To the tune of “Here come the Men in Black” here she comes again, an unwelcome black spectre from the past come back to haunt us. It is Helen Clark racing to the rescue of her protégée and struggling PTPM.

The attack this week on a massive oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia disrupted half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production and 5% of the world’s daily oil supply. In the absence of any comment from Ardern on the subject, Clark stepped onto the world stage to speak on our behalf and wave the flag of sustainability which will save the planet.

“It’s another signal of (how) the world needs to move beyond oil,” Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, said of the price volatility. She spoke to CNBC’s “Street Signs” at the BNP Paribas Sustainable Future Forum in Singapore. “Isn’t it interesting that we source so much (oil) from the most unstable region of the world?” she asked. “That’s not sustainable either.” CNBC



And our oil production is not sustainable because Ardern shut down future exploration. Who put that idea in her head? The Greens took the rap for this bad call, but now I’m not so sure. Are we experiencing de facto leadership from behind the scenes? The puppet and the puppet master? Clark’s meddling reeks of propping up Ardern’s weak leadership.

Clark brazenly surfaced in March this year, speaking in support of Ardern’s haphazard gun law reform measures which won’t make one iota of difference to preventing a recurrence of the Christchurch attacks.

“I think we’re learning from this tragic outcome, we just have to have stronger gun laws,” she [Clark] said.” Newshub



I didn’t think much of Clark’s little foray back into NZ politics at the time, but the antennae did a little wiggle when she reappeared in May speaking up in support of Ardern’s Christchurch Call summit, approving a review of New Zealand’s hate speech laws and calling for a social media watchdog to be established to prevent the spread of extremism online.

Again, (to borrow a hackneyed Ardern mannerism) gun law reform and social media policing are futile gestures supposed to assure us that Ardern will not allow a recurrence of the Christchurch massacre. It is a promise she cannot keep. Instead, the legislation will penalise well-behaved citizens while the real villains, the gangs and the psycho maniacs, roam free to do as they please.

A much more sensible approach to public safety is suggested by Olivia Pierson in her Letter to the Prime Minister about God-Emperor Trump “Had just one other person been armed in one of the NZ mosques that Brenton Tarrant violated, many lives may have been saved.” Naturally, entrusting the general public to look after themselves and each other is beyond the realm of possibility for this government or the opposition for that matter.

Not once, not twice, but three times Clark has stepped into the breach for Ardern. If I am correct in assuming ‘behind the scenes leadership’ from Clark, we will have more sightings of the brazen black spectre as Ardern continues her downward spiral after many failed promises. The writing is on the wall and when Ardern crashes and burns, guess who is ready and waiting in the wings to take over?

Ex-PM Jenny Shipley PM Jacinda Ardern Ex-PM Helen Clark