Posts Tagged ‘John Key’

1. Never mind the lost productivity. It’s a rich educational experience

   Published on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

   There have been many calculations of the lost productivity arising from the Football World Cup from tiredness due to late night games and time spent on the internet chasing match reports.

   Aside from the drama of the games, I believe the educational and cultural insights to be gained from the Event far outweigh the potential downturn in personal and collective productivity.

   Take, for example, the editorial in a French newspaper on the ignominy faced by their national team.  The sheer prose:   “To have the worst soccer team at the World Cup was almost unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable.”

   This is Churchillian stuff.

   Politics and sport must mix.  How otherwise could we gauge the depths of misery being plumbed in France. 

   After the team’s boycott of practice, and only hours before their game with South Africa,  the French Sports Minister, acting on the instruction of her President, rebuked the players and told them:  “The government has to intervene as the reputation of France is at stake in this case”.

   There are lessons here for Murray McCully and John Key, that should have been applied to Andy Haden.

   But there is more.  While Phil Goff assesses Chris Carter’s sincerity as he presses ahead with a letterbox drop in his constituency of Te Atatu,  the French opposition, are laying responsibility for the players’ behaviour at the feet of President Sarkozy, whom they call the president of Bling Bling for his flashy style.  

   “It’s all about individualism, egotism, everyone for themselves, and the only way to judge human success is the cheque you get at the end of the month.”

   Only sport and war deliver such passion.  Let’s enjoy the rest of the World Cup. And go the All Whites.

   

2. Has our media diet become unhealthy or are we being fed what we are asking for?

   Published on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

   Is there a disturbing trend towards tabloid style news items taking precedence over the real news?  Just a few weeks ago the possibility that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had broken up was in our six pm news bulletins.  Don’t get me wrong I have been known to read the odd gossip magazine but a good diet is all about balance, variety and moderation. 

   Dee Dee Myers’ piece in Vanity Fair discusses trivialisation of news as she examines the Tiger Woods story.

   The entire country stops for Tiger yet when President Obama makes more important announcements the country barely pauses for breath. Her article concludes with the fact that finally the National Enquirer has been deemed eligible for a Pulitzer Prize. Now that is real news.

   The Tiger Woods saga highlights the potential crisis we are facing in the world of news – that of tabloid style stories stopping the real news stories taking center stage. Rosemary McLeod’s column in the Sunday Star Times was right on the money.   

   Today’s Toyota story relating to their faulty vehicle accelerators is as important as the collapse of Enron, yet was second or third in the morning news items.  The bigger story was a claim that Air New Zealand has a culture of excess drinking despite facts to the contrary being communicated clearly by their CEO. (Declaration of interest here, we do provide PR support to Air New Zealand.)

   Given Tiger’s speech and Robin Brooke’s Close Up interview, is Performance Media a new art form?  For audiences this is something we can watch and critique more easily than substantive news? In Tiger’s case we seem entirely focused on how he, and his team, is handling this crisis and how genuine the apology is.  All know his speech was scripted, rehearsed and stage managed. 

   If the media and public know this, then who is to blame – why did the media cover it?  For the simple reason they knew they could get an audience because it is just the sort of thing we love to watch.  In today’s commercially competitive environment what will sell is what will make the news.

   How can we make sure our media diet is balanced without it being so boring we simply gorge on junk or become undernourished and miss out on essential news and information that could be more relevant to our lives?

   

3. Government showing deft communication touch

   Published on Friday, February 12th, 2010

   The Government’s handling of the tax changes to be announced in the May budget show a masterly understanding of managing long term communications.

   Delegate the task of putting forward ideas to a third party (a commission) and then immediately reject the most controversial (phew, it’s not going to be as bad as it could be!); talk up some of the remaining unpalatable ideas, and then in the first formal statement of the year reject them too (saved again!).

   Now we have a pretty clear understanding of what will be in the budget some three months in advance, even if we don’t have the detail. By the time the announcements are made in May all the best emotional and rational condemnations from opponents will be out in the public domain, and Government can fine tune its final decisions to ease back on those that will upset us most.

   By the time the changes are finally introduced in October (10 months from raising the issue to their implementation) we will have mentally adjusted, and rather than outrage we will take them in our stride.

   It is good strategy, and the Government’s media managers are demonstrating a deft implementation touch.

   Cast your mind over some of the other contentious issues – mining in conservation reserves; fundamental economic reform to ‘catch up with Australia’ and even the national standards for primary schools have been on the agenda for months.

   When the going started to get tough over national standards, Key & Co showed their ability to up the game aggressively with a ministerial realignment, Key personally entering the confrontation, and outspoken challenges to the teacher’s union and boards of trustees.

