You're right, it's a game for publicity rather than policy.

God help New Zealnd if the Labour-Green-NZ First-Maori-Mana alternative government is let to rule for 3 years! I hope people have enough common sense not to allow it to happen. That is why MMP has to gob and a tail will not wag the dog any longer!

My thoughts entirely. A low trick. Why should JK release the tape this was a private and probably strategic conversation. You'd have to be stupid to share your strategies with the enemy.

I reckon this whole "secret recording" nonsense was just a huge publicity stunt from start to finish. If they really wanted to have a private conversation, surely there are better places for them to do it than in a highly-publicised meeting in busy Newmarket cafe surrounded by media. I bet the guy who planted the microphone in the first place was directed by the Nats.

Wow Farrar, this is pathetic even for you. Tone the spin down, just because it's close to election time doesn't mean that transparent shameless spin like this suddenly appears lucid.

Key looks like an idiot: he invited anyone, had a conversation he shouldn't have had, pretends he's not fushed acshully about it, and then goes the the police. Blow over in a couple of days? You wish. Not unless he releases the tapes (and then we'll see how that blows over)...

The NoW comparisons will also backfire (I see you can't help to try and reinforce that National Party line, you should be paying Stuff for this advertising) - the phone hacking of a murdered school girl, which caused her parents and friends to mistakenly believe she had not been murdered is not comparable to this and it's an insult to the victims of NoW phone-hacking to make this comparison. Shame on you.

I'm an Epsom voter and I agree: asset sales are much more important than a pantomime about another dirty trick from the predictable quarter. Mr Key, plenty of people can do the numbers and see that the main effect of selling pieces of family silver is to enrich a chosen few but to disadvantage everybody else in time. Or perhaps I'm missing something, in which case that's what I want to hear.

I agree - I almost thought that perhaps the cameraman is a true blue supporter and that this is a national plan to distract. Goff could also have taken the moral high ground and said private conversations are private - but - of all the choices he could have made on a response he choose the worst one - showing his desperation for any old helping hand.

Don Brash should just quit now. If he resigned I'm sure ACT's vote would improve and it would be better for everybody.

@Mbossa #4

If you want to play the conspiracy theory game, I reckon Labour paid the skipper of the Rena to crash into the Astrolabe reef and then use the crash to damage Nationals image.

@ Mbossa #4 I'm starting to have exactly the same thoughts.

I could care less about the tape it won't change my vote, what may is the text of the Trans-Pacific-Partnership deals. They will have, if rumours are correct a far bigger impact on the nation than a teaparty in Espom.

I totally agree with Mr Farrar on Goff. Talk is talk, policy is policy why does so many in the media and the public keep falling for and chasing such BS?