Posted on 12/04/2016 4:31:59 PM PST by naturalman1975
John Key has announced that he will resign as prime minister of New Zealand, after eight years in the job. Mr Key called it "the hardest decision I've ever made," adding "I don't know what I'll do next."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
One of his key achievements has been to rebuild New Zealand's relationship as a friend and ally of the United States, after the problems that existed in the 1980s and 1990s when New Zealand refused to allow US warships to visit its ports over issues relating to nuclear weapons (to be scrupulously fair, the previous Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark does deserve some credit for moving things back in the right direction, especially with her decision to honour the terms of the ANZUS Treaty in Afghanistan).
He will be replaced by the new leader of his own party,
Thank you for posting this. Let’s wish Mr. Key well. He has put in his time.
What happened? So soon after that earthquake
He may simply be ‘leaving at a time of his own choosing’. There’s a tradition that regards that as the best way for a Prime Minister in a Westminster style government to finish their career. With no term limits, the alternative is to ‘stay too long’ and wind up leaving because of electoral defeat, or an internal party revolt.
Key rescued NZ from a more virulent form of socialism. Well done. Let’s hope the future holds good things for Kiwis... the happiest people I’ve ever met.
key was for TPP
This sounds like an episode of Black Mirror.
Of course he was. He was leading a nation-island at the end of the earth that must trade to survive. Penguins don't contribute to the economy. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Yes, he was. So was Australia’s conservative government.
TPP might well be a bad idea from an American perspective without it being a bad idea from the perspective of other countries - when you’re a relatively small nation, there’s much more incentive to want as few barriers to trade with other countries, than there are for the world’s most powerful economy.
The US is certainly within its rights to act in its own best interests and so rejecting the TPP may be a good thing from your perspective. But other nations aren’t in the same situation.
“I don’t know what I’ll do next.”
Look for an honest job!
It’s rather humorous the blame an earthquake in such an insanely prone area on any one person. Okay lack of reasonable preparation, yes, but that doesn’t seem the case here.
Was visiting the area(s) around Rotorua, including the Rotorua Bathhouse Museum.
On June 11th, 2010, I had a Heart Attack (Widow-Maker / Tomb-Stone Type.) Blockage of the Heart and a Blood Clot was removed. I Flat Lined two (2) times and it was not looking good at all, as per E.M.T.s and Emergency Room Personal. They were rightfully preparing Candace (my wife) for the worst.
May 2011, ditto the heart attack, just short of a full year between them (Heart Attack{s}).
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