So, having tried to claim he has no interest in his own not-blind trust, John Key is now trying to tell Parliament that he has "no responsibility, ministerial or otherwise" for his declaration of pecuniary interests.
As the Tui billboard says, "yeah right".
The fact is that as Prime Minister, John Key is responsible for enforcing the Cabinet Manual on members of his Cabinet, including himself. And that manual includes very specific provisions about pecuniary interests and conflicts. The idea that he is not responsible for this is as unbelievable as it is unacceptable.
Also unacceptable: National's policy, stated in the PM's answer to that question, of refusing to reveal when or whether Ministers have declared conflicts of interest at Cabinet meetings. This is a deliberate attempt to thwart the oversight necessary to confirm that everything is above board. And where there is no oversight, there can only be suspicion.
