HDPA says Ardern can’t make tough calls

HDPA writes:

I’m still not convinced our Prime Minister has what it takes to make tough calls.
Jacinda Ardern has finally unveiled her much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle, and once again, she just couldn’t make the tough call to demote someone.
She’s taken the Housing Minister job off Phil Twyford and she’s given it to Megan Woods, which means she’s obviously unhappy with his handling of the Kiwibuild shambles.
But, hey, Phil Twyford’s going nowhere. There’s now a team of housing ministers. Megan Woods is in charge because she actually is capable, but there in the team is still Phil Twyford, taking the lead on urban development apparently because he’ll share his ‘extensive knowledge’. He also keeps Transport, which is a portfolio he really does deserve to be fired from, and he keeps his cabinet ranking of five.

He undershot the target he promised by 80% and stays No 5 in Cabinet. What would it take to actually be demoted?

Today wasn’t actually a test of Phil Twyford at all. It was a test of the prime minister. Does she, yet, after nearly two years, have the mettle to make tough decisions? The answer is clearly no.
She didn’t fire Clare Curran when she stuffed up. Curran had to resign. She did fire Meka Whaitiri for allegedly manhandling a staff member but even today left the door open for Whaitiri to come back into cabinet.
She didn’t demand any heads when Labour HQ kept the summer sex scandal a secret from her, and now she’s demoted but not demoted Twyford.
Come on, a Prime Minster needs to make tough calls. That’s the job. If only to set a standard in cabinet, if only to say to other ministers ‘If you aren’t completely honest about meeting people in your active wear, if I’m not completely happy with the way you’re handling your portfolio, you’re out’.
The rest of cabinet can clearly breathe easily: the bar is obviously set very low.

Yep.