No Surprises There

Jacinda Ardern's Big Promises Have Failed Spectacularly

Duncan Garner

OPINION: Transformational. Do you remember the Prime Minister promising voters of a transformational Government?

It was a bold, ambitious, but ultimately, hugely risky claim.

Be careful with your words - voters remember.

Jacinda Ardern's big promises sounded great - but they have failed spectacularly.

So revered internationally - if only those disciples applied some rigour to what's been achieved. This Government can barely deliver a letter.

Certainly all its cornerstone, showpiece, flagship promises - call them what you like - have failed, the latest being the so-called transformational billion dollar light rail project from the Auckland CBD to the Airport.

Phil Twyford the builder - could he build it - No, he couldn't.

What can this lot do? Why are Aucklanders paying the extra 10 cents a litre petrol tax - remind me of the transport projects we're paying for again?

What a massive fail. And add it to the list of shame.

Kiwibuild - fail.

Capital Gains Tax - fail.

Reducing Child Poverty - fail - the Children's Commissioner says benefit levels need to rise for that to happen.

Climate Change? Fail - sure the zero-carbon law is here, but farmers and truckies have an out - years of consultation is hardly transformational.

In short, their greatest success has been the PM's ability to communicate in a crisis. But even that now is under question with these latest revelations that thousands of passengers left quarantine untested.

For that they threw Dr Ashley Bloomfield under the bus. How generous of David Clark.

If you're asking why has Labour failed, it's complex. The promises were too big to succeed in such a short time - add in Winston Peters - and there you have it.

They have had one success though - on Wednesday night - a law passed allowing prisoners who have served less than three years to vote at this election.

Transformational - only if you believe in fairy dust.

Duncan Garner hosts The AM Show.