After resources aka your income and wealth has been "redistributed"what happens when some people start accumulating more income and wealth than others? The New Zealand "Socialists" Who Govern Like Neoliberals By Branko Marcetic Since releasing its budget substantially boosting welfare last week, leading figures in New Zealand's Labour Party have been painting themselves as socialists overturning the country's neoliberal order. In 2008, Ardern was elected President of the International Union of Socialist Youth, visiting Jordan, Israel, Algeria and China. It just wasnt something she thought about, she said, hardly at all. US Vogue dubbed her the anti-Trump. Arderns Labour-led coalition government was under constant scrutiny: could she achieve the transformational reform shed promised, when every change in the law meant scratching the backs of her coalition partners? Sometimes I think we tend to think about our own actions in confined ways, and we underestimate the impact that we have. The definition of "comrade" from An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marxism, Socialism and Communism is as follows: Originally, one who shares the same chamber. Labours guarded but seemingly genuine attempt to try on the socialist label could be a positive step if it helps further demystify the word, particularly in a country still stumbling around in the hungover haze of a decades-old neoliberal binge. She calls herself a progressive. Jacinda Ardern served as the prime minister of New Zealand from 2017-2023. Its just the way I feel about people that talk like machine guns. The level of detail that she has to absorb, and is able to retain, blows my mind. Subscribe today and get a yearlong print and digital subscription. She doesnt run out of words. Printed on the back is the running order for an event she hosted in Auckland the night before the attack. A fortnight after the attack, a national remembrance service is held at Hagley Park in Christchurch, not far from Al Noor Mosque. It turned out the strict gun law Ardern championed failed to curb gun crimes. It is just 10 days since. Yes.. As-salaam Alaikum. 4. This was my first press conference. This framing has, in turn, largely been rebroadcast by the press, which has painted a picture of a budget dyed the deepest red.. Our new issue on nationalism is out now. It does feel as if the passage of time has extended. When I ask her which day last week a particular foreign dignitary spoke to her, she says, Times a bit of a blur for me, with a sardonic laugh. Im making an assumption here, but everyone knows that raising kids is hard work and I dont expect theyd want someone to gloss over that or pretend its easy. Shes changing the game. Needless to say, all this is welcome news in a country where poverty is not only shockingly high but has stayed frustratingly static, even worsening over the course of the pandemic. And is New Zealand Labour returning to its semi-socialist roots? Comrades means something. We hear you. If Id been [at home] in Auckland it would have been different, but I didnt have scarves with me. Jacinda Ardern's speech at Christchurch memorial - full transcript New Zealand PM addressed a crowd of thousands who had gathered for a memorial service at Hagley Park two weeks after the. A fight was brewing over the possible introduction of a capital gains tax. Gayford is the primary caregiver and shuttles back and forth with Neve between their home in Auckland and Wellington. Will she be speaking to him about his xenophobic rhetoric? Download our Taking the Lead word search here! They were simple words, repeated by community leaders who witnessed the loss of their friends and loved ones. In 2007 Ardern was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. She highlighted recent reforms to help disadvantaged Mori, to lift children out of poverty, most notably in the form of a families package that boosted assistance to low- and middle-income families. Jacinda governs by dictate. Gun law reforms, intended to ban all semi-automatic firearms, were expedited, with cross-party support. I will forgive lavishly, because this heart doesnt want any more life to be lost, he tells the crowd. What did it mean? She was elected uncontested at IUSY's world congress held in the Dominican Republic yesterday. You need to remove some of the politics sometimes and just think about humanity. She wooed the world with talk of kindness and compassion, while at home ruling like a dictator. Aged 27, and hailing from Morrinsville, Ms Ardern is just the second female IUSY president in 101 years. Really, upholding the community standards that theyve set themselves, I think, is what people are asking for Were asking for them to invest in ways to prevent the kind of harm we saw in the aftermath. And then, within 15 minutes, I can be back in the hotel room having Neve spit pumpkin on my shoe. Appointed as New Zealand's Prime Minister in 2017, Jacinda Ardern has been described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Its intuitive. Who had sought