PM Jacinda Ardern Runner Up in Prospect List

The votes have been counted and the results are in. UK magazine Prospect’s top 10 is full of practical-minded thinkers for the Covid-19 age – and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has taken the runner up spot after victor, Indian politician KK Shailaja.

The magazine writes: “[Ardern] whose governing ‘ethos of kindness’ was drawing interest as a refreshing (if hazy) alternative to neo-liberalism even before it showed practical results in keeping a lid on the crisis.”

“By bringing her baby to the UN General Assembly she grabbed the world’s attention, but over three years in office Ardern has proved to be more than a media favourite,” the publication says. “Her ‘ethos of kindness’ sounded a vague way to transcend neoliberalism, but she’s steadily shown what it means in fields from child welfare to the environment. Her instinctive, bridge-building leadership after the Christchurch mosque massacre was an inspiration. And her Covid-19 strategy – devised in lockstep with chief scientist Juliet Gerrard – built with intelligence and empathy on a foundation of unflinching honesty to achieve some of the world’s best results.”

Original article by Prospect, September 2, 2020.