Prime minister’s unlikeliest fanboy
GETTY (above)
One hundred per cent, there is much work to do and more will change, as we settle in for this marathon. As the Government seeks to be agile in responding to an ever-changing and delicate situation, there is also much that needs keeping an eye on.
It’s good that the Government allowed the Opposition’s amendment to controversial new legislation giving police new powers to enforce Covid-19 restrictions. Those powers will need Parliament’s approval every three months as opposed to two years. And it’s good that a select committee will now review that legislation.
But as we set forth on this marathon, surely we’ve earned a moment of pause where we – still standing two metres apart – can look around and acknowledge that as a country, we’ve done extraordinarily well to be at this point with our numbers of Covid-19 numbers the way they are.
And maybe, just for a moment, we can give it up for those who’ve had to guide us through something the likes of which the world hasn’t had to contend with for over 100 years.
Of course, there is a long, long way to go.
If this was a sports contest it would be a Cricket World Cup final, where at the end of the game we’ve done enough to win, but then the umpires announce there will be a Super Over that will go for between 12 to 18 months.
In New Zealand, sometimes it feels that the more someone is liked overseas, the more people here look for reasons to find them annoying.
But I agree with Piers Morgan. Jacinda Ardern has been a great leader through this. And, when you look at how the pandemic has been handled elsewhere, I’m glad she led the charge here.