We all know the extent to which Jacinda Ardern spins everything. She spins so much that I’m surprised she doesn’t get dizzy. For someone who once famously claimed that she had never told a lie in politics… well, let’s just say that she has certainly made up for that now.
But there have been two occasions in the last few weeks where she was clearly caught out, and I don’t think she was lying. The first was when Barry Soper asked her why Three Waters had suddenly become Five Waters. She seemed genuinely confused, eventually asking Soper if he was referring to the RMA reforms. It became clear that she didn’t know what he was talking about… even though the amendment had been presented to the House during the previous week.
Grant Robertson was asked the same question and was equally confused.
Now I wouldn’t put anything past this Labour Government, but in this case, I don’t think either of them was lying. It appears that they genuinely did not know about the change from Three Waters to – what has now become – All Waters.
To whom do we attribute the changes in the proposed legislation? Well, there is only one likely source. The minister for local government is the one driving this bill, and it seems most likely that it was she who made the changes.
And it would appear that the changes were made without the prime minister or the deputy prime minister being aware of them.
A prime minister who is truly in control would have gone behind closed doors and insisted that the bill should be changed back to what had been agreed by cabinet. But Jacinda didn’t do that. The changes have not been altered. The Bill is no longer Three Waters. It is All Waters.
Can you imagine anyone pulling a stunt like that on Helen Clark? Or on the smiling assassin, John Key? Me neither. But Jacinda is weak. I hear constant reports about her throwing tantrums in meetings and storming out in tears. That is not a prime minister in control.
And it seems that the Maori caucus are quite prepared to flout her authority and basically do what they like. This is not a good omen for our democracy, such that it is these days.
And it seems that it is not only the Maori caucus prepared to override her premiership.
The second incident was when an amendment was introduced to the proposed legislation requiring a 60 per cent vote by a future parliament to privatise the water assets. I find this amendment rather strange, as, by handing the water assets over to iwi control, they are effectively being privatised anyway. Green MP Eugenie Sage introduced the amendment, in an attempt to bind future governments. It is a fundamental principle of our democracy that no government can bind future governments, and that super majorities are only used for matters of electoral law, such as changing the voting age. Once again, Jacinda was embarrassed at her press conference, when it became clear that she knew nothing about this. Once again, this is not a prime minister in control.
Once again, the amendment has not been immediately reversed, as it should have been. Once again, the prime minister has been shown as weak; this time by one of her coalition partners.
If the debacle over the entrenchment SOP shows anything, it is that Jacinda has completely lost control of the Government.
I was never sure she ever had control, but clearly she does not have it now. It has been said that she is totally at the mercy of the Maori caucus because, if they decided to walk and join the Maori party, she would have no choice but to call an early election. In my opinion, she should have taken that risk. Now it is clear that she is not just at their mercy, but members of the Greens are quite happy to ride roughshod over her as well. They know that, if she does manage to cobble together a government next year, she will need the Greens. They are making it clear a year out that they will not be at her beck and call.
All those people who voted for Jacinda at the 2020 election would never have dreamed that the government they voted for would be in such disarray, but such is the problem with personality politics. Too many people voted for Jacinda because they liked her. Jacinda may communicate well but she does not have the strength of character to be a true leader. New Zealand’s democracy has been damaged, possibly irrevocably, because Jacinda is a weak leader who cannot control her caucus. We are all paying the price for that.
