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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Here was a progressive upgrade on Canadas Justin Trudeau: an outward-looking young woman in a global lineup still dominated by greying men. It focused on her pledge to make 2019 a year of delivery, and some signs that the halo of the Jacindamania that brought her to office had begun to dim. Win big with the brand-new novel from the International No 1 Bestselling phenomenon and author ofMe Before YouandThe Giver of Stars. Ardern and her comrades think its best that everyone is equaland this is achieved through securing a redistribution of resources. Those interviews took place in early February, and I followed the prime minister as she commemorated the 1840 signing of New Zealands founding treaty, between the British Crown and the Mori chiefs. Appointed as New Zealand's Prime Minister in 2017, Jacinda Ardern has been described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Her partner is Clarke Gayfo The revival of socialism in mainstream politics has been one of the bigger developments of the last five years. Labour had, after all, just come off a stunning landslide election win that gave it a single-handed outright majority, a first since the countrys 1996 electoral reforms. The worlds are in very close proximity. There is no question that [the] ideas and language of division and hate have existed for decades, but their form of distribution, the tools of organisation, they are new, she said. I get asked: Do you compare yourself to X or Y politician? and Ill then get a string of male politicians from around the world mostly, to be fair, because there arent too many females. 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? Download our Taking the Lead word search here! What would she like to see other nations, other leaders, draw from New Zealands experiences? Opinion. We each hold the power, in our words and in our actions, in our daily acts of kindness. These prosaic-seeming challenges will resurface. A lot of pumpkin. This past week in New Zealand saw an apparently spontaneous series of self-outings by professed democratic socialists among the countrys Labour Party. It continues to severely underinvest in areas like health care, infrastructure, and climate change out of debt concerns that put it out of step with even the worlds right-wing politicians and economists. An assault on the freedom of any one of us who practices their faith or religion, is not welcome here. The images were just as powerful. An inquiry was commissioned, tasked with asking, among other things, whether an emphasis on jihadi terrorism had meant New Zealand intelligence agencies were looking the wrong way. 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. Arguably, the Government revolves around Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern she calls the shots. Jacinda was President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. The system makes the sort of deadlocks witnessed in the Commons this year much less likely. Ardern was grinning. 2. Asked whether she, too, was a socialist, Ardern once president of the International Union of Socialist Youth professed that Ive always described myself as a democratic socialist but that I have never found those terms particularly useful in New Zealand because we do not tend to talk in those terms here., Here it is more common to say progressive, or member of the Labour Party, she explained. CPAG estimates that families on welfare would need an extra $100$230 a week to stay above poverty, and that the Treasurys own forecasts only see child poverty dropping a mere 1.4 points to 17 percent by 2023, leaving at least 180,000 kids in poverty. That doesnt necessarily apply to her. That position allowed her to travel to such places as China, Algeria, India, and Lebanon. Dr Muriel Newman established the New Zealand Centre for Political Research as a public policy think tank in 2005 after nine years as a Member of Parliament. You think of Tony Blairs period, now, and what do people talk about? 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. Thenprime minister Jim Bolger aimed to arrest New Zealands drift from work to welfare, end what he believed was permanent dependency on the state, and achieve a permanent and substantial reduction in the financial and human cost of welfarism.. she was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. Theres no point at which you can say: I give up on being a parent or I give up on doing this job., There is no nanny. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Mount Albert since 2017.. Born in Hamilton, Ardern grew up in Morrinsville . Today, in the most appalling circumstances imaginable, she has the worlds ear. acinda Ardern grew up in the conservative, rural North Island town of Morrinsville. IUSY is a massive organisiation and holds consultative status with the United Nations. But, no, I didnt think about particular words. He is an extremist, she told parliament four days later. Already on our list? She wooed the world with talk of kindness and compassion, while at home ruling like a dictator. And is New Zealand Labour returning to its semi-socialist roots? By then, I had interviewed Ardern twice already: after a breakfast meeting at an Auckland hotel, and a few days earlier at Waitangi, on the northern tip of the