David Farrar: The Covid cowards

Ardern, Hipkins, Robertson and Verrall should be known in future as the Covid cowards. They made decisions that had devastating effects on the lives of many New Zealanders and they are refusing to answer questions in public from the Royal Commission on it.

Let us recall what some of their actions were:

1. Stopped New Zealanders from returning home, even to see dying loved ones
2. Made it illegal to leave your home, except for authorised activities or persons
3. Closed the schools
4. Banned unvaccinated people from bars, cafes and restaurants
5. Sacked unvaccinated NZers from multiple industries
6. Spent $66 billion, leading to huge inflation
7. Multiple lockdowns

They did all the above, on the grounds it was necessary on the evidence. They said they were the podium of truth, yet they refuse to front up and answer questions about the evidence their decisions were made on.

They truly are cowards.

We see a very different approach in the UK. Their Royal Commission has heard evidence in public from:

• Former Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson
• Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
• Former Northern Ireland First Ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill
• Former Chancellor George Osborne
• Former Health Secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock

The difference I guess is the UK politicians are not cowards.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders