Jacinda Ardern - International Hero, Domestic Failure

[The Atheist]

Just to balance the scales a little - and since no NZ newspaper dare print anything negative about St Jacinda - I see several international news outlets have decided to put the spotlight on her failings.

She is feted worldwide for NZ's Covid response, which is a bit silly since all she did was follow the guidelines set by scientists, but in terms of action on NZ's other problems, she has been abysmal, failing on every metric.

Views from:

Australia

UK

I will note in her defence that several things she did try to do have been stymied by her coalition partners, so it's not entirely her fault.

She is about to cruise to an immense victory in our election, being held this Saturday, while her handbrake coalition partner is about to be unceremoniously dumped from Parliament, so there's some hope she will look to implement some genuine reform during this coming term.

 

[Roger Ramjets]

She is feted worldwide for NZ's Covid response, which is a bit silly since all she did was follow the guidelines set by scientists,

If only the leaders of certain other countries had done the same, we might have had a better opinion of them too.

But was it just 'following the guidelines set by scientists'? The WHO are saying that lockdowns should not be the primary method of dealing to the virus, and leading scientists in some other countries advised disastrous policies such as putting the economy first or aiming for 'herd immunity'. Do you think she would have followed that advice?

Scientists can advise, but they don't have to make the political decisions - or take the flak for them. As Prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern had a heavy weight on her shoulders, and a tough choice to make. Few were brave enough to make the right choice, as she did.

but in terms of action on NZ's other problems, she has been abysmal, failing on every metric.

Please enlighten a foreigner on what these other metrics are that 'she' has been abysmal and failing on.

 

[The Atheist]

But was it just 'following the guidelines set by scientists'? The WHO are saying that lockdowns should not be the primary method of dealing to the virus, and leading scientists in some other countries advised disastrous policies such as putting the economy first or aiming for 'herd immunity'. Do you think she would have followed that advice?

If that had been the consensus view of the scientists in her group, I'm sure she would have.

Scientists can advise, but they don't have to make the political decisions - or take the flak for them. As Prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern had a heavy weight on her shoulders, and a tough choice to make. Few were brave enough to make the right choice, as she did.

I do give her credit for that, because if the other team had been in power, we'd be a mini-USA right now.

Hey, I voted for her, but not because she's a saint, but because she deserves a crack without the handbrake of the failed coalition partner.

Please enlighten a foreigner on what these other metrics are that 'she' has been abysmal and failing on.

Poverty & housing are the two big ones, and well explained in the BBC article, particularly.

 

[Chanakya]

Following scientists' consensus seems a very difficult thing to do, or at least rare, at least by politicians (and actual scientists too for that matter, look at that Tegnell guy).

I'm not very, read at all, informed about NZ politics, but I loved what she did with the terrorism thing, and now the Covid thing. Plus she's easy on the eyes. I'm a fan. (Yeah, I see what you mean about the international, read more or less superficially informed, support.)

 

[lionking]

Just to balance the scales a little - and since no NZ newspaper dare print anything negative about St Jacinda - I see several international news outlets have decided to put the spotlight on her failings.

She is feted worldwide for NZ's Covid response, which is a bit silly since all she did was follow the guidelines set by scientists, but in terms of action on NZ's other problems, she has been abysmal, failing on every metric.

Views from:

Australia

UK

I will note in her defence that several things she did try to do have been stymied by her coalition partners, so it's not entirely her fault.

She is about to cruise to an immense victory in our election, being held this Saturday, while her handbrake coalition partner is about to be unceremoniously dumped from Parliament, so there's some hope she will look to implement some genuine reform during this coming term.

You cite the Australian. There’s a paywall, but I wouldn’t read it even if there wasn’t. To call it a rag is an insult to pieces of cloth all around the world. If you are going to post an Aussie critique of Ardern, do better than the Australian.

I’m pretty much a news junkie (non Murdoch) but haven’t seen any criticism of her at all.

 

[Sceptic-PK]

Yeah. I don't hate The Australian to quite the same degree lionking does as it's pretty much the only right-wing publication that isn't pure comedy value. It has higher editorial standards than the various tabloids also owned by News Corp for example.

However, it remains particularly biased in its presentation of facts a lot of the time and I wouldn't take its criticism of a politician from the 'wrong' party very seriously. I certainly wouldn't consider it a metric for Australian opinion.

 

[lionking]

Yeah. I don't hate The Australian to quite the same degree lionking does as it's pretty much the only right-wing publication that isn't pure comedy value. It has higher editorial standards than the various tabloids also owned by News Corp for example.

However, it remains particularly biased in its presentation of facts a lot of the time and I wouldn't take its criticism of a politician from the 'wrong' party very seriously. I certainly wouldn't consider it a metric for Australian opinion.

Yeah, well said. Certainly the Australian is miles away from the Herald Sun, and there was hyperbole in my post. But it still isn’t a periodical of note.

 

[lionking]

Without derailing this too much, the Australian quotes biased sources, draws outlandish inferences from those quotes and makes ridiculous conclusions. The Herald Sun skips most of that and simply makes **** up.

 

[The Atheist]

You cite the Australian.

That's why I included the BBC as well.

