Ferris Bueller
Arctic Inuit Indians, Australian Aborigines and our Prime Minister seem to have an unlikely connection but they are closer than you think. All three share one common factor, a connection so specialised as to be in a very small global club. The connection? They are all masters of the environment they find themselves in.
The Australian outback and arctic environment are harsh unforgiving places where the inhabitants have evolved a unique skill kit to survive the toughest extremes nature can throw at them. While connected in this sense, they came at their situations from opposite ends. While the Inuit and Aboriginal inhabitants developed skills over generations to survive the environment, Ms Ardern found herself gifted an environment that without any evolution, was an exact match for the skill set she has.
It is irrelevant that her talents are lightweight and wafer-thin, it doesn’t matter. Her strength at the moment is the complete dovetailing of her only skill to the situation at hand. Many of you will be scratching your head as to what her particular talent is. She can’t speak properly, it’s obvious she is no intellectual paragon and her leadership ability seems to be completely lacking, so what is it about her that has her flying high in the polls?
I must admit that I was at a loss to nail this one down as well until I took a step back and just watched her. She has an incredible ability to emote. Just like a method actor, she has the ability to sink way, way down into the emotion pit and connect with people who have an overwhelming appetite for comfort and reassurance.
Just like Winston Churchill during the blitz and Bob Parker during the Christchurch earthquake, Ms Ardern is in the right place, at the right time appealing to an audience desperate for metaphorical cuddles. This is why she is such a polarising individual, there is no middle ground with her. It is no accident that those who love her tend to look to government for all of the answers as opposed to her detractors who just want her to do one of three things….lead, follow or get out of the way.
Ms Ardern has spent considerable capital developing and honing her brand, a brand that would have us believe she is all about kindness, empathy, consideration and consensus in her leadership style. While this is being conveyed in wall to wall coverage from a sycophantic and unchallenging media, Ms Ardern and her coalition government are not going anywhere soon unless, (and it’s a big unless), the very medium she craves is what will ultimately expose her and bring her down to earth.
The more we see of her, the more we notice the less endearing traits of her personality. The petulance at question time, the arrogant responses to shut down debate, the complete insincerity of the vocal inflections, the frowny looks and faux concern. All of these are in direct conflict with what she desperately wants to convey as the core of her image.
Just like an Eskimo facing a heatwave or an aboriginal waking up to a frost, it is the changing environment that Ms Ardern will find herself in that will bring an end to this government. Her kit of skills is so limited and specialised that she has no plan B.
An environment of a questioning media, daily push back and civil and political disobedience will see her extinct. She will no longer be the shiny spoon that the magpie craves.
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