refuge, or sought a better life for themselves or their families. If so, this must be the most unusual socialist party in the world. But, otherwise, I dont tend to draw parallels. She paused. A year earlier, she had become the first female prime minister to speak at the Waitangi pwhiri, a significant moment in the New Zealand calendar, and the youngest, at 37. Including some rightwing radio hosts from the United States just so you know that Im being fair and balanced. The Unions focus was human rights and equal opportunities for the worlds children. But for now, we will remember those who have left this place. But for the time being they feel like the concerns of another time, another galaxy. The conversations about it afterwards Ive read these pieces where people have analysed the likes of this [speech], she says, waving the A4 sheet of notes in her hand, grimly laughing. We are not immune to the viruses of hate, of fear, of other. But she is done with that kind of question. Its a fair assumption to suggest that at the time of entering Parliament, an MPs political views and beliefs are set and are the motivation to enter politics in the first place. The revival of socialism in mainstream politics has been one of the bigger developments of the last five years. The information was patchy and it was very difficult to decipher exactly what had happened, she recalls. The world has been stuck in a vicious cycle of extremism breeding extremism and it must end. Many predicted that wave would crash on a grumpy rock in the shape of Winston Peters, whose nationalist NZ First (think a hosed-down version of Ukip) held the balance of power after the election. 3. I am here today to bring with me the grief of all New Zealand, she said. I am a pragmatic idealist, she told me. David Hills new picture book Taking the Lead: How Jacinda Ardern Wowed the World is a treat for both adults and children, exploring the life and career of one of the most popular world leaders with beautiful illustrations by Phoebe Morris. We would be fools to believe political decisions are primarily evidence based. In the days that have followed the terrorist attack on the 15th of March, we have often found ourselves without words. Its the story of four people, all of whom attend the same wedding in New York, all of whom see one of the guests sit down and refuse to get back up, seemingly entering a catatonic What do NZ fans really think of Fran Littlewood's debut novel? Bunches of flowers, handmade cards and soft toys line the footpath. The elements of that surprised me, says Ardern today. What would she like to see other nations, other leaders, draw from New Zealands experiences? Progressives are socialists. Of course she needed to project New Zealands voice, but her focus was on domestic priorities. Ardern returned to New Zealand and entered the House of Representatives in 2008. Bernie Sanderss two presidential campaigns sparked a series of elections of democratic socialists at every level of US government. It was a tough choice between being a clown (because they have so much fun) or a scientist (like her big sister Louise), but when she realised her passion for helping others, Jacinda chose politics. 1:30 PM 'I don't have enough in the tank,' complained 42-year-old Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand. I said what I needed to say, she says, pausing and taking a slow, diplomatic breath of air, her hands clasped around her knees. She worked only very indirectly for Blair, she said. A filter will be available to find the specific debate / speech you wish to view. and served as president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. Its made a huge difference.. At age 28, she was its youngest member. That, very quickly, was clear to me, when I heard that a mosque had been targeted. Richardsons budget radically overhauled housing policy, scrapping programs that supported homeownership, replacing income-based rents with market-based ones for state housing, and sold off the governments $2.4 billion worth of mortgages that had helped struggling families buy their first homes. At the UN in New York last September, Ardern made the case for action on climate change, and for kindness and empathy in politics a message amplified by the fact her partner and baby daughter were sitting next to her. Jacinda loved living on the orchard in Murupara and learned to drive a tractor before she could drive a car! Most controversially, when it came to the superannuation surcharge a claw-back tax on high-earner pensioners that dented the programs universality the budget both raised the rate and expanded the number of people who had to pay it. And while Labours manifesto remained essentially unchanged, people suddenly started to listen. She said this morning it doesnt mean anything, its just Im sorry, it does. I said, Can you please call 111. he prime minister was deep in conversation with her press secretary when she arrived for the formal part of our interview at Waitangi in February. Socialism is based on the theory