KEY POINTS:
It's called the Journalists' Guarantee and it's more reliable than an alarm clock.
Write the words education and vouchers and National Party in the same sentence, as I had in today's Herald, and you can expect an early morning wake-up call from an irritated press secretary.
That's because the language
used in politics is as important as the ideas, and often more so.
And despite John Key's Youth Guarantee scheme he has just outlined in his state-of-the-nation speech in Ellerslie fitting the critieria for a training "voucher" scheme, the word has been so demonised that National does not want to be associated with it in anyway.
It belongs to the olden days when National was not afraid to be right wing. Key does not seem worried anyway. I have just been joking with him about how Borat's "v string" costume ban from the rugby Sevens pushed him off the front page of the DomPost this morning. Now if ever there was an example of all style and no substance, it's that.
Anyway, the "V" part of Key's speech at the Novotel was well and truly overshadowed by the new youth justice policy he has just announced for those "unexploded on a fast-track to Paremoremo."
The most radical element of it is a new power for the Youth Court to impose electronic monitoring of youth offenders using an ankle bracelets.
With the new policy comes new language.
This new power is part of what Key has termed "Spotlight Sentences" - the power for the Youth Court to act when offenders flout supervision and community work sentences.
Another policy is the revival of boot camp training for kids who go off the rails but not of the screaming sergeant major variety.
What Key has in mind in a gentler, kinder sort of boot camp that won't scare them witless but nonetheless could involve the Army.
This policy is deemed part of a new range of revolutionary "Fresh Start" programmes which echoes neatly National's overall "fresh start" message.
"Fresh start" is a phrase we have become tired of in New Zealand this year as much as the Aussies did last year of Kevin Rudd's "new leadership."
Key's speech went down a treat with the 200 party members who are now tucking into their oysters and ham, including former PM Jenny Shipley, former Justice Minister Sir Douglas Graham, former North Shore Mayor George Woods, former Winz boss Christine Rankin and 15 MPs.
Key himself was pleased with his performance and deserved to be for several reasons.
He delivered a speech that had showed National has been thinking hard about the hard issues, that clearly differentiates him from Helen Clark, and that will almost certainly strike a nerve with voters amid the sickening stories of youth crime this summer.
Key insists he decided on the topic four months ago and that it was not a speech that merely exploited the ghastly cluster of January crime stories.
Key delivered it well. Well for John Key, anyway. No major stuff-ups, and much better diction than his usual slap-dash style and a little bit of a grunt when it was needed.
He fronted a big press contingent afterwards with deputy Bill English and showed every sign of someone who has been working hard over the holidays to be on top of the detail.
It would be fair to say that John Key has started the year showing a bit more substance than style.
On the matter of the Borat costumes, he said "It's the Sevens. It's always about balancing a bit of sport and fun. But I wouldn't wear the costume - and certainly not in green!"
