What, already? Have we forgotten Key?
Today’s headline news, tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper it seems. The cult of personality reigns in this new world order but we Kiwis seem to be refreshingly above all that. John Key was staggeringly popular during his eight years as prime minister.
But he’s already yesterday’s man, according to the latest One News Colmar Brunton poll.
Key’s ranking as preferred prime minister slumped to just 2 per cent. His successor, Bill English, picked up almost where Key left off, slotting in at 31 per cent. True, preferred PM rankings can reflect the power of incumbency - but not always. Key overtook Helen Clark as preferred PM more than a year before the 2008 election that turfed her out of power. Conversely, Clark continued to rate highly even after her departure.
So what to read into the latest poll? All this while we thought it was Key who kept National freakishly high in the polls. It may be a washover of goodwill toward Key. English’s honeymoon gift.
Or maybe the whole truly was always greater than the sum of National’s parts. Key was a former money man who made his millions from knowing when to buy and when to sell. That same innate sense of timing carried him through his time in government.
When the public mood shifted, he was always one step ahead of them. Even up to the end, it now seems, Key knew before the rest of us was that people were ready to move on from his leadership.
Key has been almost invisible since his return to the back bench. There is some strategy behind that. Transitions are awkward and Key doesn’t want to hog any of English’s air.
But it is also personal. Key’s relationship with the media dramatically soured over the holiday season when a news outlet ran paparazzi supplied shots of the former PM and wife Bronagh poolside on holiday in Hawaii.
There are very few times over the years when I have seen Key genuinely, blazingly, angry.
The ‘‘teapot tape’’ debacle was one when Key’s usual pragmatism deserted him and the secret recording of him and John Banks blew up into a bigger story than it needed to be.
It seems this paparazzi intrusion is another - though rather than blow it up Key’s response this time has been to retreat from the media instead.
We should all hope it doesn’t last. Key is one of the world’s most respected politicians (for all that his opponents dwell on pony tails and the John Oliver show). He will be in high demand on the international speaking circuit, his next step after he leaves here in just a few weeks time.
But we also need his voice here, helping us interpret and navigate the new world order. And not just Key - Helen Clark too.
Like Key, Clark has been in retreat since her shot at the United Nations top job. It goes without saying that Clark commands international respect.
Theirs are the sort of strong, rational voices the world needs now, more than ever.
Former Howard government advisor and Australian political commentator Terry Barnes wrote a thoughtful piece this week comparing Canberra and Wellington.
‘‘If only toxic Canberra could copy New Zealand’s ways,’’ he lamented in the NZ Herald.
Barnes argued that Australia was an ‘‘ungovernable mess’’ while New Zealand was a beacon of strong stable government.
‘‘Things still get done in Wellington. Governments, oppositions and minor parties argue hard yet rub along together, and mostly show some respect for each other.’’
He’s mostly right even if the show put on for the cameras looks like our politicians are at each other’s throats most days.
Clark and Key struck up an early text relationship to ease the transition between their governments in 2008. And while vastly different personalities they shared many of the same traits as leaders. One of Key’s big strengths was his ability to stand back from the hurly burly and selfcommentate; he analysed how decisions played out, he understood what made voters tick.
As a rookie MP he could chew the fat for hours analysing Clark’s leadership. Rival or not, he respected her as a politician and was determined to learn from her successes - and her mistakes.
Clark was similarly gifted at being able to stand back and take the helicopter view.
If Key and Clark made it look easy, that’s because they ran well oiled machines - not just their front bench line-up, but in the back office as well. Barnes refers to Key’s long-time right hand man Wayne Eagleson - someone who is hugely respected across the political spectrum and who has stayed on under English.
Eagleson’s Labour counterpart was the equally formidable Heather Simpson.
There is a long list of people of similar calibre who have served under the National and Labour governments during my two decades in the press gallery.
Many have gatekeeper roles that run directly counter to the role of the media and press gallery. They often run interference with journalists and political self interest reigns. But their professionalism is always respected. Compare that with an increasingly chaotic Washington and the daily palace intrigue playing out in Donald Trump’s inner court of sycophants, ideologues and family.
Remember the old Fred Dagg song called We don’t know how lucky we are? Those words seem particularly prescient now.
But they could also come back to haunt us if the upcoming election proves we are no longer immune from the forces reshaping the rest of the world.