 

[The Atheist]

Following scientists' consensus seems a very difficult thing to do, or at least rare, at least by politicians (and actual scientists too for that matter, look at that Tegnell guy).

We were very lucky in having world-class scientists who had actually thought about pandemics before February this year.

We were even luckier that several of them called for border restrictions early, and that they were listened to, against the advice of WHO.

 

[lionking]

That's why I included the BBC as well.

I’m still not greatly impressed by the superficial BBC report.

The plight of Maori and Pacifica people in NZ mirrors those of Australian aborigines. Billions have been thrown at the problem with some effect, but disadvantage remains. Money alone is not the solution and I don’t know what is.

Interestingly many aboriginal activists are demanding a treaty to lead to better outcomes for their people. NZ shows that this is not the path to Nirvana.

In any case, it’s a bit rich to hold Ardern responsible for a problem which has been around for, what? 150 years? More?

 

[jeremyp]

If that had been the consensus view of the scientists in her group, I'm sure she would have.

I wish the politicians in my country had been courageous enough to follow the scientific advice. I suspect we wouldn't be facing the possibility of a second lockdown.

I do give her credit for that, because if the other team had been in power, we'd be a mini-USA right now.

I doubt that. New Zealand has the advantage of having few people in a large area. New York City has nearly twice the population of New Zealand all crammed into an area about one thirtieth of the size. Furthermore, New Zealand is not an international travel hub.

It's difficult to say how bad it would have been if Arden had not followed scientific advice, but it would have been nothing on the scale of the USA (in my opinion).

 

[lionking]

I doubt that. New Zealand has the advantage of having few people in a large area. New York City has nearly twice the population of New Zealand all crammed into an area about one thirtieth of the size. Furthermore, New Zealand is not an international travel hub.

It's difficult to say how bad it would have been if Arden had not followed scientific advice, but it would have been nothing on the scale of the USA (in my opinion).

I believe you are correct in general, but parts of the large cities are densely populated. There could have large per capita infection rates.

 

[smartcooky]

Without derailing this too much, t^{he Australian quotes biased sources, draws outlandish inferences from those quotes and makes ridiculous conclusions}. The Herald Sun skips most of that and simply makes **** up.

So, Faux News then?

 

[lionking]

So, Faux News then?

Worse. They have Andrew Bolt.

 

[Sceptic-PK]

Without derailing this too much, the Australian quotes biased sources, draws outlandish inferences from those quotes and makes ridiculous conclusions. The Herald Sun skips most of that and simply makes **** up.

For sure. I haven't paid any attention to Arden or NZ politics generally, but the fact The Australian has gone after her tells me all I need to know about which party she leads.

 

[smartcooky]

Worse. They have Andrew Bolt.

Oh, THAT Guy - the Bolt Report? The climate change denier? The guy who claims people in Europe are no longer dying from Covid 19?

 

[Samson]

Behind paywall

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/polit...ur-leader-to-make/YMVMW7KPDDOJHCUC7EANLLO6XA/

OPINION

I never thought I'd hear a Labour Prime Minister promise no tax on wealth while she's in charge, but hold the line of banning cotton buds. In my normal universe, the Green party would be demanding a bottom line on those cotton buds, and Labour would be making no such promise.

They've entered the final week of campaigning implicitly promising to choose more inequality, not less.

Previously Jacinda Ardern ruled out taxing income gained from increases in the value of owning stuff like rental houses, shares or gold and diamonds....

 

[The Atheist]

In any case, it’s a bit rich to hold Ardern responsible for a problem which has been around for, what? 150 years? More?

Nice cherry-picking of the irrelevant.

The important matters are the ones Jacinda promised to fix.

Housing: promised 100,000 new affordable homes in three years. Delivered 600.

Inequality: promised to fix it. Abject failure, with property prices up 11% in the past 12 months alone. Rents have increased at more than double the increase in wages.

Poverty: promised to fix it. Abject failure, with a greater number of children in poverty in 2020 than 2017.

It's difficult to say how bad it would have been if Arden had not followed scientific advice, but it would have been nothing on the scale of the USA (in my opinion).

New York, definitely not, but the rest of the country, I think we'd be right there.

We have an enormous population of vulnerable people and massive overcrowding among poor brown citizens. That's exactly why Jacinda listened to the experts - they're her voters and even she could work out that if 5% of them died they wouldn't be quite so keen.

(I'm being a bit facetious on the voters, I think she does personally care more for human lives than money. The fact that a massive clean-out of the poor and old would have solved all of NZ's economic and social problems is a minor distraction.)

 

[smartcooky]

Behind paywall

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/polit...ur-leader-to-make/YMVMW7KPDDOJHCUC7EANLLO6XA/

OPINION

I never thought I'd hear a Labour Prime Minister promise no tax on wealth while she's in charge, but hold the line of banning cotton buds. In my normal universe, the Green party would be demanding a bottom line on those cotton buds, and Labour would be making no such promise.

They've entered the final week of campaigning implicitly promising to choose more inequality, not less.

Previously Jacinda Ardern ruled out taxing income gained from increases in the value of owning stuff like rental houses, shares or gold and diamonds....

I am totally opposed to broad application of CGT, but I still voted for her because, well, I'm a lifelong Labour supporter, and partially because we don't need a female version of Trump running this country down.