On the question of former Prime Minister John Key's sudden departure, I will go with Winston Peters' assessment that the timing is simply not credible and something's amiss. All the eulogizing about Mr Key is nauseating, he's basically achieved nothing as leader in eight years at the helm other than exude a ‘warm fuzzy feel-good' daydreaming philosophy. Immigration rates a fail, education and health are stuttering, and housing policies are a mess. Key's National Government's race-based initiatives on freshwater, marine and coastal, Resource Management Act amendments etc and compelling councils to kowtow to vested Maori interests with the push for unelected race-based representation are palpably wrong and will ultimately lead to the destruction of racial equality if unchecked. Frankly, the list of underachieving is endless and as for balancing the country's books, that's just a joke based on creative smoke and mirrors stuff and inevitably the false consumption and services based NZ economy will tank sooner rather than later. So, when the going gets tough, when all the rhetoric no longer works and justifiable criticism starts hitting home then just before everything turns to custard, he's riding off into the sunset! Parliament breaks up for two months from mid-December, and surely common sense tells us nothing will be done during that time so why couldn't Key's announcement have waited till the New Year? Unless, of course, he is aiming to make the honours list? Whatever the conspiracy theories might be its starting to look like they may have some merit. Mr Key is no loss but those who will replace him now and after the 2017 Elections could be scary stuff so fasten your safety belts. Put in a nice way Key's departure is a welcome relief.

R Paterson, Matapihi