New Zealand Politics, the Ardern years

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by IsThisTheLife

My dad was Melburnian, I'm very familiar with the state, and I stand by what I said about the noxious Andrews. He's extremely dangerous.

I won't bother arguing that one, but since it's a thread specifically about Jacinda Ardern, do tell why you picked her as an example of awful politicians.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by IsThisTheLife

My dad was Melburnian, I'm very familiar with the state, and I stand by what I said about the noxious Andrews. He's extremely dangerous.

And he has, yet again, decimated the LNP despite having the entire media (including the ABC) relentlessly opposing him. He will retire as one of Australia’s greatest politicians.

Well done with “Melburnian” though.

[IsThisTheLife]

Originally Posted by lionking

And he has, yet again, decimated the LNP despite having the entire media (including the ABC) relentlessly opposing him. He will retire as one of Australia’s greatest politicians.

Well done with “Melburnian” though.

That's ... some pretty incoherent if not bizarre stuff.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by IsThisTheLife

That's ... some pretty incoherent if not bizarre stuff.

What’s incoherent about it?

[IsThisTheLife]

I was groping for the right word - how about absurd?

[The Atheist]

I asked why Ardern was included.

I hear crickets.

[angrysoba]

"Cindy" blasts the misogynistic twat with both barrels. Then Sanna curb stomps the twitching body.

But they do it very professionally...

Link

[novaphile]

Thank you for that.

I think that was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.

I believe that he was handed his arse and shown to the door.

What an idiot, it reminded me of Hugh Grant's role where he was pretending to be a reporter from 'Horse and Hounds'.

I can imagine actual journalists taking his press card and cutting it up for being so incompetent.

[The Atheist]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the story is utter bollocks, and far from being an idiot, the reporter was asking about something Sanna Marin had personally stated.

This was the day before the reporter asked if they were meeting because they have so much in common:

Quote:

According to Marin, it was her own “special request” to visit New Zealand and meet Ardern, adding that the two had “a lot in common”.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/live-update...et-with-ardern

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by IsThisTheLife

That's ... some pretty incoherent if not bizarre stuff.

What exactly is "incoherent" or "bizarre" in the post?

[Samson]

Originally Posted by angrysoba

"Cindy" blnasts the misogynistic twat with both barrels. Then Sanna curb stomps the twitching body.

But they do it very professionally...

Link

It is fortunate for her mental well being there is something important like this she knows she is good at.
Among left wing life labour voters she is loathed as a cheat, a liar and a philanthropist to dangerous once vanquished Maori warriors. She will sail away leaving a wrecked and divided country.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Samson

Among left wing life labour voters she is loathed as a cheat, a liar and a philanthropist to dangerous once vanquished Maori warriors.

Talking about me again?

Originally Posted by Samson

She will sail away leaving a wrecked and divided country.

I'm not going to blame her for that - it's a global phenomenon and NZ has no reason to be uniquely untouched by it.

And despite her faults, she's still a bitter option that that halfwit photo-op-queen, John Key-lite twat running the opposition.

Bill English must walk around with a wry smile fixed on his face these days.

[lionking]

Ardern resigning in February. That’s a surprise.

Despite some in this thread not being a fan, I think she is and was miles ahead of any of the sheep shaggers the opposition could throw up against her.

[dudalb]

What will some people in this tread do now that they won't have Aldren to kick around anymore?

[dudalb]

Originally Posted by catsmate

What exactly is "incoherent" or "bizarre" in the post?

To this poster, given his attitude toward women, the mere idea of a woman being in a leadership roll is bizarre...

[a_unique_person]

Originally Posted by lionking

Ardern resigning in February. That’s a surprise.

Despite some in this thread not being a fan, I think she is and was miles ahead of any of the sheep shaggers the opposition could throw up against her.

A politician who can walk away when it is time is a sign of a good politician. It also means they aren't just interested in power.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by a_unique_person

A politician who can walk away when it is time is a sign of a good politician. It also means they aren't just interested in power.

Well she said she has no petrol left in the tank. But it could equally be that the thought of losing the next election is daunting.

