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OPINION: Thursday morning began with a typical Wellington breakfast: a whole lot of egg, served on a whole lot of faces.
From the all-but-canonised Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and director-general of health to the beleaguered health minister, no one’s reputation was spared from repeated stories of serious failures to effectively quarantine people at the border.
Someone will have to wear the blame for this week’s border catastrophe, but precisely who depends on their specific role within the government is and how well they’ve done it.
The only person who has come out well is former National leader Simon Bridges who was pilloried – and eventually lost his job – for claiming that the while the “team of 5 million” had done its job in stamping out the virus, the Cabinet and wider Government needed to step up.
That was a bit tone-deaf at the time. Let’s not forget, the reason why New Zealand is so united in outrage at these breaches is in part down to the fact that the people now in the firing line have thus far done an exceptionally good job. But Bridges is starting to get his own back, after repeated instances of good policy being poorly implemented.
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