Was that a throat slitting gesture the PM made in the House yesterday?

Or was Key just signalling for the Parliament TV cameras to cut, lest the simple folk of New Zealand see their beloved leader behaving in a less than dignified manner?

Or was it an instruction to his security detail? When you are in charge of a country it must be a temptation sometimes to lean across to one of your security people and murmur “have that man killed, he displeases me.” With nobody within leaning distance Key was left to signal his intent by way of hand gestures. But who was his target?

I have another theory, although I hope I am wrong.

It could be that Key was practising the Kapa O Pango haka for this weekend. He may have been given the word that Richie’s foot injury is worse than we all feared.