Hello, it’s All things Political with John Porter on Bay FM.
Empathy is not leadership, but still so many voters believe it is, especially when referring to Jacinda Ardern.
There is a certain demographic that still firmly believe that “Jacinda saved us from Covid.”
We all know well the hand wringing on the ‘pulpit of truth’, the tilt of the head and the empathetic smile and most definitely the “We will continue to be your single source of truth.” “Unless you hear it from us it is not the truth.”
That was Ardern at her very empathetic best. But it wasn’t leadership!
The Government can declare itself the source of all truth as much as they like, but that does not make it true.
The missteps, the mishaps and the outright calamities of the Government’s Covid crisis management are well documented but it was more good luck than good management and most importantly the compliance of “the team of 5 million” that got us through. It certainly wasn’t leadership!
If ever there was a time for a Prime Minister to exert their leadership skills it is surely now! We are beset with difficulties and we are in a bit of trouble.
First and foremost is our rapidly rising inflation rate. Inflation recently hit 7.3%. Worryingly, that’s the highest in three decades!
Yet Ardern continues to deny that her Government’s policies and actions are drivers of inflation. She continues to lay most of the blame on international influences! On Q & A recently, she stated, “The cause of inflation was from global impacts rather than the government’s spending.” Unbelievable!
To quote Rachel Smalley of Today FM, “If you want to solve a problem, the very first step is accepting the fact that you have one.” There are none so blind as those who choose not to see; are there Jacinda?
The “Go To” solution for this Government is to throw money at every issue that crops up and must be one of the significant reasons we find our inflation rate soaring.
If your answer to every problem is to throw money at it then the inevitable outcome will be rising inflation. You can’t just throw money at a problem and expect to solve it. You have to change the way you think about the problem.
You have to think about new solutions, and you have to engage all the various experts in the relevant field. You have to show some leadership!
Grant Robertson is our resident expert “money flinger”. Remember when, in March, he hastily announced that the Government would institute a temporary fuel tax and road user charges relief plus subsidised public transport?
That “temporary” fix has now been extended to January ’23. Any bets on whether it will be extended even further? Remember, there is an election looming.
The way those measures were concocted showed there was no planning involved, and definitely no impact modelling. Robertson knew the upcoming inflation figure was going to bite him in the arse so simply threw taxpayers’ money at the problem!
Bighearted Grant went even further by rolling out a cost of living payment of $350 over 3 months to all eligible people. Lo and behold, New Zealanders who have lived overseas for years and even deceased people were eligible for the bonus! Unbelievable!
Ardern said the cost of trying to recover the $350 payment from New Zealanders living overseas would outstrip the benefits. What benefits? Name the benefits Jacinda!
Further, she said, “But we had to move quickly and so there will be some who are captured by the system, who aren’t part of the criteria that’s been designed.”
Plenty of empathy but that’s not leadership.
Ardern has presided over “Angry” Andrew Little’s stewardship as Minister of Health. Daily, we are reading of Emergency Department patients waiting up to 10 hours for treatment, and frontline hospital staff are warning that long waits at emergency departments are set to continue for months.
Hospitals still do not have enough ICU capacity to cope with our large Omicron outbreak. That is even though Little had 12 months to prepare ICU for the expected second wave!
Medical professionals are heading overseas to escape challenging work environments and the economic turmoil, and our hospitals are overwhelmed. The loss of people has contributed to an acute skills shortage, with the health system struggling to handle the influx of Covid cases and other ailments.
“Let’s use Shortland Street to attract new nurses”?
You must be joking!
A genuine leader would have been all over the health minister demanding weekly updates on his department’s preparedness and surely would have canned using Shortland Street to attract nurses.
And how do you equate record unemployment levels that sit alongside unprecedented labour shortages?
I have no doubt most New Zealanders would have preferred the Government to show some gumption and apply a dose of compulsion to those able bodies that simply will not work!
That’s what you would expect a leader who had the best interests of the country at heart to do. Being kind to those who won’t work is a cop out!
Our leader would never admit it but my understanding is the curbing of the immigrant workforce was premeditated with the expected outcome being competition for labour. Thus creating a “bidding war” for staff and ratcheting up wages.
What about crime stats? Ardern sat on her hands for months while we were plagued with a surge in violent crimes, gang shootings and ram-raids.
Poto Williams was clearly out of her depth and should have been dismissed, not merely moved sideways, long before she eventually was.
Cuddles Coster should have been a regular visitor to the PM’s office to be clearly and unequivocally informed of what the Government’s expectations were in relation to stemming the rising crime rate. Didn’t happen!
Rachel Smalley stated it very succinctly:
Jacinda Ardern needs to ditch the chequebook. Help Kiwis understand how she is going to get us through this.
Fuel subsidies alone won’t help people keep their houses, keep their businesses afloat or keep their jobs.
Put the cheque book away, take the microphone off Grant Robertson, because now is the time for true leadership.
A leader is the person who, out of the confusion delivers simplicity, out of discord, harmony, and out of difficulties, solutions and opportunities!
Leadership demands you make the hard decisions Jacinda!
