According to sources close to Prime Minister John Key, he is presently feeling the weight of a personal dilemma, wondering how long it’s socially acceptable to leave up Facebook pictures of a holiday he took with the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (TPP) earlier this year, given that the two likely won’t be seeing each other again.
“Things have been, I’d say, fairly tough on John these last couple of weeks,” said Finance Minister Bill English, who spoke off the record and wished to remain anonymous. “It’s never easy seeing someone go through that.”
English said Key had not spoken to the TPP since “the incident” nearly two weeks ago, and he had repeatedly urged him not to seek further contact.
“It simply isn’t going to happen now,” said English. “I think for his sake he needs to recognise that and move on.
“I know what he’s thinking. He’s thinking ‘Oh, maybe if I hold a vote in Parliament, that’ll impress enough to bring it back,’ or ‘Maybe if I get Murray [McCully] to talk to it, it’ll come around.’ But it’s all fantasy and grasping at straws at this point. There’s a new guy in the picture now and he’s not going to let it happen.”
English said Key had been dealing with things “better” in recent days, and the earthquakes had been a welcome distraction, but he still hasn’t removed a Facebook album of pictures from his July holiday with the agreement.
Privately, Key says he hasn’t taken the pictures down yet because it would be “too painful,” but at the same time, he feels them being there is “a bit weird.”
“He’s just waiting until the time is right,” said English. “I think sooner is better than later, rip the band-aid off, but it’s ultimately up to him.”
The Prime Minister reportedly came very close to deleting the album last night, but upon seeing a picture of himself and the TPP playing golf together with Barack Obama, decided he simply couldn’t do it.