Whatever, I’m sure she will pick up a rewarding well-paid job. And good for her.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

Ardern resigning in February. That’s a surprise.

No kidding!

Originally Posted by lionking

Despite some in this thread not being a fan, I think she is and was miles ahead of any of the sheep shaggers the opposition could throw up against her.

Nope. Luxon had closed the gap to 29-23 by December last year.

National was already ahead of Labour and increasing its lead, but she still would have got close in the election this year. Now, we're guaranteed a fairly large shift to the right. The only positive is that National won't need the far-right ACT Party to form a government, although I'll be surprised if the Greenmunists don't pick up a lot of votes, too.

While I've disagreed with some of her policies, what she's done here is throw Labour on the scrapheap, which is absolutely unforgivable. She'd failed on housing, failed on child poverty, failed on health, and now gets to walk away and leave someone else to pick up the pieces.

Piss poor.

Originally Posted by lionking

Well she said she has no petrol left in the tank. But it could equally be that the thought of losing the next election is daunting.

I vote the latter - it was clear they were highly likely to lose and she's getting out while she's still on top.

Originally Posted by lionking

Whatever, I’m sure she will pick up a rewarding well-paid job. And good for her.

It's not like she'll need one - her Parliamentary Superannuation will be massive, and from what's being said, I gather she's going to enjoy being a mum.

[pzkpfw]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

... While I've disagreed with some of her policies, what she's done here is throw Labour on the scrapheap, which is absolutely unforgivable. She'd failed on housing, failed on child poverty, failed on health, and now gets to walk away and leave someone else to pick up the pieces.

Piss poor. ...

Not much different to what John Key did (though it's true National was beaten by a minority coalition).

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by pzkpfw

Not much different to what John Key did (though it's true National was beaten by a minority coalition).

The big difference was Key left at a time when National were clear leaders and he expected English to carry the day, and but for spaghetti on his pizza, he would have.

In hindsight, the electorate went the wrong way - English had a conscience exactly as Ardern didn't.

Ah, the memories she's left us.

Housing: https://twitter.com/jacindaardern/st...housing-market

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...seprice-growth

Poverty: Even their coalition partner has criticised the lack of improvement.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

The big difference was Key left at a time when National were clear leaders and he expected English to carry the day, and but for spaghetti on his pizza, he would have.

In hindsight, the electorate went the wrong way - English had a conscience exactly as Ardern didn't.

Ah, the memories she's left us.

Housing: https://twitter.com/jacindaardern/st...housing-market

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...seprice-growth

Poverty: Even their coalition partner has criticised the lack of improvement.

You would really have preferred the Tories over Labour? Really? My lifetime experience observing politics in commonwealth nations is that even bad Labour governments are preferable to “good” Tory ones. The only exception was Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.

[The Atheist]

Very good piece here from the strongly left-leaning Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/1310...nt-of-all-that

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

You would really have preferred the Tories over Labour? Really? My lifetime experience observing politics in commonwealth nations is that even bad Labour governments are preferable to “good” Tory ones. The only exception was Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.

At the time, I didn't - I worked for and voted for Labour, but there's no doubt Bill would have been a better PM. Bill English wasn't a Tory any more than Jacinda was a Socialist.

He was a most peculiar man - a National Party bloke with a social conscience.

I think it's something to do with religion, because Bill's a Catholic, much like another National Party PM who was respected on all sides because of his inclusiveness - Jim Bolger.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Very good piece here from the strongly left-leaning Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/1310...nt-of-all-that

Meh. Government by opinion polls is always bad government. Ardern didn’t do that. Good for her.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

Meh. Government by opinion polls is always bad government. Ardern didn’t do that. Good for her.

Nothing to do with opinion polls - she failed to deliver on her own promises.

Quote:

Child poverty. One of the core issues she stressed in 2017 is, at best, the same as in 2017, even though she told us it was her reason for being in politics.

Quote:

The social housing waiting list has grown by the thousands. Families are living in motels for years on end.

