Jacinda Ardern: Once a hero, now fallen from grace.
The handling of Grace Millane’s case, failure to implement hate speech laws and laws to protect women and LGBTQA+ people, and with gun and gang violence continuing to rise and the handling of the Auckland coronavirus outbreak — and slow vaccination rates have lead her to lose popularity, which shows that her popularity is declining.
Now, with gang related crimes skyrocketing, with multiple shootings happening across New Zealand, notably Auckland, the longest lockdown that Auckland has had to face, and the economic impacts of the lockdowns, and finally Jacinda’s failure to take mental health seriously are among the reasons that Labour is starting to lose popularity.
Jacinda Ardern, who was once seen as a hero for the handling of the Christchurch Mosque attacks, and the Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption has now truly fallen from grace — like a crystal that has now lost it’s shine. Once revered for being a champion of feminism, she has now lost trust with the public due to her failures to care about people’s mental health. Even within the feminist circles, she is loosing trust and/or popularity. And the reason for this is her recent performance while being a Prime Minister.
Jacinda has become too soft on crime and gangs. Robberies, rape, assaults , gang related crime and shootings are continuing to rise. And with her soft approach to gangs — such as the mongrel mob (I might also add, known for using anti semitic phrases and symbols) including deported gang members from neighboring Australia, people are beginning to feel less safe in public, let alone in their own homes and neighborhoods.
Take gun violence with mental health issues — and the fact that people with mental health issues can obtain illegal guns without enforcement — as examples of her not caring about the people. Guns, proven time and again, when in the hands of the wrong hands (such as a gang member), or when people with mental health issues obtain these banned guns, is a recipe for tragedy. Gun violence is increasing in New Zealand, and this is a cause for concern. Despite calls for gun control now, this has not been heard. The recent Glen Eden shooting is an example of this.
Another example of her failing popularity is that she hasn’t introduced a law to protect marginalized groups, the LGBT+ community, religious groups and women. Women are continuing to feel increasingly unsafe, especially at night, or alone. Hate crimes continue to rise. And hate crimes and online bullying isn’t taken being taken seriously enough. I have reported a fair share of abuse myself to Netsafe — and sometimes, they act on it, while other times, they don’t.
With the lockdowns being too long, the economy is also not in a good place. Mental health issues continue to go up, due to the length of the lockdown. Also, businesses continue to suffer and she is not giving them enough money to keep businesses afloat, especially to those in the hospitality and tourism sector. Please remember that this is not just about money — this is people’s livelihoods and mental health.
It could be too late for Jacinda to gain back total redemption, unfortunately, but she can still do her bit to get back public trust when it comes to safety and crime, in particular as well as focusing on real feminist issues — such as introducing hate speech laws and laws to protect women. An example of this is making islamophobia, anti Semitism and misogyny a hate crime. She could also introduce laws cracking down on gang activities in urban areas, such as Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown or even banning patched gang members from cities. She could do all of these things instead of giving money to gangs — such as the mongrel mob — and placing trust in them.
Jacinda Ardern (and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo) has proven that anyone can fall from grace. You can be seen as a hero for one moment — and in the next moment, you can be seen as an enemy or someone who is not to be trusted. And it all comes down to your own decisions and conduct. Here’s a hint — learn from this, and don’t be Jacinda Ardern or Andrew Cuomo. Especially when it comes to politics.
