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PoliticsSeptember 28, 2018

Jacinda Ardern’s UN speech, digested to 200 words

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For the time poor but geopolitical address hungry, we have mercilessly crunched down the NZ prime minister’s speech

I’m struck as a leader attending my first United Nations General Assembly by the power and potential that resides here, or did until everyone scarpered to watch Brett Kavanaugh lost his shit on C-Span. Anyway, let’s do this.

I’m from New Zealand, which is a million miles from anywhere, but we like it, what do you think? We’re simple folk, with a north island and a south island. We are a pragmatic, happy people living in peace as long as you don’t say things like “Labour-led government”.

I am a child of the 80s. Anti-apartheid. Nuclear-free. Face the Music with Simon Barnett. We spoke out then, and we must speak out now.

In the Pacific and around the world we face potential catastrophe unless we act as a global community. I don’t want to name names, but Declarations Of National Alienation Lift Determination To Rescue Undermined Multilateral Prosperity. Seriously: Universal Cooperation Kindles Skuxlife.

We are all in this together. It’s Me Too. It’s We Too. Us Too. Voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the babe.

Kaitiakitanga. Kindness. An inter-connected world, though ideally not connected on personal gmail accounts. It’s really nice here. I’m never going home.


Read the full speech here

Keep going!