Grant Duncan: Political commentator on the reactions to Jacinda Ardern's memoir A Different Kind of Power

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has released her highly-anticipated memoir today, with some reviewers disappointed.

A Different Kind of Power covers her tenure as Prime Minister, her Mormon upbringing, and navigating crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and Christchurch mosque attacks.

Political commentator Grant Duncan says the book lacks political revelations. 

"There's just no really juicy reveals in there - I mean, there are some interesting angles that kind of raised my eyebrows a little bit." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Huddlers with us shortly and reminded Nichola Willis is with
us after six it might not be Niicola. So I'm
getting I've got quite a few texts from people who
were around at the time and who I would consider
National Party insiders who say sounds like Amy Adams to me, Heather,
So maybe it's Amy Adams. Amy Adams is smart, was

(00:23):
well respected by both sides, also wore suits, suggestion Maggie Barry.
Maggie Barry does actually fit that description. Maggie Barry has
a posh accent, wears suits. I'm not sure if she
was respected by both sides, but maybe she was, who knows,
and they had a run in at some stage. Anyway,
As I say, I haven't read the book, but I'll

(00:43):
tell you what. Somebody who has a Grant Duncan from
Auckland University and is with us now, Hello Grant, Hello Heather.
So who was the national MP ranting at her?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Oh? Look, I'm gonna have to leave that as a guest. Honestly,
your guesses are pretty good. I think I couldn't they
tell No.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Unfortunately, that's the trouble, isn't it? Like there's not a
lot of good revelation in it, are you disappointed by?

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well, yeah, actually there's no really juicy reveals in there.
I mean there are some interesting angles that kind of
raised my eyebrows a little bit, but like, for instance,
you know the way that she departed from the Mormon
Church gradually, and you know, I was quite surprised to
hear that someone had said to her, well, your your

(01:29):
friends in the church aren't voting for you, but they
are praying for you. That kind of thing was sort
of interesting, you.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Know, not actually aimed at us. Is it's this is
probably why there aren't any juicy revelations, because it's really
am good Americans, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Well, absolutely, Jainas now on an international career, and you
can tell by the way that it's written that it's
meant for an audience that doesn't really understand all of
the Kiwi references and place names and so forth. So yeah,
she's positioning herself now for the celebrity circuit and international
agencies and things like that.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, in which case, I suppose the thing that I
was looking for was some kind of an admission that
she got something wrong. But then I guess if you're
aiming for an American audience. You don't want to be
doing that thing. By the way, I didn't read all
of it, grant you have. Is there an admission in
there that she got anything wrong during COVID.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Not really in that sort of disappointed me, honestly, because
although you know, I didn't agree with the tenor of
that protest outside of Parliament myself, and you know I'm
vaccinated and so forth, but I am her excuse frankly
as to why neither she nor a senior minister at
least listen to them and heard them out is just

(02:43):
frankly weak. It. It doesn't pass, honestly, and I think
that was a bad sign generally that Labour simply wasn't
reading public opinion carefully at that time, and they paid
daily for it.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
And perhaps weren't quite the empaths that they claim they.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Are exactly quite the opposite. In fact, those people were
suddenly not us.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, totally, well, excellent point. Now. The Washington Post reviewer
says that the book is kind of okay, but it
suffers from its author's earnestness.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Would you agree, yes, yes, you did an earnest person
in a friendly way. If you meet her face to face,
and that is true. So that's yeah, that's a fair point.
And there's a lot of I mean, from the point
of view, particularly of women readers. I think they'll be
really intrigued by the struggle that she has with morning

(03:33):
sickness and pregnancy and looking, you know, wanting to be
a good mum but being a really busy mum at
the same time. And so these sorts of things are
going to be very relatable for a lot of readers.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Okay, so are you buying it for anybody for Christmas?

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Hadn't planned it honestly?

Speaker 1 (03:48):
No, Well, it'd probably be a bargain by then. And
how much did you pay for your copy? I paid
sixty dollars.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
No, I got mine. I'm borrowing one from a journalist
to who let me read it over the weekend.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Interesting do you want to name names? Don't do the
same thing as j just cinder. Don't leave us without
the goss. Come on, who lent it to you?

Speaker 2 (04:11):
All right? With Steve Brounius.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
I spoke to him today. He told me he'd lent
it to somebody. Now I've completed the circle the same,
all right, Grass, Thanks, thanks, thanks for spilling the tea
at least a little bit. Grant Duncan, Auckland University and
Teaching Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations. For more
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(04:34):
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