Refugee in PM's clothing

New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, is the son of a Jewish-Austrian refugee. As well, his family was a substantial benefactor of New Zealand's once world-leading, generous and fair-minded welfare system, a system increasingly lamed by successive right-wing governments.

Key is right-wing and until that sad Syrian child drowned on a beach in Turkey, he, like his right-wing Australian counterparts pictured here, had not one cent worth of concern or compassion in their well-tailored pockets for the plight of Syrian, or any other refugees. But shame on Key especially, as his mother was a refugee.

Now he's done a U-turn on the refugee issue in response to the media attention and public outcry - not the long standing left-wing cause based on the values, over and above economics, economics, economics, of respect for human life - the same U-turn he did on the left-wing gay marriage initiative, originally opposing the Civil Union bill.

He promised, prior to his first election success, not to increase GST, a flat tax that increases inequality in an already much more economically unequal country than it has ever been in history, and increased GST the minute he was elected. He also cut taxes for the rich, this during an economic crisis caused by the rich. He sold off state assets to rich investors in the face of a public referendum result saying New Zealanders were 2 to 1 against the sales.

When he worked in investment finance, making his millions, he was known as 'the smiling assassin' for firing people, hundreds of people, with a smile on his face. And it's largely thanks to these sorts of honourable actions that he now boasts the dubious title of New Zealand's richest politician.

For good measure, addled by his easy-won power or the difficulty of keeping track of the lies, he pulls pony-tails, repeatedly, with his wife standing embarrassed at his side, asking him not to, as well as the owner of the pony tail. Still people - other than the grovelling-with-gratitude rich - continue to vote for the smiling assassin, falling for his Mr Moderate, boy-next-door act.

Today Australia, my former home land, celebrates their new PM, by likening him to John Key. Good luck with that, guys. He couldn't be any worse than Abbott, right? Wrong. If he's anything like Key, and I'm hoping for your sakes that he's not, he'll be worse than Abbott by being 100% more cunning. Watch your backs - and your pony-tails.