Sunday, January 24, 2021

"A beacon of kindness"

This is a bit over the top don't you think?

Ex Labour Minister Steve Maharey writes today:

"Ardern has gone on to become a world figure – a beacon of kindness in an otherwise very nasty world."

Does he mean all other world leaders are cruel? Only New Zealand has a kind leader?

What does he actually mean by a "very nasty world"? It's probably as peaceful as it has ever been. It's certainly more prosperous than it's ever been. 

Hell it's not perfect but in general most countries are seeing generational improvement in living standards; longer life expectancy, lower infant mortality, better sanitation, and better infrastructure.

I don't know where this "otherwise very nasty world" is.

7 comments:

pdm said...

This seems to me to be nothing more than `Smarmy' Maharey, the man who sacked Christine Rankin greasing up to the Prime Minister.

Is he looking to make a comeback into politics?

Hilary Taylor said...

The DRC going by the Al Jazeera piece this morning. Nothing new but still hellish for the many. The PM certainly besots the many here...as if being a nice person is the supreme quality in government. Perhaps we're meant to take succour from it...lest we peer too closely at the very real problems in our land, for which niceness wont cut it. I care nothing for niceness when our 20 somethings can't buy a home, as we once did.

Lindsay Mitchell said...

There are certainly pockets of conflict and brutishness Hilary but I was perplexed by the use of the word "otherwise" implying the only haven from nastiness is Jacinda's realm.

bob said...

The otherwise nasty world I presume refers to all and everything Trumpy.

david said...

But is she kind? She tells others to be kind, that's not the same thing. What actions has she taken that have been kind? Closing butchers shops?

Oi said...

You mean the world where Trumpism meant no more American invasions of sovereign soil in the name of Big Oil? Where the American jobless was the lowest in 18 years? Where the blatant AND covert use of the media to attack and destabilise, reached new and unprecedented heights? That world?

Hilary Taylor said...

Lindsay...'implying the only haven from nastiness is Jacinda's realm'...I imagine he was just over-generalising in a fizzy state of fandom and it doesn't bear much (any?) scrutiny. And what the others have said above. It's a lame nonsense.