Unidentified black pouch (Nov 17)
The cup of tea between then National party leader Don Brash and United First leader Peter Dunne in 2005 Epsom was never like this. The two had a friendly chat - Don Brash had a Cappuccino, Peter Dunne sticking to a herbal tea. And it wasn't in Epsom proper either, rather a café in Mt Eden village, being changed last minute from Broadway Newmarket in attempt to stop Rodney Hide gatecrashing the affair. It was a straightforward cuppa at an outside table - the only drama being a passerby saying to Brash: "I'd shake your hand if you weren't a racist."
By contrast this cuppa is a clustertruck and because of the absence in the public domain of the coveted recording, speculation has turned it, in part driven by the media, in part by a curious desire of simply everyone just wanting to know, into a monster. "One other thing no-one had brought up. If he's a freelance cameraman, why does he need a recorder?" investigates Michelle Boag on RNZ. Winston Peters has just announced today it was a big set-up. "They were enchanted. They were enchanted with each other - and the bit of political theatre they had contrived. Contrived with a capital C!" Peters admonished.
There are so many things that are completely weird about the
'tea-tape' saga. Considering this is a merely symbolic meet, in the
full glare of gathered media, with advisors and security detail and
electronic equipment everywhere, why would you start talking deep
issue stuff?
And the response by Key, considering the almighty challenges he's
already faced this year is really puzzling. Going to the police?
Comparing it to the phone hacking by News of the World? My
biggest question is the simplest. What was an unidentified black
pouch doing on the table for a full 8 minutes without being picked
up by security? It could have been anything. It is truly bizarre.
And then, if the cameraman was intentionally recording it, and we
don't know either way, what makes him think that he could have got
away with having a big black pouch unattended on the coffee table?
Some sort of weird reverse psychology perhaps? Imagine that
scenario playing out with Gillard or Obama.
And as most have said, like a river that inevitably makes it's way from the mountain down to the sea, there is only one thing we truly know. That the transcript will be made public. The question is: will it be in the next 10 days or not?
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