minister, but you have to tell the truth John. You have to tell the truth,” Goff said.
“We did a fiscally neutral tax switch,” Key responded.
One man’s lie was another’s fiscally neutral tax switch. The pair disagreed on most major issues, except changing the flag; both seeing that as a waste of time.
“It wouldn’t be the first priority I did in Government,” Goff said.
“It can’t be our number one priority, there are so many things to deal with,” Key said.
So what does Key think his biggest mistake as Prime Minister has been?
“When it came to explaining the new BMWs – actually it was a very good deal for New Zealand, it didn’t cost us any money – but we got that wrong in terms of the coordination,” he said.
“So buying the BMWs?” TVNZ’s moderator Guyon Espiner asked.
“Not actually buying them, just explaining it,” Key laughed.
If there was a winner, other than what was on the other channel, it was Key whose talent is to simplify the complexity of politics into words a 10-year-old can understand.
“In the end actually politics is incredibly important and elections are a contest of ideas. This is the difference between New Zealand being a successful country that earns its money and pays for the things your kids want.”
But Key did more than that, going one better and explaining it in words a five-year-old could understand.
“Actually, we live in a global world.”
Yes, Prime Minister.
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