The words alarmist and apologist are becoming more and more applicable to Ardern. An alarmist is a person who tends to raise alarms, especially without sufficient reason, by exaggerating dangers or prophesying calamities. An apologist is one who argues in favour of something unpopular. These two words seem to sum up her Covid strategy. The longer Covid has gone on the more this appears to be her game plan. An alarmist for implementing lockdowns and an apologist for defending them. My gut feel is that a majority of her imaginary team of five million are beginning to tire of this plan of action.
We Kiwis on the whole are a fairly good-natured and compliant people. We are happy to support any proposed action that appears necessary in any given circumstances. Last year when Covid first struck and the government, through acting soft and too late, deemed a level four lockdown was required, we acquiesced. Lockdowns since have become appropriate actions to the alarmist and apologist types. We have been led to believe that without them we risk a mass outbreak. This, of course, has not been the case.
These alarmist apologist types of lockdowns cause more problems than they solve. It shows that the government is out of its depth when it comes to recognising the collateral damage the lockdowns cause, particularly, but not solely to businesses. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Ardern and her cohorts have next to no understanding of running a business. Few have ever been involved with one and it is strikingly apparent. Ardern and a few of her ministers might wing it with a verbosity that sounds like they’re in control, but they aren’t.
An excellent but simple example was the chaos at the border. Why on earth were police instructed to stop people going into Auckland when the whole purpose of the exercise was to stop people leaving the place. Control? I can’t think of anything else. This is where left wing ideology, always paramount in any decision making, gets in the way of logic. That, and the obsession with control over virtually every aspect of our lives. I think the angst that has caused has probably cost Ardern political capital. Not to mention the Papatoetoe High School fiasco: most reasonable thinking people will regard blaming someone else to cover your own backside as a step too far.
Then we have the Snitch culture. Ardern asked us to do this with kindness. How? Ring the Police and tell them to come and show little Johnny how to wash his hands properly? Absolute juvenile rubbish. Now, I’m aware that by adopting the name of the Kiwi bird we could be termed ratites, as that is the family the bird belongs to. On the whole though, we don’t have a propensity to rat on each other. I gather some took the bait and made it their business to do just that. Shame on them. On TV One on Monday morning, Ardern denied giving that instruction.
I’m getting the vibes that for the majority of the imaginary team of five million, patience is running out. The reason for every lockdown is becoming more spurious and nonsensical. Businesses are suffering, students are suffering, health appointments are being delayed including 1,700 children waiting dental surgery. Not checkups but surgery. Ardern needs to change her strategy quick smart. She said herself last year we can’t keep going in and out of lockdowns. Not that we should have taken any notice. Nothing she says means anything.
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