Back in 2008 when he was running for Prime Minister, John Key promised us "a higher standard of government". When tested, that promise has been shown to be hot air - and Judith Collins' conflict of interest over endorsing her husband's company (which is also a major donor to the National Party) is no exception. As predicted, he's refusing to turn over the "advice" from the Cabinet Office saying that its all OK - which means that we cannot see if that advice stacks up, or even if its real. And then there's this bit:
"We have a set of rules which are always just a guideline anyway."
"Just a guideline": this is how Key treats our constitution (and the Cabinet Manual is part of our constitution, setting out the processes and norms of Cabinet governance). "A higher standard of government"? I think not.