   Labour will undoubtedly have the skills to win a few skirmishes as we move into the year, but they are going to need to be at the top of their game to outmanoeuvre National.

   

4. Knowing the price of everything and value of nothing

   Published on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

   The Greens fess up to “making a mistake” in the way they used the accommodation subsidy for the benefit of their communal super fund; and Labour colleagues again rush to the defense of fellow MP Chris Carter over the largesse of his and his partner’s travel costs.

   Meanwhile Finance Minister Bill English remains battered, bruised and potentially out of pocket over his Ministerial housing accommodation; and PM John Key travels business class to New York with his wife and children in “coach” on the same flight at their own expense.

   The Hon Dr Michael Cullen spat the label of “rich pricks” at National in the early days of the Clark Government. Although on retirement he tried to expunge this jibe, it seems to have found deep roots in the political psyche. 

   Not only does National not harangue the abuses of others, but by its actions, it is beginning to affirm its wealth.

   Apparently it is excusable for the sanctimonious Green’s to rort the system, and a Labour MP to travel on the most tenuous of causes, but the current Government feels it must account to different standard.  Hence English foregoes legitimate expenses to keep his family together in Wellington, and the Prime Minister’s wife travels coach to the USA on “government business.”

   There is a double standard, and it is that we are in an age when our politicians know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

   

5. No nonsence nanoscience

   Published on Friday, September 25th, 2009

   What a week when we’ve just witnessed the miracle of our very own John Key on Letterman , and a scientist tells us that immortality is only 20 years away.

   The 61-year-old American, who’s been right before, says that at the rate our understanding of genes and computer technology is accelerating, new nanotechnologies will be capable of replacing worn out organs inside a couple of decades.

   If that’s not tempting enough, nanotechnology is also being attributed with the ability to extend our mental capabilities to such an extent that humans will be capable of superhuman wonders like being able to write whole books in a matter of minutes.

   But wait, at a recent liability symposium  nanotechnology was highlighted as an emerging risk, despite the fact material and particles on a molecular or atomic scale are already in daily use in consumer products. 

   So nanotechnology, where small appears to be the new big, heralds in exciting new boons, but also signals some potential and as yet not-even-imagined pitfalls. 

   For example haven’t we been down this road before is with asbestos. This former wonder product has a fatal legacy and has delivered a hefty bill to the insurance industry because of mesothelia disease. This illness was unknown when the product was released for use.

   So while some scientists may look forward to a world where humans have cyborg limbs thanks to nanobots, our suggestion is to tread wearily when claims of immortality are bandied about. Imagine going to hospitals to have a new liver dropped in like some car part….wait there could be something to this.

   

6. Organics will prosper – never mind the science

   Published on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

   There is no reason at all to believe the “organic” brand has been seriously damaged following the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) finding that there is essentially no nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced foods. 

   Yes, in the wider market organic foods may have lost some of their lustre, but purchases of “brand organic” or “sub-brand organic” will remain loyal.  Brands are about emotion, not science. Devotees of “brand organic” may have lost their nutritional leverage, but actual belief that they’re better for the environment has always been the big trust factor for organics (whether this is true or not).  This is why organic purchasers will opt for often wilted produce over fresher conventional.  Organic will continue to be an emotional rebellion against general agriculture regardless of how the science stacks up.

   Paradoxically in New Zealand at least some of our best fruit and vegetable operators have adopted and adapted the lessons of organic production, so that the margin between the two systems are ever narrower.

   The beneficiaries of the FSA research are those who’ve generally resisted the allure of organics, as their scepticism has been rewarded. They now feel less guilty, rather than more virtuous.

   The triumph of emotion over science was revisited in the past week by the Prime Minister’s science mentor, Sir Peter Gluckman in the past week in an interview that touched on folate.
   He was lamenting that science was the victim in the campaign against folic acid in bread, because the science was sound, and the opponent had undermined the decision by the use of shonky science.

   And we continue to hear strident complaints about the importation of food and ingredients from China, when there is no scientific evidence for such complaints.

   So, when it comes to food, decisions are closer to the heart than the head.

   

7. Not my cup of mea culpa

   Published on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

   “I’m sorry,” said Auckland Mayor John Banks yesterday, “It was a mistake for me to suggest that up to 40 percent of the city’s staff could lose their jobs.”  Oh, he really didn’t mean it that 2700 council employees will be tossed out when the new Auckland super city is formed? It’s possible that the apology goes some way towards erasing this intentional or otherwise slip of tongue, but try as he might Mayor Banks can’t really take it back. This is because true or not the perception that mass redundancies will follow the seven council merger is now firmly on the agenda.