Quote:

Jacinda Ardern was willing to spend $678 million to subsidise businesses to decarbonise, but says free dental care is an unaffordable dream. The 2020 estimated cost of free dental care was $648 million.

Those things are a travesty.

Quitting hasn't hurt her international profile - the story is lead article on HuffPo, BBC, Guardian & Axios and front page on Reuters & Al Jazeera.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Nothing to do with opinion polls - she failed to deliver on her own promises.







Those things are a travesty.

It would have been a travesty if they were implemented. Socialism of that scale is unaffordable. Even Sweden now realises this.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

It would have been a travesty if they were implemented. Socialism of that scale is unaffordable. Even Sweden now realises this.

Did you not see the piece I quoted?

Dental care was thrown out because the money was spent "helping business de-carbonise". NZ has a dental crisis, causing thousands of children to experience extreme pain, teeth removal, and lifelong dental problems, but it's better to throw 3/4 of a billion at businesses to achieve unknown goals, with no oversight of what the money gets spent on.

Explain where that's unaffordable.

You have zero clues about NZ's economic situation. Grant Robertson threw around $50B at covid yet won't to spend money on measures Jacinda stated as her prime goal. They introduce climate goals at the expense of kids' lives.

And if you want to see how wrong you are - the government is so ******* hopeless they're spending $1M a day on "emergency accommodation" and encouraging this kind of insanity to flourish: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/sunday/clips/golden-mile

They would save millions with one of many potential alternatives to that, but that would require someone in the party to actually think - an action they have proven incapable of doing.

And yes, I am bitter about it - I was stupid enough to believe they would create change for a better country and worked bloody hard to get them elected and re-elected.

[The Atheist]

Coincidentally, I've just seen this gem in this morning's paper, which neatly shows the insanity of this government.

Labour's spin:

Wonderful, earth-loving Labour introduces new rules to protect our precious heritage and preserve wetlands!

The reality:

Idiotis rule so badly written a drain pipe resulting in a small pond arising at times causes housing development to stay halted for 19 months to date. Lucky we don't have a need for houses in NZ.

[Samson]

A sad day for Aotearoa.
A great day for New Zealand.

[arthwollipot]

I've remarked elsewhere that Ardern has been tremendously popular everywhere except in the country that she governed.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

I've remarked elsewhere that Ardern has been tremendously popular everywhere except in the country that she governed.

You can probably say the same for Julia Gillard. Gee I wonder what they both have in common……

[Samson]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

I've remarked elsewhere that Ardern has been tremendously popular everywhere except in the country that she governed.

She sold us down the river with 3 waters and co-governance handing extraordinary power to a handful of cunning part Maori.

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

While I've disagreed with some of her policies,

That's an understatement...

Quote:

what she's done here is throw Labour on the scrapheap, which is absolutely unforgivable. She'd failed on housing, failed on child poverty, failed on health, and now gets to walk away and leave someone else to pick up the pieces.

Labour was on the scrapheap before she became their leader. Without her National would have won in 2017 and New Zealand would be a mess. She led the country through several crises with empathy and compassion that no male politician on the right or left could match.

Which of course means the people, with short memories distorted by a meglomaniac media, would throw her on the scrapheap as soon as things started to come right. It's the same thing that happens everywhere - no good deed goes unpunished.

Jacinda Ardern has suffered enough from the likes of you, so I applaud her decision to step down - more for her sake than for the country. If the idiot population wants to swing right again then they deserve what they get, and she should not have to shoulder even more undeserved blame.

All this time you have been screaming about how 'Cinderella' shouldn't be in charge, then you get your wish and are still screaming. At least this thread can die now...

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

I've remarked elsewhere that Ardern has been tremendously popular everywhere except in the country that she governed.

That's not right at all - she was preferred PM by light years right up until last year. Remember, she did lead Labour to the only majority government we;ve had since MMP was introduced.

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

Labour was on the scrapheap before she became their leader. Without her National would have won in 2017 and New Zealand would be a mess.

Thanks for displaying your complete ignorance of NZ electoral history.

