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This episode of current affairs show Close Up offers a fascinating portrait of 80s job du jour: foreign exchange dealer. The intrepid reporter heads into "the pit" (trading room) and chronicles the working life of a senior 'forex' dealer, 25-year-old squash-playing accountancy graduate, John Key. The "smiling assassin" (and future Prime Minister) is a now-familiar calm and earnest presence amongst the young cowboys playing for fortunes and Porsches in the heady pre-sharemarket crash world: "they're like addicts who eat, breathe and sleep foreign exchange dealing".
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john key is obviously the devil ;)

I'm not sure what use foreign exchange trading is for a PM. I would rather have someone who understands people and the impact of his policies rather than someone who knows how to short the currency.

Great video, he comes across really well. To be able to make those educated decisions at the drop of a hat is impressive. And I liked the way he answered the questions about his salary and losses, even though his track record and salary were probably right up there he wouldn't be lured into bragging about it.
An ideal background for a PM to have, someone that understands economies, critical thinker, handles pressure and stress. For the people that say 'who wants a greedy PM that only cares about money?' do you really think people become PM for the pay packet? I'm sure it's a drop in the bucket compared to his previous job. And yeah, I would want someone who understands world economies and can make the right decisions to keep our country afloat ( check out Greece, Italy and Ireland right now, yikes).
I wouldn't be interested in having someone 'who's just like us' as PM, the common man would be too short sighted and send the country broke after their term was up. Like what Labour was on their way to doing with ACC, etc.
@Ted: that dropkick would be me (possibly it was all the squash, champagne and waterbeds that made me dozy). After re-watching the clip, I've changed 'breathless' to 'intrepid' ... cheers
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Television, 1996 (Full Length Episode)
Political and economic history series featuring the sharemarket crash
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tim
Posted at 12.24PM - 23.01.2012
the haircuts match the theme music!