When you’re a busy person, sometimes you don’t get time to reflect upon the decisions you make. It’s even worse if you’re the prime minister of a country. Everything you do has major consequences, but you’re swamped with work so you hardly ever get a chance to consider the broader implications of your actions.

It’s only during the quieter moments, as you grab a precious few minutes relaxing at home, or as you eat your meal, that you get the chance to think through the consequences of your actions.

John Key made a big call yesterday. He didn’t just publicly back his embattled Education Minister. He went further, and said she was “one of the smoothest communicators we’ve actually had”.

If speaking some of the most incomprehensible jargon-laden bullshit Parliament has ever seen is the hallmark of a smooth communicator, then I’d agree that Key makes a strong case for keeping Parata in her job.

But as John Key sat back and reflected last night on his decision to back Parata so enthusiastically, it’s just possible that he felt a rising sense of panic and despair.

So that’s my theory on why John Key fainted in a restaurant on Thursday night.