Jacinda goes electric in Christchurch
Philip Matthews wonders if the PM could get any more popular.
Batteries are included
Prime Minister and global celebrity Jacinda Ardern flew south for a day and launched a battery powered electric car sharing service at the Christchurch Art Gallery while watched over by discreet bodyguards and Ronnie van Hout’s rooftop sculpture, Quasi .A crowd of protesters gathered to remind Ardern and Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods of outstanding earthquake claims but the new Government is still in the happy position of that being the last Government’s problem. Ardern also met families reeling from the lack of accountability after the CTV collapse and told them law changes will make it easier to pursue criminal charges in future. On the same day, an issue of Vogue appeared with Ardern praised as the liberal ‘‘antiTrump’’ and described in familiar Middle-Earth terms: ‘‘She is actually five feet seven, but everything about her seems elongated, Elvish even, starting with her flowing hair, which she wears simply: down with a centre part.’’ Elvish? This is Prime Minister Galadriel.
Bridges over troubled water
If Labour has its Galadriel, can National find its Aragorn, its Gandalf, its ... some other character from Lord of the Rings? With the Hobbit-like Bill English standing down, the leadership race is wide open. Perennial wannabe Judith Collins declared first but Selwyn MP Amy Adams made a more impressive splash on the Parliamentary lawn, flanked by supporters including Nikki Kaye, often cited as a future leader herself. Some see promise in Simon Bridges, while others see him as a long shot who overrates himself. But what a difference a year and a bit make. We used to ask where Labour could find its John Key; now we ask if National can locate its Jacinda. Stuff columnist Tracy Watkins sees relative unknown Mark Mitchell, a former police officer and hostage negotiator, as the dark horse, although not in a Tolkien sense.
Warning signs
‘‘The one person I would expect to do it did it,’’ said a young woman who sat next to Florida mass killer Nikolas Cruz in high school English last year. ‘‘He loved talking about his guns. He just didn’t seem right but he didn’t seem like he would do something this big.’’ Cruz went back to his old school and killed 17 people. How many warnings do we need? A person with the same name reportedly wrote this comment under a YouTube video: ‘‘I’m going to be a professional school shooter.’’ He belonged to a whitesupremacist paramilitary group, Republic of Florida, whose leader Jordan Jereb told the media that Cruz ‘‘seemed like just a normal, disenfranchised, young white man’’ who happened to see feminism as a cancer and is ‘‘not a big fan of Jews’’. President Trump pointed out that the killer was ‘‘mentally disturbed’’; others pointed out that Trump made it easier for people with mental health issues to buy guns.
Animals of the week
But sometimes there is justice in a cold and indifferent universe. Example: the story of the lions that ate the suspected poacher in a nature reserve, leaving just his head and gun behind. Locals heard screams. Let’s hope they went for a long time.