While many of her comrades have proudly confessed to being “socialists” Jacinda Ardern, who told us she never lies, is unsure of whether she is one or not.

She was asked the question directly one morning in October 2020 by radio host Mike Hosking. (listen to audio below) The exchange was very simple.

Hosking- “Would you call yourself a socialist?”

Ardern- “No”

The question was asked in the context of a the UK TV satire Spitting Image, where she was portrayed as a raving lunatic lefty crossed with Mary Poppins. Ardern added that she wasn’t Mary Poppins either.

A few days ago Ms Ardern addressed the question again, and remarkably totally reversed her position. According to reporter Henry Cooke, the Prime Minister said-

I’ve always described myself, is a Democratic socialist and look, you know, I’ve never found those arguments In New Zealand particularly useful… I think probably what’s more common, is when you describe yourself as a progressive or just simply a member of the Labour Party, people tend to know what that means.”

So she said she always described herself as a socialist, but on the Mike Hosking show flatly denied it. Not a bad pivot for someone who claims to never lie. (You’d think after ten years of training in the International Union of Socialist Youth and two years as its leader, she should know)

It was probably Labour MP Kieran McNulty’s statement in parliament last Friday that he was a “proud socialist” that prompted the PM to finally come out of the closet and speak the truth.

Except it isn’t really the truth. None of those who confessed along with Mr McNulty would ever admit they are (as Nat party MP Dave Bennett interjected) communists, and as soon as they have accumulated enough power and turned NZ into a one party state, they will come clean on that as well.

Audio of PM on Hosking show-