Podcast: Post-election pressure on Jacinda Ardern and Labour – analysis with John AZ Moore
John AZ Moore joins the Democracy Project’s Geoffrey Miller to discuss two recent post-election critiques of Jacinda Ardern and Labour
Jacinda Ardern’s new Cabinet – podcast analysis with John AZ Moore & Geoffrey Miller
John AZ Moore joins Geoffrey Miller to discuss the PM’s new ministerial lineup
Geoffrey Miller: Stardust across the Middle East – how Arab media covered the New Zealand election
News is not in short supply in the Middle East, and at the weekend, Arabic-language media remained firmly focused on the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Nevertheless, the New Zealand election – and above all Jacinda Ardern’s personal success – still received significant attention from Arabic-language TV news channels, newspapers and particularly on …
Critiquing Jacinda Ardern and Labour – Democracy Project weekly review
Critiquing Jacinda Ardern and Labour: John A.Z. Moore joins the Democracy Project’s Geoffrey Miller for an in-depth discussion of three articles by Cat MacLennan, Bryce Edwards and Graham Adams.
Graham Adams: National’s strategy to neutralise Jacinda Ardern
At a time when a wave of iconoclasm has meant no statue or monument appears safe from destruction — whether it is Gandhi, Churchill or Captain Cook — Judith Collins has taken the opportunity to attack a living icon who has been feted in some quarters, both here and abroad, as the world’s greatest leader: …
Cat MacLennan: Ten dead giveaways that Labour in 2020 will never be transformational
During the State Opening of Parliament after the 2017 election, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pledged that her administration would be a government of transformation. 31 months later, it is clear that Labour in 2020 will never be transformational. Here are ten dead giveaways that explain why. 1. When the Budget was delivered in May, Finance …
Josh Van Veen: Why politics? Review of Madeleine Chapman’s Jacinda Ardern: A New Kind of Leader
It is rare for a first-term New Zealand prime minister to be the subject of a biography. Let alone two. But then Jacinda Ardern is no ordinary prime minister. At least, that is what two recent books claim. Michelle Duff’s Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader (2019) is the first attempt at a …
Graham Adams: Are the media gloves coming off for Ardern?
New Zealand’s history as a sheep-farming nation means the command “Get in behind!” has long had a particular resonance — but not usually for journalists. However, in late March, as panic over the coronavirus pandemic surged around the world, Dr Gavin Ellis — former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald — recommended that the media should …
Graham Adams: The Perils of Premature Congratulation
In ancient Rome, a victorious general would parade through the city to the temple of Jupiter in a gilded chariot amidst a frenzy of adoration. But to keep the triumphant commander tethered to reality, the trusted slave holding a laurel wreath above his head would whisper repeatedly in his ear: “Memento mori” — “Remember you are …
Branko Marcetic: The prime minister should listen to her own mantra: “Be kind”
As is often the case with crises, the coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for New Zealand’s political leadership. Jacinda Ardern’s decisive and effective health response to the virus has garnered both New Zealand and herself adoring headlines around the world, particularly in countries starving for basic governmental competence. New Zealand’s exceptional handling of the …
Cat MacLennan: Jacinda Ardern’s prime ministership is a tale of two leaders
Jacinda Ardern’s prime ministership is a tale of two leaders. In times of crisis, Courageous Jacinda takes centre stage, acting boldly and drawing both domestic and international acclaim. But, in normal times, it is Cautious Jacinda who is to the fore, stepping warily and advancing slowly. The problem with this is that, often, the progress …
Colin James: An Easter message on democracy
Jacinda Ardern had two Easter messages last week. One was that the Easter bunny was an essential service, which got star billing in the Washington Post and elsewhere across the world. The other was a democracy lesson. In her briefing the Thursday before Easter, Ardern talked at length of how “you” were doing well, observing …
Bryce Edwards: Should David Clark have resigned as Minister of Health?
Bryce Edwards: Ardern has shone in the coronavirus crisis but a recession could still doom her re-election chances
In her short tenure as prime minister, Jacinda Ardern has shown herself to be extremely good in a crisis. After taking on the leadership of the Labour party just seven weeks before the 2017 general election, Ardern has put together a disparate coalition government, had a baby while in office, dealt with the Christchurch terrorist attacks, guided …