I’ve already found one direct falsehood in Key’s ‘unauthorised biography’ in todays Herald.
Although a “great client person” responsible for serving the people who ran the world’s biggest pension funds, Key, who worked 12-14 hour days, did not subscribe to the lap-dancing, carousing, money trader stereotype. “We didn’t do that, condone that,” says Bellotti. “It was all just good clean fun. Sure we’d go out drinking with clients, go on trips with them, skiing to Verbier and St Moritz - but apart from that it wasn’t our thing.”
Key agrees: “Yes there’s always been a lot of entertainment and nightlife - which is why it was pretty difficult for me to say I hadn’t been to a strip club when they asked me in the press gallery - yet I was always reasonably conservative
In Search of John Key
New Zealand Herald on Sunday, July 20 2008
Following the controversy over Kevin Rudd, leader of Australia’s Labor Party, admitting he went to a New York strip club four years ago, National Party leader John Key has also revealed he visited a strip joint.
Mr Key said he went to a strip club when he lived in New York working in the financial markets.
Key says he visited strip clubs
New Zealand Herald, August 21 2007
I guess the HoS were too busy interviewing the subject of their ‘unauthorised biography’ to bother searching through their own library. Professional!
*UPDATE. A number of commentors take issue with this, but my reading of Key’s statement is entirely correct.
it was pretty difficult for me to say I hadn’t been to a strip club
Meaning he said he hadn’t been to a strip club but it was difficult for him to do so.
What Key (probably) meant to say was:
it would have been pretty difficult for me to say I hadn’t been to a strip club
So my interpretation is correct, if horribly unfair. But that’s how we roll around here.
C,mon D - Key said “It was pretty difficult to say that I’d never been to s strip club” - I took that as meaning that he would have liked to deny it, but he didn’t, because he had. Which is entirely consistent with the story from last year.
Comment by Inventory2 — July 20, 2008 @ 9:57 am
That would be plausible if it weren’t for the previous paragraph which consists of Key insisting that his entertaining was ‘all good clean fun’.
Comment by danylmc — July 20, 2008 @ 10:49 am
Danyl caught out in English comprehension gaffe!
Comment by Dave — July 20, 2008 @ 11:11 am
Danyl:
Oh come on… a bit of a reach. I’ve been to a stag party where (shock!) there was a lady who takes off her clothes to music for a fee — and her rather imposing minder to make sure nobody got touchy-feely. She didn’t do lap-dances, or pop off to the spare bedroom for ‘extras’ come to that. And I certainly don’t take visitors to sample the delights of Fort Street or the more, shall we say, outre corners of the local gay scene.
Comment by Craig Ranapia — July 20, 2008 @ 11:18 am
Grow up you trotsykite turd
Comment by helen must go — July 20, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
Reaching a bit there, Danyl… It was Belloti that said it was “all good clean fun”, not Key
Comment by MacDoctor — July 21, 2008 @ 12:53 am
Ya know, there’s three ‘people’ I wouldn’t vote for.
A man who, having reached an age when he was a serious contender for Prime Minister could honestly say he had NEVER been in a strip club; a woman who could honestly say she had never ‘pashed’ another female; a homosexual (of either sex). Why, because they wouldn’t be ‘normal’ and so able to understand the drives and needs of all the ‘normal’ people out here who need to be understood.
(If you don’t understand that, just look back over the last nine years of government!)
Comment by shocked and stunned — July 21, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
I’d say John Key had someone clean up after him …
Comment by Megan — July 29, 2008 @ 6:52 pm