pn952. Jacinda to Resign

 

Too gutted to copy this out. Please copy and paste to your URL line.

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2301/S00039/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-announces-resignation.htm

pn850. Anti-Vaxx Protesters' Comments. UPDATED.

 See also post pn848.

It's hard to know how many vehicles are in the Convoy2022 protests. They stretch for many kilometers in several parts of the country, although  a number of non-protesters are probably trapped among them. Supporters wave at road intersections and from overbridges holding placards revealing their convictions. Others post on the social media.  If you've not been there to give your support, here's some  typical ones:

♦ Fuck Jabcinda!!    ♦ Jacinda is the virus.  ♦ Freedom now, Jacinda. ♦ One million Kiwis are not jabbed. ♦ Ardern is so paranoid and scared. ♦ She's gone full blown paranoid communist. ♦ The government is destroying the country.  ♦ Media freedom - No Covid Hoax.  ♦ We are about to see the demise of our government. Good riddance. ♦ Coercion is not consent.  This is not OUR New Zealand ♦ Leave our kids alone. ♦ Know your rights. Bring back common law. My body. My choices. ♦ We are fighting for NZ's rights. ♦ Vaccine passports equal apartheid.      ♦ Remove all Covid-19 legislation. Uphold the Bill of Rights. Act now. Leave our kids alone. ♦ Truth will prevail.   

♥ And the last for bit of a laugh -- Keep Hugging. It's good for you. 

UPDATED

There were, thank goodness, also a large number of comments calling the protesters ignorant and selfish, not concerned about how many people could die if we not vaccinated; to the very small number of New Zealanders the protesters represented, and to the admirable leadership Jacinda has shown during the pandemic. 

Martyn Bradbury, never one to mince his words, called the protesters lunatics. See  Lunatics, says Martyn Bradbury.

-- ACW

pn573. John Armstrong struggles to make Jacinda look like a witch. (Updated P.P.S.by Bryce Edwards)

Semi-retired conservative columnist John Armstrong —usually noted for more robust argument—  strains at his breeches trying to turn Jacinda from a tooth fairy into a witch.  (See update P.P.S., below).

In her talks with the Greens, he says,  she is not magnanimous or motivated by familial loyalty but by "one thing and one thing only - Labour's self-interest, pure and simple." 

His evidence?  She "did not lift a finger ... to help her Government's support partner retain a presence in Parliament by withdrawing the Labour candidate in Auckland Central" (and) by ignored James Shaw's pleas that she do some "messaging" ... to urge Labour supporters to cast their party vote for the Greens."

Why? The wicked witch wanted to keep the Greens "firmly under her thumb" while falsely giving "the impression she is sharing power". Why?  Because "opinion polls show we don't like one-party governments." 

The witch will tell the Greens "in the nicest possible way that they can take it or leave it." James Shaw may be offered his pre-election job as Minister for Climate Change  because  "it would be a means of keeping the Greens inside the tent, rather than them being trouble outside." Nothing more for the Greens. She needs to fill Cabinet seats with her own.

A Special Anniversary - and what the Labour Coalition has achieved in the last two years: Jacinda Ardern.

pn503

(What the Labour Coalition has achieved in the last two years is listed below)

A special anniversary -  Jacinda Ardern, Labour
Mon, 23 Sep, 19:19

 
Hi Crosbie,
Today’s a really special anniversary — it’s been two years since election night, when New Zealand voted for a change of direction and asked us to start tackling the long-term problems facing our country.

I hope over these past two years, we’ve shown you that we’re serious about those tough issues — issues like mental health, the state of our rivers and child poverty. The problems in these areas have taken years, if not generations, to develop, and they won’t be solved overnight. But I’ve always believed that the hardest challenges are the ones worth taking on, and over the past two years, we’ve made good progress.

Jacinda Ardern's Trial by Media. And Me Too Labour Blames Haworth, not Ardern

The PM and Nigel Haworth pn489

UPDATE. HAWORTH RESIGNS, ADERN APOLOGISES.

While still reeling from the punches and counter-punches that have recently rocked the Fiji political stage, I turned to NZ media pages hoping for some relief.  But no.

First up, was Simon Bridges after his recent five-day visit to China.  He apparently "set a new standard of cringeworthiness by  ... buttered up the Chinese Communist Party" (more kindly, some might say he was naive and diplomatic).

And then,  Jacinda Ardern who is a hundred times guilty by association in the Labour Party sex scandals.

As expected, the media dropped the Bridges' story for the far juicier, and more politically damaging, sex scandals.

Our trail of tears: the story of Ihumātao by historian Vincent O'Malley

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The usual Pākeha reporters, quick on opinions and short on facts (need they be named?) see  the Ihumātao debacle as a simple case of some Maori breaking the law, and Jacinda Ardern allowing them to get way with it by halting further action while calling for all parties to join in discussion.  I see this a step by a wise Prime Minister, anxious to ensure all sides are properly heard. Historian Vincent O'Malley sees it as another example of an unfair and unresolved past. -- ACW

The tino rangatiratanga flag is seen at Ihumātao as the day draws to an end for protesters on the land on Friday 26 July (Photo: RNZ)

The current standoff at Ihumātao has deep roots in the legacy of colonialism and land confiscation. Historian Vincent O’Malley writes in The Spinoff about how it was taken by the Crown, and why that matters today.

Climate Change Costs

A range of stories have come out in the past few days and weeks that The stark alternatives.  pn98 illustrate how complex the economic costs of fighting climate change will be.  In some ways, it's money that simply has to be spent – either action is taken on climate change, or the world cooks.  And politically, PM Jacinda Ardern has famously described climate change as "my generation's nuclear free moment." But that's still not going to make it any easier to put money where mouths are.

Was Jacinda at the right venues this weekend?

pn185

I think Jacinda was at the wrong venue this weekend. 

And Tim Watkin, Newshub Nation production executive and Dan Corin, Q+A presenter really do have a case against her. 

She  was  scheduled to appear on their programmes on Sunday but due to what was said to be a diary oversight, she cancelled and instead fronted up to a public meeting of  the faithful  in Auckland with  Deputy PM Winston Peters and Greens leader James Shaw.

A History of Nuclear Testing in the Pacific: colonialism at its worst

I was living in Tonga in 1963 when the French exploded their first nuclear device. I remember the occasion clearly. We were walking home after a camera club meeting when the sky turned into a startling  display of colour, as if a rainbow has disintegrated. We didn't know what it was, and we din't have our camera with us.

Click on this video to watch and listen to "Trouble in Paradise."