North Island. It has no place in NZ. She calls herself a progressive. A staffer also tells me that Neve has been teething. So I asked if she had something I could borrow, because for me it was just a mark of respect. We only had a short amount of time to prepare.. Intro 'Smiling socialist' Jacinda Ardern is trying to 'shut down free speech' Sky News Australia 3.08M subscribers Subscribe 8.1K Share 181K views 4 months ago Everyone should be concerned. In the past weeks, New Zealand has reckoned with its own history. And so we say to those who have lost the most, we may not have always had the words. Jacinda started her political career in high school. Optimism is baked into Arderns character. Do you liken yourself to Jacinda Ardern? And my bet is that no one would. Jacinda swapped her after school job at the local fish and chip shop to work for New Zealands Labour Party in the 1999 General Election. But I said what I needed to say., I try again. She wooed the world with talk of kindness and compassion, while at home ruling like a dictator. Discussions surrounding a potential delay in elections gripped many countries around the . As-salaam Alaikum. Last week I went half a day with my shirt inside out., For Ardern, Neve helps keep things in perspective. The revival of socialism in mainstream politics has been one of the bigger developments of the last five years. Observers waited to see how Labour would spend the oodles of political capital it had gathered off the back of one of the worlds best pandemic responses. Can I give you an observation? Didnt that make her angry, I ask Ardern when we meet in Wellington. The Union's focus was human rights and equal opportunities for the world's children. At Waitangi in early February, I had asked Ardern about the international attention she had attracted for being young, for being a new mother. Use the key to unlock the secret message! They are the publisher. Pressure was mounting over a failure to meet targets on a flagship house-building scheme. 'For me, it's time,' she added, during her surprise resignation speech this morning. Printed on the back is the running order for an event she hosted in Auckland the night before the attack. She wooed the world with talk of kindness and compassion, while at home ruling like a dictator. Its decision to stagger the boost means families in need will now be pointlessly deprived of much-needed funds until next year. Simple words, whispered by the injured from their hospital beds. The 50 names of the dead are read aloud, the only other sound the whirring of a police helicopter in the distance. Her playlists include the Beatles and some of her favourite Kiwi bands like Street Chant and Opossom. People have remarked upon the way weve responded, but to me there was no question. As if becoming a mother and prime minister were not challenging enough, Ardern found herself hailed as a standard bearer for women everywhere. Jacinda Ardern, former Young Labour president and political advisor, was 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, in January 2008.. She is now the Prime Minister of New Zealand, serving since 26 October 2017.. Simple, she says, nodding her head. And then, within 15 minutes, I can be back in the hotel room having Neve spit pumpkin on my shoe. She knows what she wants, she knows where shes going, she fessed this morning and said shes a progressive. 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. Sometimes, what youre promoting isnt tangible. But what I do know is Ardern and her comrades provided the above answers in 2009and now she is leading us into the economic recovery of post-Covid-19. 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. It turned out the strict gun law Ardern championed failed to curb gun crimes. Richardsons debt-and-surplus obsession lives on in this current government, which has consistently justified its resistance to more public investment by pointing to debt fears, and even took care to frame this budget as keeping a lid on debt and tracking a responsible return towards surplus through targeted investments. Labours continued refusal to get rid of benefit sanctions reflects a fundamental acceptance of Bolger and Richardsons moralistic distaste for welfare, as does its plan for a separate unemployment insurance scheme. I struggle not to smile, Ardern said through clenched teeth. No, she said, bluntly. She was raised a Mormon, but quit the church in her early 20s, principally because of its stance on homosexuality. All this wasnt about the nuts and bolts of practical policy. Its very genuine, and people warm to that. Theres something very grounding about that. If there are words that proved defining, they were those spoken by 71-year-old Haji-Daoud Nabi, who moments before being shot dead addressed the gunman from the door of Al Noor mosque, saying: Hello, brother.. She is sharp. To understand the idealogical beliefs of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern we can look back to her time as president of the International Union of Socialist Youth, writes Steve Elers. We cannot confront these issues alone, none of us can. But we can strive to be true to the words embedded in our national anthem, .