Karma Comedians

The Leader of the Opposition, David Shearer, recently said that the country "didn't need a stand up comedian as Prime Minister".   I think this is a clever undermining of John Key's most attractive quality.   Key comes across as likeable and he sometimes says quite funny things.   This is a massively rare trait among politicians.   It makes him electable.   

He does appear to have a light approach - but at the same time he usually shows the appropriate level of gravitas.    He also knows when to be 100% serious.   This seems to come naturally. 

So...Hekia Perata MP joked yesterday that a problem with the Ministry of Education's own payroll system was "karma", referring to the Ministry's problems with Novopay - the new system that pays teachers.   She was so excited by her joke, she even tweeted it.

Context and placement is all-important.   

Context -  If you or I had said it, it would be a mildly witty comment and we would all get on with our day.   What makes this different is that Hekia Perata is the Minister for Education. 

Placement - She shouldn't have opened with the joke.   She should have just given the information that the error was unrelated to Novopay - apologised - and reassured everyone that is was a one-off and that they were getting their pay just the one day later.    Crisis over.

A journalist may well have followed up with a harsh question about the ministry  and Novopay.   That would have been the time to come in with the "karma" joke, or a variation of it - saying that she does not believe it is karma, followed perhaps by a good-natured chuckle.

The use of humour in politics is a minefield and few politicians have deployed it successfully over a long period.   I would suggest that Perata lets her leader do the jokes from now on.