She’s fighting back tears again. Her tone is so sad. Why does she think it’s still so hard? “People only see the decisions you made, not the choices you had. The first part of Covid, people saw all the choices and decisions. And the second half, it just got hard. It got hard. Vaccines bring an extra layer that’s really difficult.” I apologise for taking her back to a dark time. “One of the things that still stands out in my mind – I can’t remember if it was a meme or a genuine cartoon – but it was an image of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin,” she says. “It was at the tail end of Covid, and Christopher says, ‘How will we know if we succeeded?’ And Winnie says, ‘Because they’ll say we did too much.’ And it captured this idea that there probably isn’t a sweet spot. Maybe there were only two options in the end. Maybe it was: you’ll be attacked for doing too little or you’ll be attacked for doing too much. And I know what I would choose.”
‘Empathy is a kind of strength’: Jacinda Ardern on kind leadership, public rage and life in Trump’s America | Jacinda Ardern | The Guardian
The Ardern government is only easing covid lockdowns to avoid political backlash. The move isn’t backed by the science, recommended by experts or even popular outside of a small group of fringe rightwing weirdos and a large group of capitalists who put short term profit above people’s lives.
They are very much showing who butters their bread.
Ardern dove right into her role of working mom by delivering an official video message to her constituents.
It’s been a big weekend for newborn babies on the political scene. On Saturday, Chrissy Teigen addressed the crowds at the Families Belong Together rally in Los Angeles with month-old son Miles nestled against her chest in a baby wrap.
And while Jacinda Ardern is officially on maternity leave, the new mom is already juggling motherhood with her responsibilities as the prime minister of New Zealand. Ardern became the first female world leader to give birth in office since 1990 when she delivered daughter Neve on June 21.
Ardern dove right into her role of working mom by delivering an official video message to her constituents — sitting on her couch, with little Neve in her arms and not a scrap of makeup in sight.
While the Facebook Live video was unconventional, the baby’s presence was rather fitting given the government reform Ardern was addressing in it. As the Guardian reports, Sunday marked the first day of a paid parental leave plan for New Zealand in which parents of babies born from July 1 will receive 22 weeks of paid leave, as well as a weekly stipend for the first year. (As she was born just days before the July 1 start date, Neve is not eligible.)
Ardern — whose partner, Clarke Gayford, will become a stay-at-home dad when she returns to work — celebrated the new legislation and addressed her own experience with motherhood.
“This is my permanent state at the moment, either breastfeeding or this,” Ardern acknowledged, gesturing to the baby — aka her “human hot water bottle” — in her arms.
The prime minister also responded to comments from viewers watching live on Facebook.
“I was waiting for anyone to say I look tired,” she said. “I promise I am not too bad — I really just don’t have any makeup on, so that’s probably why I have a bit more bags under the eyes than usual. … But we are doing great, we are doing really great.”
Aside from a few trolls complaining about her lack of makeup, the video proved a hit. Thousands of commenters cheered on the paid parental leave plan, as well as Ardern’s commitment to keeping it real while getting work done.
“A prime minister wrapped in a blanket with a new baby still putting her country first,” one viewer exclaimed. “You are setting new boundaries!”
“Epic prime minister,” read another comment.
“She is amazing,” wrote another viewer. “Clearly exhausted, but always putting her people first.”
Thank you john roedel.
A bunch of things I’ve found on my digital strolls (which I added to my Tumblr) for your eyes and ears plus brain to spend time on (as no longer on Twitter).
READ
“That’s why I keep documenting corruption and abuse, the erosion of norms, and each step away from democracy. Not because I expect immediate consequences, but because documenting the truth will matter later…
