Jacinda Ardern to step down as New Zealand PM

Appropriate pronouns included. Go you

How? if this is the kid transfusion case, arent they trying to lower the risk

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/20/jacinda-ardern-speculation-that-abuse-and-threats-contributed-to-resignation

In 2022, New Zealand police reported that threats against the prime minister had nearly tripled over three years. While police could not determine motives for every individual threat, documents they released showed anti-vaccination sentiment was a driving force of a number of threats, and opposition to legislation to regulate firearms after the 15 March mass shooting in Christchurch was another factor.

From stardust to an empty tank: one-of-a-kind leader Jacinda Ardern knew her time was up

Read more

A weeks-long anti-vaccine-mandate occupation of parliament’s lawns descended into a violent riot in early 2022, with protesters calling for the prime minister’s execution. The protests, coupled with increased threats and abuse against the prime minister and other MPs, prompted New Zealand’s typically open and accessible parliament to up security measures.

Over the past year, a number of men have been arrested, formally warned or faced criminal charges for threatening to assassinate Ardern, with one found guilty of sabotage in an attempt to destroy the country’s power grid connections. Public appearances by the prime minister increasingly attracted small, at times abusive groups of protesters.

In one ugly incident, protesters in a car chased the prime minister’s van, shouting obscenities and screaming that she was “a Nazi”, at one point forcing it on to the footpath, and in February 2022, shouting protesters again chased the prime minister’s van down a driveway as she visited a primary school.

Kate Hannah, director of the Disinformation Project which monitors online extremism at research centre Te Pūnaha Matatini, said the program had seen a significant increase in abusive, threatening material directed at Ardern, and believed it had likely contributed to her leaving the role.

“The scope of what we’ve observed over the last three years is such that there’s no way it could not have been a contributing factor – for any person,” she said.

“What we see now is absolutely normative, extremely vulgar and violent slurs … incredibly violent use of imagery around death threats.”

THIS THREAD, FOR THE MOST PART, IT NOT MUCH BETTER.

'THIS THREAD, FOR THE MOST PART, IT NOT MUCH BETTER.'

Criticism is not much better than violent death threats?

But surely you see that if a woman has a child they require more time off than the male involved in the reproduction, sometimes for practical physical reasons. Six weeks is reasonable to me, I do not see that as a lack of dedication. Given that most people will take 4 weeks per year for vacation anyway. You are right that there is contraception but I do not believe that any job should be so overreaching into ones personal life as to dictate their right to reproduce.

I don't want to be accused of putting words in your mouth by asking you a question again but to summarize is it fair to say that either she should not get pregnant or she should not take so long to recover, if she were truly dedicated?

I would submit that it is her right to reproduce when and how she chooses and ultimately it is the electorate that reviews her performance and have decided that childbirth is not a sufficiently undedicated act for a prime minister. If you can point to shortcomings in performance directly related to the six week period she required to recover from childbirth, that would be something but even then I would argue that no job should require such commitment as to prevent someone from their right to reproductive freedom as enshrined by the united nations.

As every sensible person predicted, NZ had to open up to the world eventually, and COVID spread rapidly throughout the population, just like the rest of the world.

They delayed the inevitable. This wasn't "flattening the curve" to prevent the health services being overwhelmed, this was a Zero Covid strategy.

New Zealand faces new Covid wave as experts say moving on from pandemic is ‘wishful thinking’ | New Zealand | The Guardian

And, as expected, not even slightly true, but you anti-vaxx sheep just lap it up and regurgitate. No critical thinking skills whatsoever. I know you don't have a lot of critical thinking skills, but do you really think a high court would rule a vaccine mandate 'a gross violation of human rights?'

"WHAT WAS CLAIMED

The New Zealand High Court ruled a vaccine mandate was a gross violation of human rights.

OUR VERDICT

Mostly False. A judge ruled the mandate unjustifiably limited some human rights of around 300 people, but he did not declare it a gross violation of human rights."

This..

You are now suggesting others said stuff to deflect from your misogynistic posts which says that she should not have been a PM if she had to take time off to have a baby. There is no other way to describe them

Sounds like some of the oul fellas that used to be on interview panels back in the last century, discussing the female candidates for a job with the parish priest!

I asked what you meant by that post as did others but you could not justify this misogynistic response, without making it worse.

So you deflects and accuse others.

Standard debating skills it appears (or sub?)

Nobody suggested abortion or contraception.. That was you.

Spinning it that you say the same about a man is frankly just bs.

Sharan Keogan is routinely treated with contempt in the Seanad but is that is ok because her arguments don’t agree with him the liberal agenda.

Lower what risk?

Really? This utter nonsense.

@AllForIt No social media in Maggie's time.

No, lack of critical thinking and personal character are the issues. Social media is just the lazy way characterless use to get reinforcements for their hatefilled opinions. See the post above where @growleaves posted a debunked lie about the NZ supreme court decision on vaccine mandates. Do you think that poster spends his/her time looking at NZ news? Or its court decisions? No, they're tied into crazy right-wing social media sites and gobble it up without thinking and regurgitate it. Several posters thank that post and one goes as far as quoting it and saying it was great.

Since it was debunked, have any of them shown up and said, "Hey, I was wrong." No. That's the lack of character, which drives them and their postings.

Well, people lacking in character feeding their grifters on social media get fed treats to stir them up and post sh1te. It's a vicious circle with the idiot sheep in the center screeching online. Heck, there's a new poster today posting sh1te on the 'right wing threat' and 'refugees' thread. It's like clockwork. Be on the Russia thread in a bit I'm sure.

Btw regarding the use of the word 'hatefilled'. I think that some of you are hate-filled against people who disagree with vaccines, disagree with politicians you admire and disagree with policies you support.

I don't have to throw out insults but @Igotadose , @pjohnson and @Yurt2 do have to throw out insults, and let everyone know that people they oppose, with the 'wrong' opinions, are, angry, cranks, pathetic, have no integrity etc., etc.

Where's the control of your emotions and being the bigger man? Where's the detachment and just addressing the issues? No you're just hoping that your insults stick. And so you pile-on with invective.

Transparent is what I'd call that. You haven't got a leg to stand on.