A cracking cover on the new issue, with a David White image of the prime minister to illustrate Guyon Espiner’s interview.

Guyon speaks to “the trader-in-chief” on two occasions – before and after his trip to Europe; before and after the political seas got choppy.

Much to read, but here are some of the things John Key says:

On the Sky City deal:

“People want to chase their tails in conspiracies. There is no conspiracy. The conspiracy is we haven’t had a convention centre for decades.”

On the class-size ratio backdown:

“We lost the PR battle. The problem here is we risked literally months and months of huge anxiety from parents, a massive amount of negative press and rolling industrial action for a $40 million spend – out of a $10 billion spend – and you have to ask yourself was it worth it?”

“I was well and truly aware of the edginess of tackling something that has been a basic principle that parents have held tight to for a long period of time.”

On the global economic slump and Bill English:

“When Bill first used to say that this will go on for 10 years, I thought he was wrong. Now I think he is right.”

On the importance of, ahem, “culture” to New Zealand exports:

“Anything that ends in culture – horticulture, agriculture, aquaculture, viticulture.”

On poverty:

“If you want to talk about the long-term, potentially systemic problem we’ve got, it is that that underclass is there and it could not only just widen, but it could break away if it got worse.”

On whether he’ll serve a full term should he win in 2014:

“To be honest, I haven’t actually thought that through at this point … I’m going to stay for as long as I think I can make a difference.”

§

Other highlights in the new Listener include Mark Werman and Christoph Schumacher on the Greek economic maelstrom, and its potential to engulf the rest of the world.

Diana Wichtel talks to renowned architect Ian Athfield, who wants to finish building his great “act of defiance”, begun in 1965.

Plus all the usual columns, arts coverage and entertainment picks.