Oh, take me, take me, take me
To the dreamer's ball
I'll be right on time and I'll dress so fine
You're gonna love me when you see me
I won't have to worry
Take me, take me
Promise not to wake me
'Til it's morning
It's all been true
Early morning yesterday, well before dawn, doom-scrolling.
Not intentionally, that’s just the news lately, doom and gloom, dingbats and dickheads. And then something wonderful and unexpected - a post from our former Prime Minister smiling out, as she would from thousands of devices in the early morning. With a positive message.
It wasn’t such a long post so I include it here in its entirety:
I’m pretty sporadic on here these days. In part, I’ve been wanting to take a bit of a breather from the public side of life. But I wanted to share a wee project I’ve been working on called Field. It’s a 12 month programme that supports and connects global political leaders who embody political leadership that draws on the strength of kindness and empathy.
Field is hosted by Global Progress, and will create a network of like minded political leaders who use pragmatic idealism, speak to people with hope and optimism rather than fear or blame, and want to unite, rather than divide as we look to solve the challenges ahead.
Our first cohort of leaders will meet in July and come from across Europe but this will broaden over time.
Field is an incredibly humbling, and exciting project to be leading. All part of my ongoing mission to rehumanise leadership, and just be useful! More updates to come. Needless to say, I haven’t quite managed that cup of tea and a lie down just yet...
Hmm I thought. She’s speaking quite lightly about pausing for a cuppa, always good to do that - right Mr Lange? Taking a bit of a breather suggests a temporary, not permanent, pause. Perhaps that weight, what must’ve been such a burden, has lifted?
Jacinda has plans for the first half of this term of government, the next twelve months, but what then? I’m sure she likes to keep her options open. A bit of time and perspective, maybe that old passion that took her into politics when she was a student is recovering, simmering, possibly ready for… well we dare not say it really.
But what if it was the plan all along? The 2023 election was lost, no amount of sane reasoning or facts could dissuade the misinformed mob from turfing the COVID government out. Being kept alive didn’t seem like it had been the right decision in hindsight - bad for the economy, or some such nonsense repeated until nauseous.
Maybe Chippy agreed to be a caretaker leader through that loss, between Ardern’s first premiership and her second? Giving Jacinda some much needed respite from the deranged ghouls filled with hate and loathing - hell they might decide she doesn’t look so bad after three years of the alternative. Hipkins ready to hand back the reins at the opportune moment and crush Christopher Luxon together in the 2026 election.
We all know the spiel, “nothing left to prove”, “done her time”, etc. But yeah nah. She’s only 43 for goodness sake, not much more than half the age of the US presidential candidates.
I’m not talking about a prize fighter who decides years after retiring to put the gloves back on and make an ill advised comeback. I’m talking of someone loved by half the country, admired globally, who is just now coming into her prime. The question shouldn’t be Why? It should be Why Not? Couldn’t we use some more fairy dust?
With all we know about Jacinda, after a few years to refresh the batteries and her passion for improving this country - Why Not?
Over time memories grow fonder, we recall the good things, people will forget the inconveniences that riled them up so much a few years ago. Those small things fading into the distance compared to what will then be a heavy mood of dissatisfaction with the coalition. Whose constant claims that it’s all Labour’s fault will be sounding pretty stale and irrelevant by that stage.
I know it would be a big challenge, but on the positive side she’d start with a million votes locked up on day one that she announced. Bam!
There would be a seismic shift in the polls. The coalition parties in disarray, and that’s before she’s even hit the media which would be blanket worldwide coverage. Before she rips the likes of Luxon limb from limb in the next debates. Her humble humanity and decency up against his ego driven, hollow rhetoric - forget about it.
Yesterday morning a few hundred fans had celebrated Luxon’s words of… well I don’t know what you’d call it, certainly not wisdom, more like WTF, on social media. Jacinda Ardern popped up and it spread like wildfire, making a lot of people feel really good.
Well I assumed it would have, so I posted something on Facebook and Twitter, dipping a toe in the water. Or toxic sludge in the case of the latter. Let’s start with the swamp. Drainage of which is apparently an ongoing issue.
In less than 24 hours that tweet has been viewed forty thousand times, so that’s a bit mental. There were many views on Jacinda, here are a few:
Pat: “Field is such a great idea - it is so sorely needed. Even when she isn't our leader she still leads”
Sarah: “A billion. So good to see she’s a force for good still, not that I ever doubted she wouldn’t be. Miss her enthusiasm and authenticity and her lovely smile.”
Kerry: “I met her once in about 2005. I knew then. She was just as Herself as she was as PM. It was a workshop for social policy options in Palmy. She listened. She challenged. It was a nice day...... tiny, fiesty, true, and open to challenge. Privileged am I.”
Ruin: “This will be triggering for the haters. I'm proud of Ms Ardern. Recently, in Greece, a cab driver expressed to me his sympathy for Aotearoa, having lost the best leader he'd ever seen. Compare her with Trump who said he didn't care for the people. He just wanted their votes.”
Triggered they were, with many comments along the lines of “negative a million”, the sadly predictable name calling, and Covid vaccine misinformation. Like this one:
Regular readers will not be surprised that Mr Franklin, who comes over all ill at the sight of an intelligent and successful woman, is followed by… National MP Chris Penk.