   It’s just not that easy to retract words spoken in the media, as Paul Holmes knows only too well. The veteran broadcaster will be haunted by that ‘cheeky darkie’ reference to the United Nations head Kofi Annan until the end of his days. Christine Rankin too is bearing the brunt of the over-disclosure of her personal affairs. The Prime Minister has effectively put her on notice to stick to the issues of families and child abuse – not her private life. “That’s what I want to hear her talking about and nothing else,” Mr Key said at his post-cabinet press conference yesterday. No grey-area there.

   Grey-areas further afield are causing the scandalous unravelling of the British parliament. The situation of MP’s spending has reached crisis point with Commons Speaker Michael Martin becoming the figurehead for the rancour. He has been described as the one “who has been dragging his feet on transparency and greater accountability in the way MP’s receive their expenses.”  There are calls for Michael Martin to resign over excessive claiming; even the Queen has expressed disquiet. Not since the 17th century has a Speaker of the House of Westminster been forced out. It appears that the institution and the way its MP’s behave inside it has not kept pace with the current demands of accountability.

   Our very own expenditure watchdog Rodney Hide would have a field day with the MP who claimed taxpayer’s coin to have the moat around his castle cleaned.

   There are lessons to be learnt here, although long-gone are days of ivory towers and of men-only clubs. Westminster it appears is stuck in a time-warp. It needs to wake up, open the books and allow the public the level of scrutiny it demands. Because simply saying sorry no longer cuts the mustard.

   

8. Who Would Want To Be In Politics!

   Published on Monday, March 23rd, 2009

   John Key has my admiration for the way he is publicly handling the issue of ‘retaining jobs’ for New Zealanders.

   Within weeks of leading from the front at the ‘jobs summit’ where he looked great urged employers to do all within their power to retain their workforce, he is now placed in the embarrassing position of defending the decision of TVNZ to make some 90 people redundant so that it can meet its required dividend payment to the Government.

   Getting his head around the key messages to talk about both situations publicly while not appearing hypocritical is no mean feat.

   My perception is that he is pulling it off, in part because he still comes across in public as being honest, earnest and facing up to the issues.

   When Parliament first reconvened, John started to develop a reputation among media for being a bit of a word and meaning ‘mangler’. He is no dominant, razor sharp Helen; or silken, motor-mouthed Michael.

   However, what John lacks in the way of a persuasive tongue is compensated for by his honesty, believability and his freshness.

   Conversely, Phil Goff struggles to make any cut through in the believability stakes because we have been seeing and hearing from him for 20 plus years. Try as he might, his theme that Labour ‘lost contact’ with ordinary New Zealanders and it is now on a journey of ‘reconnecting’ just does not make it in the credibility stakes.

   In the months ahead John’s challenge is to retain his believability as the nation becomes more exposed to him. It is a far easier challenge than the one facing Phil, which is to prevent himself becoming a stop gap leader before a new leader emerges 12 to 18 months ahead of the next election.

   

9. Mad about Copyright

   Published on Monday, March 9th, 2009

   The new Copyright Act was all set to come into effect on February 28, but just a few weeks shy of that date an on-line campaign was waged that saw government call timeout and stop the Act becoming law.

   Regardless of your position on Section 92A, the approach taken by the on-line community is one to learn from.  It was unique in its effectiveness and in outcome, but most of all its speed. The campaign demonstrates the power of on-line communities – both as a friend and foe.

   The so-called ‘Guilt upon Accusation’ clause caused the storm in a laptop for many in online and artistic communities.  Section 92A of the Act provided for Internet Service Providers to cut users web access on suspicion of a breach of copyright, and this was at the heart of issue. The strategy to get their views heard was very simple. The community opposed to section 92A blacked out their online avatars on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. The idea, inspired by an All Blacks supporters call for fans to switch their avatars to silver ferns, was proposed by web developer Brenda Wallace at an un-conference held February 15.

   Come the following Monday morning the ‘blackout’ news was spreading and the lights went out all over the internet. Web influencer and twitter-er extraordinaire Stephen Fry weighed in and turned his picture black in a bold signal to his 250,000 followers.

   The opposition movement to Section 92A gained momentum, those motivated to lend support or find out more, crashed blog sites. The mainstream media here and internationally suddenly sat up and took notice. Scores of news items, from a range of viewpoints, appeared across all media. There ensued an unprecedented amount of coverage for what is really a dry, complex and niggly piece of legislation.

   Within eight days from conception to completion the ‘blackout’ campaign organisers had made their way to John Key’s office and the law was suspended.

   This campaign showed how an issue can now move at lightening speed, across countries, organisations and traditional groupings.  It is also a reminder to companies how, with the speed of new media, they can have a major issue on their hands before even being aware it exists.  The solution lies in keeping in touch with all critical audiences both on-line and off-line.