Labour were clear second in the first election and only got into power because Winston Peters wanted to hurt National and joined Labour in coalition.

As to NZ having been a mess, it's just further ignorance. Bill English would have created more positive social change than Labour did.

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

She led the country through several crises with empathy and compassion that no male politician on the right or left could match.

Drivel.

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

Which of course means the people, with short memories distorted by a meglomaniac media, would throw her on the scrapheap as soon as things started to come right. It's the same thing that happens everywhere - no good deed goes unpunished.

Wow, your ignorance really has no boundary.

Far from "coming right" Labour will leave the country withe a number of crises entirely of their making. I already noted a couple but I'm very happy to give you more of I thought you had the slightest chance of understanding it.

It's always difficult to explain facts to blind cheerleaders.

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

At least this thread can die now...

It will be in the archives, along with the "International Hero, Domestic Failure" thread should anyone with half a clue want to understand the depth of betrayal Ardern perpetrated on the country and her beloved children in poverty.

[lionking]

So The Atheist thinks Ardern should have ignored Covid and climate change? This seems to be the takeaway from your recent posts.

Firstly with covid, it’s pretty easy to be wise with hindsight, but I recall you being a champion of Fortress NZ. And are you really advocating that NZ should not prioritse climate change mitigation? Seriously?

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by lionking

So The Atheist thinks Ardern should have ignored Covid and climate change? This seems to be the takeaway from your recent posts.

Then you're seeing things that aren't there.

Originally Posted by lionking

Firstly with covid, it’s pretty easy to be wise with hindsight, but I recall you being a champion of Fortress NZ.

100% correct.

However, times change, and last lockdown was nonsensical It damaged the economy and people at a time when it wasn't necessary. Over 90% of the population had been vaccinated, but Ardern prioritised the demands of a few Maori because a lot of their people were too lazy or stupid to get the vaccine.

I applaud her early response, but like a lot of things she did, she didn't know when to say stop.

Climate change, ditto.

We ban offshore gas exploration right when our natural gas reserves are running out. Given that no new hydro projects are under way, and wind generation will take years to catch up, we're going to be importing tankers of LPG at absurd cost so people can have hot water.

There's also a time to choose between the immediate priority of things like health care and climate. When the choice is as clear as spending half a billion on urgent health needs and some unstated climate goals, only an idiot would choose the latter path. I'm happy for NZ to be a leader in combatting climate change,but it comes at the expense of children's health, and that's insane.

Worse, the money dished out to corporates will never be accounted for, and I'd lay very hefty bets it amounts to nothing. Companies will spend it on consultants and do nothing. They'd have made more sense throwing a party.

[dudalb]

Originally Posted by lionking

Well she said she has no petrol left in the tank. But it could equally be that the thought of losing the next election is daunting.

Whatever, I’m sure she will pick up a rewarding well-paid job. And good for her.

I think the term is "Job Burnout".

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Thanks for displaying your complete ignorance of NZ electoral history.

You think I'm ignorant because...?

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

You think I'm ignorant because...?

Do you some kind of reading difficulty? I ask because I did spell it out very specifically, but no worries, I don't mind repeating it.

You made the following ignorant statement:

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

Without her [Jacinda] National would have won in 2017 ...

That is patently false, as I explain here:

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Labour were clear second in the first election [2017] and only got into power because Winston Peters wanted to hurt National and joined Labour in coalition.

Labour lost the election quite comfortably and Jacinda would have done no more than brush her hair on the Opposition benches, except for one silly old fart who so desperately wanted to hurt National that he dumped his own party's rule that they would go with the largest party, and joined Labour instead.

Your idiotic statement was a clear example of complete ignorance of that election.

Got it now?

[The Atheist]

Regardless of what she did or didn't do, this is an appalling commentary on what's been happening by way of threats to Ardern:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...istory--expert

Only 20 years ago, when Helen Clark was PM, she used to wander up The Terrace in Wellington to her favourite cafe, which was next door to my office, and I often sat at a table one or two away from her. She had zero security and would sit with whomever accompanied her and drink her coffee in peace.