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Men of every creed and race,Gather here before Thy face,Asking Thee to bless this placeGod defend our free land, From dissension, envy, hateAnd corruption, guard our stateMake our country good and greatGod defend New Zealand, Christchurch memorial: standing ovation for Ardern at New Zealand service, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Jacinda Ardern's full Christchurch speech: 'Let us be the nation we believe ourselves to be' video, Jacinda Ardern given standing ovation at New Zealand service. Yeah there you go. 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. I wonder if they get asked the same question. Here are a few things you might not have known about the leader of New Zealands Labour party: Jacinda was born in Hamilton on 26 July 1980 and her family then moved to Murupara, where Jacindas father Ross worked as a policeman. How finding your ikigai can give you a new perspective on stress. We hear you. 493 The biggest misconception about Jacinda Ardern is that she is a pioneering progressive or socialist. I dont know. She worked only very indirectly for Blair, she said. Ardern returned to New Zealand and entered the House of Representatives in 2008. And Im very proud to say to the good people of the Wairarapa that they elected a proud socialist as their MP.. ), Ardern says she has been taken aback by the volume of press coverage over the past weeks, the scrutiny of her every word. Hansard (Debates) Also in this . I didnt mean it that way. Appointed as New Zealand's Prime Minister in 2017, Jacinda Ardern has been described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's full speech at the opening of the APEC CEO Summit 2021. You just have to. The first step would be recalling that it was more than just a merciless assault on welfare. All the talk of a budget returning Labour to its roots starts to ring hollow when even one of the countrys leading business advocacy groups thinks the government was a mite stingy on helping the poor. By the way, I have used "comrade" because it is how union members referred to themselves throughout the 2009 meeting. Comrades this, comrades that. That article told the story of a leader who was pledging to work harder to address the inequities still faced by New Zealands indigenous people. It just wasnt something she thought about, she said, hardly at all. You just do what feels right.. 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. The answer lies in our humanity. Accordingly, to understand Arderns political ideology it is important to revisit 2008, when she entered Parliament as a Labour list-MP. Appointed as New Zealand's Prime Minister in 2017, Jacinda Ardern has been described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. A filter will be available to find the specific debate / speech you wish to view. But does this make the Labour Party socialist? They will remain with us forever. Jacinda only got into power because Winston Peter's liked to cause problems for the National party. We will remember the first responders who gave so much of themselves to save others. Subscribe today and get a yearlong print and digital subscription. [Applause] Thank you very much. The reality was that I went down into the shed, pulled out my fishing box and took out some hooks, Gayford told me earlier this year. I have been asking Ardern about her immediate response to the attack, which from the outset put a clear emphasis on inclusivity and solidarity. I absolutely knew what I wanted to say. New Zealand PM addressed a crowd of thousands who had gathered for a memorial service at Hagley Park two weeks after the mosque attacks. You may know her as the youngest and third female Prime Minister of New Zealand, the first head of government to take maternity leave and the powerfully empathetic responder in times of crisis. Steve Elers is a senior lecturer at Massey Universitys School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing who writes a weekly column for Stuff on social and cultural issues. 3. Get our print magazine for just $20 a year. It's intuitive, ll show you something, says Jacinda Ardern. I just thought about sentiments, and what I thought needed to be conveyed., Ardern has been at pains to say that what happened on 15 March is not her story, but one that belongs to the victims and their families, to the injured, to Muslim communities, to Christchurch. Some of you may well know that, some years ago, I was the President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. This interview was due to go to press the day the news of the Christchurch attacks emerged. Jacinda Ardern following a gathering for congregational Friday prayers and two minutes of silence for victims of the twin mosque massacre, in Christchurch on March 22, 2019. OPINION: It is important to understand political ideologies because they provide a lens into the underpinning beliefs and values that guide political goals and decision-making. The second of two daughters born to a Mormon family . If anyone out there has a better photo let us know! Jacinda was more surprised than anyone when she was handed the leadership aft. For example, is a 20 per centgap of "inequality"acceptable? We have consensus really built into our system. Gayford is the primary caregiver and shuttles back and forth with Neve between their home in Auckland and Wellington. The 2009 union meeting is relevant not just because Ardern was president, but because the official resolutions outlined progressive answers to the financial