The PM’s skinny frame and tired face is an indication of the tough road she’s on. Faced with hard questions from Ryan Bridge on the AM show earlier this week she pursed her lips and sniffed when asked to accept responsibility for the border failure that allowed COVID back into Auckland. “Where’s the evidence? she demanded, and immediately threw the blame at her “team of five million”:
“We actually need people to do the right thing as well. We can’t be solely reliant on every single time the assumption that we’re going to stop everyone’s bad behaviour. We need a team effort. When we set out a rule, when we make an ask we need everyone to play their part as well.”
The PM pushes a juvenile “dob in your neighbour” policy. I’m not sure what’s worse: police making up COVID rules as they go along when they hauled people off beaches and out of parks, or asking the public to spy on their neighbours. Both are highly incendiary.
Whatever happened to openness and transparency? It was neither smart nor honest to shift the blame onto the imaginary “team of five million” cowering at home during the first lockdown, but once bitten twice shy judging by Auckland’s blatant disregard for the second lockdown.
If something can be stuffed up expect the government to do it. Below are phrases the PM and her media protection squad trot out to confuse and divert attention from the disasters now coming thick and fast. Impeccable timing prime minister.
“A tricky virus” All virus are tricky. This is a lie to divert attention from their latest lapse. What happened to alleged gold standard tracing, or arrivals tested on days 3 and 12, or border officials regularly tested?
“Again” and “well, again” The PM uses this as a small break to gather her thoughts in a losing debate. Used as a last ditch, mostly unsuccessful, attempt to make the interviewer back off.
“Aotearoa” We have been New Zealand since 1642 so why the recent undemocratic name change to Aotearoa or the equally awful Aotearoa New Zealand?
“Be kind” A demand made of the “team of five million” that was not reciprocated by the government, e.g. over 220,000 people on the dole, annihilating the travel and tourism industry and forcing the closure of up to a quarter of retail stores. Due to hypocrisy please disregard this governmental instruction and adopt your own view of kindness. Example: it would be a kindness toward the poor and jobless not to support the current prime minister on October 17th.
“Bin” Translation: “been.” A grating example of sloppy diction rampant among Ardern’s sycophantic media protection squad.
“But ultimately” Used to gain breathing space and change the subject. Ask yourself why.
“COVID election” This might have worked if elimination had been achieved but now it’s just another failed strategy. Also reinforces political bias in the government’s handling of the COVID crisis where economic consideration didn’t get a look in. Count your failures one by one….
“COVID longhaulers” Just in case you’ve recovered from the first round of COVID scaremongering, meet round two. COVID longhaulers have ongoing health issues after ‘recovering’ from COVID. All viruses affect the immune system, some people suffer longer, but how many and whether it’s permanent is unknown.
“Elimination” The government’s chosen COVID strategy receiving worldwide acclaim for 102 vainglorious days. It didn’t work, won’t work, and any honest politician would stump up and admit their failure at the border. Second in command (apologies to Winnie but you are MIA) was Robbie who recently tried to pass off an AVSEC failure as entirely the fault of airport security, forgetting he’s part of the small (incompetent) team supposed to be running the show.
“Facilidate, facilidy” More recognisable as facilitate and facility, used to inspire confidence in the clown show but only works on the clueless.
“In this space” Your response should be: What space? I see idiots occupying that space.”
“I’ve made my views very, very clear” “very, very, clear” and “clearly” Means this is a stupid question. The PM is always right so clearly, very clearly, you are wrong. Delivered in the kindergarten tone the PM is so fond of.
“I will have to get back to you on that” Means I’m not up to speed, let’s hope you forget to ask this question again next week.
“Leading the world” and “World Class” This is futile tall poppy territory. In the globalist world faring well against other countries is more important than addressing your own nation’s problems.
“Not my expectation” and “we had an expectation” This is the PM’s usual response when confronted with failure. It means she is not (and never will be) held responsible for the latest stuff up. Also known as passing the buck.
“Settings” A tricky way of saying “rules”, or this is how things will be, until we tell you otherwise. The government can change the “rules” at a moments’s notice.
“Single source of truth” A statement that preceded several government failures, one of the funniest being their website instruction that everyone in South and West Auckland should immediately take a COVID test. Testing stations were inundated and the PM was “very angry” at the screwup. Time to adopt a “single source of responsibility” prime minister?
“Stay in your bubble” The correct response now is “what bubble?” The initial scaremongering with the threat of tens of thousands of deaths faded after the departure of 17 (22-5) elderly souls with pre-existing conditions. That bubble has well and truly popped.
“Test, test, test” This instruction didn’t stop the virus re-emerging, or the government reneging after their ridiculous instruction for 700,000 Aucklanders to get tested — see “single source of truth”.
“That’s one of the things we’ll be looking at” I can’t answer your question, in fact, it’s not my fault because someone else stuffed up and I don’t know when, how or if they can fix it.
“The long tail” This is pseudo-science that was supposed to garner public confidence in the failed elimination strategy which failed after round one on all but the naive and the clueless.
“The new normal” is an oxymoron. If it’s new it’s not normal. Don’t believe them. Korau’s comment in General Discussion 31 August nailed it:
“Hello Auckland. Welcome to the new normal, Level 2.5. It’s a Claytons level apparently. The level you have when you’re not having a level”.
“The team of five million” An imaginary concept Ardern uses to pretend full national support for her disastrous and unsuccessful elimination strategy. It has a very short tail.
“Tools in the toolbox” Meaningless words offered up when the latest failure becomes public. A failing attempt to promote false optimism.
“Unprecedented” Also known as “excuses, excuses” but sounds better than the whiny “no one has faced the challenges we have”.
“We can beat this!” Where’s the “we” white woman? Others might, but you can’t. You allowed the biggest cluster yet to develop in Auckland after the monumental border failure you still haven’t owned up to. Donald Trump was paying attention.
“We will get to the bottom of that” The anticipated response to yet another stuff up. Do not expect resolution.
“We’re working hard” and “we’re working very hard” Explaining yourself is losing (Cam Slater).
“What something might look like” Pure speculation. Tell the truth so we can see what something actually looks like.
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