An interesting interview with John Key by ABC current
affairs presenter Tom Switzer on the Australian state broadcaster’s Radio
National:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/2017-07-30/8749862
Freed from the constraint of having to weigh the political consequences of everything he says, Key is relaxed and expansive. He talks about his decision to quit (“It’s better to go when they want you to stay than to stay when they want you to go”), the National government’s response to the global financial crisis, the Christchurch earthquakes, housing and immigration, the flag, knights and dames, same-sex marriage, Helen Clark and the ponytail incident (“I did some dumb things,” he concedes).
Key remarks at the end that the New Zealand media will
probably be miffed that he gave what is probably his most complete
post-retirement interview to an Australian, and he may well be right. I’ve
never been a fan of Key but I felt I understood him better after this interview
than I did before.
