Jacinda Ardern to step down as New Zealand PM

You know what is a good comparison between Ireland and NZ though?

We both have a leader that's internationally fawned over while their policies exacerbate a spiralling housing crisis, a collapsing healthcare system and an economy and society utterly captured by corporate interests.

These are among the reasons that Arden's popularity at home does not match her image abroad, in many ways NZ's problems are a mirror of our own and in every measure that matters to your average citizen she has, just like Leo, proved to be an absolute waffling incompetent disaster.

Yes, she certainly triggered all the right people.

I honestly don't get why people use this as a basis for anything. I find more often than not that it simply reveals the level of spite that certain people live with. "If they hate it, I must love it", is honestly the most bizarre approach to life, as it literally allows you to be driven almost solely by your enemies. You think you're rebelling against them, but you're really just allowing them to control you.

No issue with wearing PPE and social distancing if it's warranted. Strict lockdowns as in the 2km limit, everywhere shutting down, the general financial doom, was bonkers. Can only imagine how the people of NZ (and god forbid China) must've felt as it was even worse.

Probably less than a per cent of people.

Or dinner bell to Covid deniers?

Anxious to agree, and get another dig in, eh??

All of this bile about a leader of a country, far, far away ? .

(Not you though , it seems fair enough. edit )

Nothing to do with the fact that she is a young successful female leader of the Labour Party in NZ, who most people in her country lauded for her management through the worst of Covid but are now feeling the pinch of worldwide high inflation?

But somehow this far away leader is the focus of others venom.

She seemed like a good person to me who had her country's best interests at heart but the post trauma of it all, along with childbirth and other monumental personal upheavals has her reassessing her priorities. Very understandable and as she has shown before, human.

Good for her...I admire her for all she has done in her country, that she now sees she needs to step aside, and wish her the best whether she chooses a hiatus in her career or to go on to further work internationally.!

Jacinta Ardern is a role model for many young women and those in politics especially.

The fact that that is upsetting or annoying to some here is a reflection on themselves more than her.

I don't know where he works or who he is referring to when he says many...

I would very much think that that is a minority view and while everybody recognises there were cancellations and delays because of Covid most working in healthcare are very aware why that is and was necessary, especially pre vaccination.

Her handling of Covid was extreme because NZ is an example of zeroCovid that most of the world could not have even dreamed of, as early as March 2020..

Impossible here.

Her comments about Ireland were when we had our "meaningful Christmas" wave of deaths and infections, which many here were painfully aware of.

Her practicality in recognising that Omicron being so infectious and still less severe, and drpping the zero Covid approach then, puts her in stark contrast to those espousing zero Covid on this side of the world.

Loons on all sides in this tbh!

Is that you Paddy Cosgrave?

Latest figures suggest there were 23 death in healthcare workers in Ireland due to Covid, and I haven't seen any definitive linking of their deaths to their jobs or a lack of PPE (but when the claims hit the courts I'm sure we'll know more). To put that in context there are tens of thousands of nurses and HCA's working in the HSE. Every death is a tragedy for a family, but it's simply wrong to say healthcare workers died in their droves from Covid due to a lack of PPE or otherwise. They did as a group however suffer from Covid infections at a higher rate than other groups (as did their families suggests some of the research).

The UK may be a different story as there seems to be a lack of reporting there around NHS worker deaths due to Covid.

As to whether a zero Covid policy was right for NZ, that's for them to decide but no doubt it saved many lives pre vaccine availability.

Looking at her announcing it on the news she looks devastated. I think either someone knows something that could destroy her family relationship or she has cancer maybe Terminal cancer.

She was a good leader from what we seen on the news with empathy and compassion.

partner works in the royal london, they were absolutely battered during covid, lots of nurses have left because of burn out since. it may have been a common cold for most people but it totally f**ked hospitals here and they're still really feeling the effects.