Nola, whose bio says, “Love❤️the most powerful force in the Universe💫 Magic✨is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen✨ 💛Sunrises☀️Sunsets🧡 love” posted a picture of a gallows and the words “Make the word great again, Nuremberg 2.0.” Suggesting she has a bloody strange idea of what love is.
Urban Vagary said, “I didn't see it and my heart is still quite small”, given that account is followed not only by Penk but also Nicola Willis I could well believe the latter part.
Still, all in all, even on that vilest of platforms, an awful lot of the comments were positive and those that were negative just seemed a bit pathetic. The same tired lines from the vaccine skeptics, the same idiotic jokes about the teeth. To be fair I have a pretty ruthless approach when it comes to blocking accounts on Twitter, but even so I was surprised at how feeble the haters were. Maybe they’ve lost their mojo?
Over on Facebook it was very positive, although to be fair that was my page so it’s about as scientific as a poll run by the Taxpayers’ Union. I’m kidding, kind of, but did you ever notice how well ACT do in that poll compared to all the others? I’m not suggesting it’s uncanny, more that it’s statistically improbable.
Annelies said: “A million. I so wish she was still PM instead of the sack of dribble who is pretending to be PM.”
Susan: “Most certainly 10, but then it sank, thinking about how much I miss her, and sank even further thinking about the cesspit of a govt we now have.”
Tina: “I'm at home recovering from an op...and the very first thing I see on waking is Jacinda’s post about the amazing work she continues to do. Absolute heart swell over here ❤️ just hearing about all the wonderful values that work involves and that she embodies...gosh I miss it so 💔”
Katie: “A breath of fresh air and HOPE. And ironic that she working on the very thing that is causing us all so much pain.”
AJ: “Much!! ❤️ I'm so sad she's not our PM any more but grateful we had her as a leader when we needed her the most, during the pandemic. I'll never forget it.”
Louise: “It was like … a beam of light in the darkness … enough to light up the whole room & make my heart and face smile.”
Many people spoke of their sadness at reading horrible comments in other places. Robert summed it up for many saying, “Never in my life will I understand the hate.”
There certainly are people who were angered by Jacinda’s caring approach, but give it time. After another couple of years of Luxon, Peters, and Seymour even many of those skeptics might welcome a hug. A return to a leader who puts people first.
Yes there will always be a hardcore of haters, they’re best ignored - other than by the appropriate security services. There’s no point in conversing with them, better to focus on those who’ve grown into mature human beings.
I’m not saying people can’t disagree with her policies, by all means do, but making jokes about horses, calling her “Cindy”, and other things far worse? You’re supposed to leave that nonsense behind in the playground, just grow up for goodness sake. It really worries me that some of these people are raising children.
Whatever the next election looks like it will be hugely divisive and a lot of people will be unhappy with the result. So if that’s a given then it’s no more a downside if it were Jacinda returning than any other left wing leader that might step forward.
So why not go with the best, the tried and tested? Someone who after such a tumultuous time and all that’s happened can move a nation with a simple Facebook post. Can you imagine what it would be like if she actually did come back?
Yes there are thousands of bitter people who would be furious and toxic, but stuff them. Why should some immature moron who can’t get his head around the fact that a woman knows best determine what the rest of us can have? Or what Jacinda can choose, should she want to of course?
Thousands would be angry but there are hundreds of thousands of people in our country who would be filled with joy and hope should she return in a way that no other leader on the planet could achieve right now. Sounds like a big claim doesn’t it? Perhaps even absurd? But could you name another? I can’t.
In a world of dire political options, with uninspiring leaders who leave people disillusioned and alienated, can we afford to have our best on the sideline?
Not for mine.
Is Jacinda destined to be remembered as a necessary sacrifice of the COVID period, doing the things that we all needed but that made some feel bereft at all that goddamned well intentioned kindness?
That’s the way it’s ended, but it doesn’t have to. We can dream big can’t we?
We can dream.
When I was sending this my head said put a paywall on it, people will want to read it and some will subscribe. But my heart said - that’s a dick move, this newsletter isn’t about luring people in to make them pay. So I’ve left it open to all, you don’t need to subscribe, but if you’d like to, and can afford to, that would really be appreciated.
It’s not a lot of money, less than $2 per week, but if many people subscribe then it makes this whole thing work. You are of course most welcome to share this newsletter.
Nick, you are a glass half full sort of guy! I am jealous of your optimism and will hope for the best regarding some positive role for Jacinda in the near future. Much of the hate was misogynistic but, at the risk of being obsessive, there was a destructive gang of female journalists (Jessica, Jenna, Josie, Jane, and of course Janet) who gave new meaning to the word ‘jaundiced’. Kindness doesn’t have much show until the media evolves into something better.
Nice dream Nick. One line stood out for me "There certainly are people who were angered by Jacinda’s caring approach...". That one always confounded me. How can anyone be annoyed by someone nice? I put it down to misogyny and that can be from women as well. I think Chippy is pretty nice too, but you don't hear that talk about him.