crisis aka the global financial crisis or GFC. Our new issue on nationalism is out now. And it took aim at New Zealands old-age pension system, raising the retirement age from sixty to sixty-five and freezing payments for two years. Or does it need to be closer, like 10 per cent? The term has been adopted by socialists and communists for party members. I do not use "comrade"disparagingly here, as indeed Ardern herself used the term 15 times in just seven minutes at this public event. Limited though this announcement is, not even Helen Clarks Labour government in the 2000s dared to try and wholly undo Richardsons welfare cuts, a sign that things really are slowly shifting. But even when we had no words, we still heard yours, and they have left us humbled and they have left us united. There was a real sense of hope at the time Blair was elected, she continued, because people were ready for things to be done differently. But New Zealand remains a laggard behind the rest of the globe, still firmly stuck in a decades-old ideological framework that never worked for most people, but that is especially horribly unsuited to meeting the civilizational crises of today. Earlier in 2008 Ardern was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. 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. She is very vocal. A gunman - or gunmen, it was not . It just wasnt something she thought about, she said, hardly at all. In the days that have followed the terrorist attack on the 15th of March, we have often found ourselves without words. 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. But for the time being they feel like the concerns of another time, another galaxy. She crosses the office to her desk and pulls an A4 sheet of paper from a drawer. I am a pragmatic idealist, she told me. She was raised a Mormon, but quit the church in her early 20s, principally because of its stance on homosexuality. The only thing Id say is that, as much as we inherited the Westminster system, we thankfully also have moved to an MMP [mixed-member proportional] system, she said. I think we were musing about this the risk of ambition. Peace be upon you. Armed police are everywhere. But even the ugliest of viruses can exist in places they are not welcome. Christchurch was under attack. The prime minister was deep in conversation with her press secretary when she arrived for the formal part of our interview at Waitangi in February. 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. A handful of words have been highlighted in bright orange. The New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and most of those who graduated from the Marxist group the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) are actually followers of Leon Trotsky (1879 -1940). The definition of "comrade" from An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marxism, Socialism and Communism is as follows: Originally, one who shares the same chamber. And I go for the latter. (Later in the day I contact Gayford, host of a television fishing show and father of the couples nine-month-old daughter, Neve, asking for his official position on the prime minister having returned to coffee. A crescent moon hangs in the blue sky above. She was elected uncontested at IUSY's world congress held in the Dominican Republic yesterday. Im only in government because two parties decided to work with us., Ardern alighted on the benefits of New Zealands system when I asked for her take on Brexit. And yet Arderns response, her choice of language, has mattered enormously. 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. But how much do you really know about Jacinda Ardern? Im a socialist! piped up Tukituki MP Anna Lorck at one point. It looks like a pout every time.. When the call came, Ardern was travelling in a minivan, sitting alongside the mayor of New Plymouth, a small city on the west coast of the North Island. I was born one and politics has not beaten it out of me yet. A week ago, I asked her if the Christchurch attack had affected this optimism. And while Labours manifesto remained essentially unchanged, people suddenly started to listen. The world has been stuck in a vicious cycle of extremism breeding extremism and it must end. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 17 April 2018, Berlin Kia ora and thank you for the opportunity to join you here today. Here are some of the best-non fiction audiobooks read aloud by the authors themselves. These are my notes for the first press conference, she explains. He may have had in mind Arderns deputy Peters, whose NZ First has delivered dog whistles about immigrants and New Zealand values for decades. I said what I needed to say, she says, pausing and taking a slow, diplomatic breath of air, her hands clasped around her knees. 1:30 PM 'I don't have enough in the tank,' complained 42-year-old Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand. Jeremy Corbyns leadership led to a surge in left-wing membership in the UK Labour Party and ongoing [], A journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin, The New Zealand Socialists Who Govern Like Neoliberals, Taking Back Left Parties From the Brahmins, Jacinda Ardern Wont Save New Zealands Working Class, Jacinda-Mania Isnt Enough for New Zealands Workers, Mori, or the Environment, New Zealands Coronavirus Response Isnt as Great as It Seems.