Jacinda and “Simple Simon”

Stuff reports:

It’s the week before Christmas but good cheer is yet to visit Parliament, with even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern getting a telling off after an apparent attempt to call her opponent names.
Ardern was made to withdraw and apologise by Speaker Trevor Mallard after she responded to a question from Opposition leader Simon Bridges with the words “simple, Simon”.
Simple Simon is a childhood nursery rhyme.

As sledges go in Parliament, this is about as mild as it gets. What is interesting though is that it goes against the brand she is trying to promote for herself of “kindness”.

It also gives me the great opportunity to contrast her academic record with the guy she is calling simple.

Jacinda went to Waikato University and graduated with a Bachelor of Communication Studies. Presumably this is where you learn to say clever quips such as “Simple Simon”.

Simon Bridges first two degrees were from the University of Auckland where he gained a BA and an LLB with honours. Then he went to to do a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law (equivalent to an LLM) from that obscure university in Oxford. Oxford say that “only those with outstanding first law degrees are admitted” to the BCL.