Did John Key call directory service?

John Armstrong writes:

He had originally said he had the phone number on hand. Then yesterday he said he did not have a clue how he had come to have the number. Then he said he had not had the number. Then he said he said he had rung directory services to get the number. Then he said he was not sure whether he or one of his staff had rung directory.

Yes, amazing he doesn’t recall the exact details of a one minute phone call three years ago.

Labour’s Grant Robertson asked Key whether he could understand why New Zealanders were struggling to believe anything he had to say on the matter when he could not even say how he came to have Fletcher’s phone number.

Yes, this is the issue that Labour has decided is of prime importance to New Zealand. Did John Key call Fletcher directly or go through an operator! Next they will focus on whether the phone call was one minute long or shock horror two minutes long.

But quite possibly with good reason. Most people could not really give a toss about how Key got hold of Fletcher’s phone number.

The very real danger for Labour is that in building a case against Key it is thus seen to be fixated by relative trivia; that Labour is so obsessed with destroying Key as a political force that it can no longer see the wood for the trees.

Indeed. I encourage Labour to keep asking questions about whether or not John Key used directory service. They should do so for at least the next six weeks.

Some people may say that they should focus on the Budget next month, but they are too smart too fall into the trap of focusing on the economy. After all we have a Budget every single year.

I’m disappointed that Labour have only dedicated half of their oral questions to this issue. I think they should use 100% of their questions.