We can be forgiven for voting Jacinda Ardern into power at the 2020 election.
There she was with her open arms and her promises.
“Everything I’ve ever thought about doing has been, in some sense, about helping people”, she famously said.
She also talked about ‘being the bridge - trying to build a consensus’.
Now that we’re licking our wounds, after the March 2, 2022 Wellington disaster, we consider responsibility.
American satirist, the late George Carlin said, “If you vote and you elect dishonest, incompetent people into office who screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem; you voted them in; you have no right to complain.”
So, yes, but we also need to look at the rocky road ahead.
If Jacinda doesn’t step down, we have her until the next election which will be held no later than 13 January 2024, after the currently elected Parliament is dissolved or expires.
The Parliamentary grounds may be cleared but the kaupapa remains. As much as Jacinda and the mainstream media would wish otherwise, groups of those who regret voting for her, are popping up all over the country. Christchurch, Picton, Auckland, the Far North and in between.
To quote George Carlin again: “Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.”
New Zealand’s chief Human Rights commissioner Paul Hunt said in February that listening to the claims of the protesters was an important contribution to help prevent the protests from dragging across months or turning into further violence.
“It’s clear that the protesters who I have met with have very real stories of loss and suffering. They feel broken and discarded due to the impact of Covid-19 health measures on their lives.
“These are people who have told us they have lost loved ones, who say they have suffered severe side-effects of vaccination and lost jobs.
“I have a duty to listen to their concerns to understand how their human rights have been impacted,” said Hunt in a statement.
He acknowledged the harmful impact the protest had on many in our community.
“In such a heated, fraught moment, we have to move from fear, to hope, and that cannot be done without listening and talking.”
Ardern thought otherwise.
The initial reason for the protest was for an end to vaccine mandates. Now there is something else protesters are worrying about and it’s an even bigger issue.
Jacinda Ardern describes herself as a ‘progressive’.
Progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform.
“For too long, we progressives have seemed like part of the system. We need to start thinking about whether or not it's delivering for us now.”
Further, Jacinda Ardern is on record, saying:
“We are committed to making New Zealand a truly digital nation.”
I ask you all to set aside any ‘conspiracy theory’ label thrown at you and look into this deeply.
Exactly what will it mean for New Zealanders - including us, the fringe minority - to be a truly digital nation.
Lest we forget:
September 4, 2020 PM Jacinda Ardern in Parliament "I want to send a clear message to the New Zealand public: we will share with you the most up-to-date information daily. You can trust us as a source of that information. You can also trust the Director-General of Health and the Ministry of Health…Otherwise, dismiss anything else. We will continue to be your single source of truth. We'll provide information frequently. We will share everything we can. Everything else you see—a grain of salt."
To end with another George Carlin quote:
“Don’t just teach your children to read… Teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything.” George Carlin