In an interview with Next magazine in June 2017, shortly after becoming Labour Deputy, Jacinda Ardern said she had no wish to be leader:
“When you’re a bit of an anxious person, and you constantly worry about things, there comes a point where certain jobs are just really bad for you”
“I hate letting people down. I hate feeling like I’m not doing the job as well as I should. I’ve got a pretty big weight of responsibility right now; I can’t imagine doing much more than that.”
That was before she was appointed leader of the Labour Party.
So, having publicly announced that she had no wish to be leader (reason 1), that she is “a bit of an anxious person” (reason 2) who constantly worries about things (reason 3) and that the job would just be bad for her (reason 4) and just being deputy leader means “I’ve got a pretty big weight of responsibility right now; I can’t imagine doing much more than that” (reason 5).
She never wanted the job.
Where in the world (other than politics of course), would anybody think it’s a good idea to offer a prime job to anybody for which they have absolutely no qualifications and which they have loudly and publicly proclaimed they don’t want? (Reason 6).
Those are substantive personal admissions that she is not suited for the role and that the role isn’t suited to her.
But if that’s not enough, let’s be really clear about what we’re dealing with here. Ms Ardern is nothing more and nothing less than a service provider. If you or I made the promises and assertions she has made during the course of carrying out her “service”, we’d be guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct under the Fair Trading Act.
9) Misleading and deceptive conduct generally
No person shall, in trade, engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive.
For the sake of accuracy, the Act defines trade:
“trade means any trade, business, industry, profession, occupation, activity of commerce, or undertaking relating to the supply or acquisition of goods or services or to the disposition or acquisition of any interest in land”
Her trade is “politician”. It’s how she makes her living. You be the judge on the evidence before you.
Has she engaged in conduct that is “misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive”?
Is she fit for purpose?
Should she remain Prime Minister in the circumstances?
For reasons 7 onward: Let me quote a National Party Press release from back in October 2019, long before the COVID-19 excuse presented itself:
“Jacinda Ardern promised to lead the most open and transparent government ever.
She promised to lift children out of poverty and to end the housing crisis.
Not only has she not delivered, things have got worse.
“The number of people on the dole is up by more than 22,000.
“The number of children living in benefit dependent households has increased by 8,000 in just over a year despite the Government’s commitment to halve child poverty in a decade.
“Hardship grants are higher than ever before. The cost of living is through the roof.
“Rents are up an average of $50 a week and petrol taxes have been piled on.
“The Government promised there would be nobody sleeping in cars this winter and yet homelessness has increased.
“KiwiBuild is the largest public policy failure this country has ever seen. Labour talked a big game on housing but has failed to deliver meaningful change and dropped all of its targets.
“Business confidence is through the floor and continues to plummet further which is no wonder when the Government has made decisions like banning oil and gas exploration.”
This is in addition to other broken promises including
- Introducing seven new taxes despite saying there’d be none
- Seven out of nine child poverty indicators having increased
- Failing to deliver 1800 new police
- Failing to deliver 100 per cent qualified ECE teachers
- The number of people in motels having increased threefold despite saying there’d be none
- Failing to deliver a surgical mesh register
- Failing to strengthen the OIA as promised
- Being embarrassed by National into action on Cancer
- Failing to increase the age of Breast Screening to 74
- Fees free resulting in fewer students
- Failing to reduce the Gender Pay Gap as promised
- Cannabis referendum won’t be binding
- Not having introduced a Volunteer Rural Constabulary (cowboy cops)
- Job growth having more than halved from 10,000 new jobs a month under National to only 4,000
- Thankfully not having introduced a Capital Gains Tax like it promised
- Failing to reduce teacher child ratios in early learning
It’s not just broken promises either. The Government has displayed a staggering level of incompetence;
- Outsourcing work to nearly 300 working groups
- Cancelling all of our Roads of National Significance
- There’s a looming infrastructure crisis
- Threatening to introduce a new car tax
- Introducing a regional fuel tax
- Elective Surgery numbers decreasing
- DHB deficits blowing up
- Refusing to release the letter from Julie-Anne Genter
- State Housing waiting lists going up
- Overseeing a Census disaster
- Teachers striking
- Junior doctors striking
- Emissions, which were flat under National, continuing to rise until 2025
- Letting their own budget leak
Does all of that make a reasonably compelling case for resignation, do you think?