John Key insists there is nothing on the secret tape of his "cup of tea" conversation with John Banks to cause him the slightest bother. If so, why on earth won't he agree to the release of a transcript so everyone can see whether their private tete-a-tete was as bland as the Prime Minister says it was.
Withholding permission may yet be Key's biggest mistake in this election campaign. That and going to the police in order to shut down the whole affair.
Key can talk all he likes about fighting "News of the World tabloid tactics" before they take root. But he is in the midst of the white-hot heat of an election campaign. The pressure will only build on him and Banks to reveal exactly what was said. The politics have quickly moved beyond the question of media ethics with which the Prime Minister seems to be consumed.
One thing is for sure. Last Friday's chat won't have been bland. When Banks is the other half of the conversation, the talk is never bland. It would be surprising if what was said was not embarrassing - though not necessarily to Key or Banks.
There is always a vast difference between the platitudes and verbiage politicians exude in public and the frankness of what they say in private. So details of the conversation are bound to surprise. The more important question is whether the tape included talk of someone or something that could be an election game-changer.