Jacinda the Kiwi Trudeau?

Jacinda wins?

As I have indicated, Jacinda is a clear winner in this election by virtue of  having made Labour competitive again.

But Helen Clark has recently  made a chilling comparison -- Jacinda -- and  Macron and Trudeau.

And then they kissed

Of course, Clark was talking about Macron and Trudeau's youth and good looks.    

Yes, I like it in the ass too.

But both Macron and Trudeau are highly flawed leaders who recall Tony Blair -- who also had youth and good looks when he came into power.  There were high expectations for Blair-- and there are now for both Macron and Trudeau, both of whom are   flawed leaders with even more flawed policies.

Blair,?   A war criminal who should be in a jail cell for life.

So the comparison raises questions.  Especially -- since Adern worked for Blair in the UK.

The primary problem of most "democratic socialist" parties in this century is that most are not "socialist" at all -- they are centrist, neoliberal parties with social welfare orientations.  

So Macron served in Hollande's nominally democratic socialist government and ran then as center right.  Trudeau was never a democratic socialist but "liberal".  However, his policies are only marginally different from the previous conservative party's.  He marches in Gay Pride and wears pink shirts and he has good hair.

So who is a democratic socialist?   Jeremy Corbyn is.  Melanchon in France.  Maduro in Venezuela is.  There are not many.

Is Jacinda Adern?   In some respects, Winston Peters is to the left of Labour -- as it is now constituted. 

So far,  all you can say is that Adern is not as neoliberal as the National Party.   She recognizes taxation issues better.  And she sees inequality as a problem.  Whether or not she is really willing to do what it takes is an issue, keeping in mind that it is the public that makes the final decision.