It sounds like news from a school playground.
Boy pulls girl’s hair, girl doesn’t like it, boy gets in trouble.
But this is not kids in a primary school yard, Â it’s the bloody Prime Minister of New Zealand.
The Prime Minster! A grown man. New Zealand’s David Cameron.
No, really… John Key, the leader of the country, was forced to apologise for repeatedly pulling the ponytail of a waitress in an Auckland cafe.
The BBC report #tailgate (as it is being dubbed) started last November and carried on despite the waitress telling Mr Key’s staff she didn’t like her hair being pulled (which is fair enough).
She even told him herself in March, but he carried on anyway…until she wrote this blog.
Mr Key’s office said the hair-pulling was meant to be “light-hearted”….yes, if you’re a six year old.
Here’s what Twitter thought…
Idea for topical party game:
Pin the ponytail on the John Key.
— Toby Manhire (@toby_etc) April 22, 2015
Ponytails are John Key's Quentin Tarantino's feet. blech pic.twitter.com/AlQCsvn1Zo
— SIR SEXNAP (@sexnap) April 22, 2015
Let us hope John Key isn't tempted by this sort of thing while in Turkey. #ponytailgate pic.twitter.com/XVDyrO4QFe
— Russell Baillie (@RBaillieNZH) April 22, 2015
This marketing campaign for hair-strengthening shampoo is what finally swung John Key to support the City Rail Link. pic.twitter.com/ANGNxh1wyu
— Matt Nippert (@MattNippert) April 22, 2015
The next time I see John Key in public, I'm going to cup his balls and whisper the words "body autonomy is funny" into his ear.
— CorellianBloodstripe (@AndreAlessi) April 22, 2015