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Cya Aunty Cindy. “Like a rat fleeing a sinking ship”

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‘Like a rat fleeing a sinking ship’: Why Jacinda Ardern is leaving others to clean up her mess

A compliant and unquestioning media wears the blame for Jacinda Ardern’s flawed authoritarian agenda, writes Caroline Di Russo.

As I was pondering a second long black this morning, news broke that Jacinda Ardern would resign as New Zealand Prime Minister and call an election for 14 October, 2023.

Her resignation was chock full of the usual platitudes about what a privilege it was to lead New Zealand, how she wanted to spend more time with her family and that she didn’t have enough left in the tank for continue with the job.

Her trademark weaponised compassion was again on display, and surely, she will be remembered for how effortlessly she pretended to care.

Until recently, she was fawned over by a compliant and unquestioning media which totally failed to keep her and her authoritarian agenda in check.

Remember the wellness budget and KiwiBuild?

They were the lowlights of a policy platform so laughably deficient it was hard to work out whether Ardern was malicious or just masterfully incompetent.

I believe her that she doesn’t have anything left in the tank.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation at the War Memorial Centre on January 19, 2023 in Napier, New Zealand. Picture: Kerry Marshall/Getty Images

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation at the War Memorial Centre on January 19, 2023 in Napier, New Zealand. Picture: Kerry Marshall/Getty Images

I trust it took considerable effort to wreak the kind of havoc she did on the Kiwis.

After inflicting one of the longest and harshest COVID-19 lockdowns on her people, openly admitting to creating separate classes of citizen on the basis of vaccination status, and torching the domestic economy, she is washing her hands of the consequences and has executed a perfect hospital handpass to the next NZ Labour leader.

And why would she stick around?

She won her second term in an intra-pandemic election when Kiwis were heavily influenced by the politics of fear and gagging for politicians to keep them safe.

As her second term rolled on, and the Kiwi economy and social fabric deteriorated under the strain of the Ardern regime, her poll numbers plummeted.

Her convenient exit bears all the hallmarks of a rat fleeing a sinking ship. It has a decidedly Oakeshott/Windsor look to it.

Clearly, her jaw is so fragile that she refuses to face the electorate and be accountable for the destruction and division she has visited on New Zealand.

So, as the media’s love affair with Ardern wanes, and she is asked questions she has no intention of answering, she takes her bat and ball and goes home.

The final act of this tragedy is Ardern leaving a mess for someone else to clean up.

And this tells us all we need to know – because the mark of a true leader is that they do not leave to others what they are not willing to do themselves.

Ardern’s ultimate legacy will be as a shirker of responsibility.

 

Republished courtesy of Sky News and Caroline Di Russo SkyNews.com.au Contributor and Political Commentator

Caroline Di Russo