State Of It: Manning & Williams - Does Key Want Out?

Glenn Williams hosts State Of It, a weekly look at politics with Scoop's Selwyn Manning as New Zealand enters an election campaign before Polls on November 26. This week: National leader John Key Looks Like He Wants Out!

* This whole tea party fiasco will have National's support-base, its stakeholder groups, seething.

* Key is like a popular former athlete, who is out of shape, being forced to box just one more time.

* The cracks begin to show – Duncan Garner questioning the PM John Key on the tea party tapes.

0:32 to 1:53

* Now New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has clearly become privy to the details of what Key and Banks discussed.

1:21 to 2:16

* Peters went on to say that John Key also made reference to New Zealand First voters as dying.

* ACT is clearly a train-wreck of a party now. It was bad enough before, but now under the leadership of former National Party leader Don Brash, and former National Party cabinet minister John Banks, the party is clearly what is dying.

* The feeling is National is now sinking, bleeding blue-green support to the Greens, bleeding those who want strong leadership to Winston Peters, and confidence is bleeding from its own caucus membership.

* National's campaign manager Steven Joyce must surely be either responsible for the bumbling of National's chances, or he is privately fanning away a hot flush.

* Imagine being responsible for the National Party's prize fighter, John Key – he was supposed to knock all contenders out of the ring. Instead, Key looks at best like a punch-drunk hack who has already gone 12 rounds.

* No, Joyce is clearly wild, when questioned on why he advised the transcript of the tea party discussion should remain secret, Joyce said it was John Key's decision. Now in Political terms, that is called wiggle room. If Key fails to deliver this election, those that once supported him will eventually serve him up as toast. Joyce has political life left in him, Key looks past his peak.

* But the most brilliant piece of TV reporting in a week of fabulous work must go to Paddy Gower with his interview with ACT's John Banks.

Check this out:

1:11 to 2:06

* Now that... was the slow slaughter of a once savvy politician.

* And now, we will have to wait and see to find out what the public makes of all this circus.

State Of It broadcasts on KiwiFM and Radio Wammo at 7:40am on Tuesdays. Video on demand episodes also webcast on Scoop.co.nz.

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