that incentives don't matter! Jacinda Ardern is transforming New Zealand into a socialist state. A place that is diverse, that is welcoming, that is kind and compassionate. We only had a short amount of time to prepare.. Oh, I get it now. Trump had by then called to offer his condolences, and asked what he could do to help. (So let us gather with love, in peace, for this family, so that they may truly live again, so that we all may truly live again.). Jacinda Ardern, former Young Labour president and political advisor, has just been elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth - a group encompassing socialist, social democratic and Labour Party youth organisations from more than 100 countries. She is sharp. Ki ng mate o te ao. A gunman - or gunmen, it was not . Are You Happy Now manages to be both extremely zeitgeisty but also timeless. She may have been referring to Ardern speaking at the International Union of Socialist Youth's World Council annual meeting in 2009, where she used the term "comrade" several times - a term used . But we can be the nation that discovers the cure., After the service I meet Tofazzal Alam, a Bangladesh-born New Zealander who was in the Linwood mosque when it was attacked. Speaking at a Maori ceremony at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Oh, you know, sometimes you want things to be resolved a bit quicker, but I go in knowing I have to have those conversations. They resolved against the flip-flops, and settled on flats. They wanted to redefine the relationship between New Zealanders and their government. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The Herald reports:. It was half a lifetime ago, she guesses. There cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility., This isnt a New Zealand issue, this is a global one, says Ardern today, carefully choosing her words. If you value what we do and believe in the importance of independent and freely accessible journalism tautoko mai,donate today. I knew what I wanted to say about that straight away. When I had the all-clear to go down on Saturday, I asked a friend if they had something for me to borrow. That may not always be the case, but for now were making it work., As for being pronounced a game changer for women, Ardern welcomed the idea she might inspire others, but was eager to present a truthful picture. No, she said. The sun was beating down and Neve, in a blue bonnet and spotted dress, clucked away happily. We will remember the first responders who gave so much of themselves to save others. Lets do this, went the slogan. Two police officers stand by the glass doors, cradling semi-automatic weapons. The occasion for this supposed reverse metamorphosis was the highly anticipated budget day, with suggestions that, after three years of treading water, the government was gearing up to announce something major. Its very genuine, and people warm to that. Since releasing its budget substantially boosting welfare last week, leading figures in New Zealands Labour Party have been painting themselves as socialists overturning the countrys neoliberal order. We have consensus really built into our system. I was in a hotel room. Violence, and extremism in all its forms, is not welcome here. The 50 names of the dead are read aloud, the only other sound the whirring of a police helicopter in the distance. Last week I went half a day with my shirt inside out., For Ardern, Neve helps keep things in perspective. Jacinda is apparently known not just for her considerable intellect and political nous but also her hair - evidently Scoop thought so too, deeming it worthy of inclusion in this photo of recently confirmed Labour Rimutaka candidate, Chris Hipkins. In the hours after the attack, in which an Australian-born white-supremacist shot dead 50 unarmed people in two mosques, Ardern said that this was an act of terrorism. Christchurch was under attack. She knows what she wants, she knows where shes going, she fessed this morning and said shes a progressive. If you would like a comment on this piece to be considered for inclusion on Weekend magazines letters page in print, please fill in the form below. It made cuts to ACC, New Zealands accident compensation program, while shifting its funding burden from employers to employees paychecks. The critical thing has been the inclusive approach. Because we are not immune to the viruses of hate, of fear, of other. She had, though, seen the shooters manifesto, the 74-page screed he posted online. Given we are facing what is likely to be many years of economic turmoil and hardship, the political ideology of our Government needs to be laid bare so we can gain insights into what a post-Covid-19 New Zealand economy might look like. For me, its implicit now, she says. The fact is that she is talking the second the question is finished, if not before. Didnt that make her angry, I ask Ardern when we meet in Wellington. You think of Tony Blairs period, now, and what do people talk about? 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