Pregnant Primeminister
Well, there’s bound to be a few opinions on this one.
You can’t miss the news.
Feel free to comment.
[jacindaardern And we thought 2017 was a big year!
Clarke and I are really excited that in June our team
will expand from two to three, and that we’ll be
joining the many parents out there who wear two
hats. I’ll be Prime Minister AND a mum and Clarke
will be the “first man of fishing” and a stay at home dad. I
think it’s fair to say that this will be a wee one that a
village will raise, but we couldn’t be more excited. I
know there will be lots of questions, and we’ll answer
all of them ( I can assure you we have a plan all ready
to go!) But for now, bring on 2018.]
But wait there’s more:
[WomenAotearoaNZ #NZ Kia ora -A call to action- Please if you can
screen shot & send on any data from your social media about
disparaging remarks re our PM living her
life as a #Woman leader who also
happens to be pregnant – We’ve a team
waiting to receive those – DM or
[email protected]]
There’s always the cartoons. Well that’s what we used to call them but now perhaps it should be #DPP (DigiPicPolitics)
No doubt you will be able to link to more of other people’s thoughts in the comments.
Udated 8 April 2018
Right, so Helen Clark thinks every woman should have the opportunity to combine family and career …
… but obviously men can go to hell.
Comment by Evan Myers — Fri 19th January 2018 @ 4:55 pm
It’s entirely possible Jacindarella’s baby has descended the country into a total absence of logic and only a Feminist would have anything to say.
Comment by Downunder — Fri 19th January 2018 @ 7:01 pm
Annabel Crab: Essentially Ms Adern has a wife, like the male leaders who tramped before her through history.
Comment by Downunder — Sat 20th January 2018 @ 11:03 am
The Guardian observed and obviously in total ignorance of New Zealand:
Isn’t it wonderful that Macho Man Clarke is setting a good example by being a stay at home dad.
Comment by Evan Myers — Sat 20th January 2018 @ 11:38 am
We strongly support ways in which our society can find to accommodate and value women’s role as child-bearers and early nurturers, and to reduce any deleterious impact of that role on each woman’s career, economic welfare, social contribution and life satisfaction. So we congratulate the couple and celebrate our nation’s accommodation of Ms Adern’s multiple roles.
However, we observe that it is a great risk for Mr Gayford to take on a primary caregiving role under current NZ law and attitudes. He, and any other father in that role, faces a greater-than-even chance of suffering huge emotional trauma when the child’s mother tires of him and, with the sexist collusion of our Family Court, trashes his primary caregiving relationship either by seizing it for herself or farming it out to family or childcare centres.
The methods conveniently available for women to trash emotionally bonded relationships between fathers and their children frequently ruin the men’s lives. Methods such as ‘protection’ orders and/or false allegations of violence or sexual deviance that our Family Courts are obliged to treat as ‘guilty unless the man can convince the Court he is safe”. That can take years even in the relatively unlikely event that it can be successfully achieved. All that time the father-child relationship is damaged progressively, the once fully involved parent is emotionally damaged and he may join the throng of men who commit suicide in those highest-risk circumstances for suicide. The allegations often damage the man’s reputation and ability to resume his career or even to find any employment. The emotionally violent Family Court process often damages men commonly resulting in depression, alcoholism and/or self-destructive behaviour.
We are willing to wager that Clarke Gayford will at some stage be thrown out by Ms Adern and he will come to understand something of the warning herein. For his sake, hopefully that won’t happen, but the warning stands and is realistic for all fathers and potential stepfathers.
Comment by Ministry of Men's Affairs — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 12:23 pm
I support your congratulations to the couple as you might any other who is sharing their good news.
On the other hand I do not support that parliament might endorse and accomodate pregnacies during parliamentary terms of any member of parliament.
While some woman may be able to cope, that is an example the majority of woman could follow not. False illusions are dangerous tertiary for young and aspiring couples.
Pregnancy is also a medical condition that reduces an MPs availability to the public and to that role.
It looks to me like MOMA has suddenly gone a strange shade of grey.
Comment by Downunder — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 1:49 pm
Feminists might argue that we’ve moved on from representative government to responsible government so it’s just a job anyone can do.
But that might lead to the role becoming a glorified DPB.
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 2:03 pm
Liz Jones – for the Mail on Sunday
Comment by Downunder — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 2:51 pm
Adern to donate part of her salary to Plunket to compensate for her down scaled job.
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 6:13 pm
#parttimePM #pearshaped
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 7:11 pm
I wonder if Plunket will ask her if she feels safe with Clark.
They are required too.
Comment by DJ Ward — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 7:23 pm
She might feel safe with Clark but Clarke may not!
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 7:45 pm
I wouldn’t like to see him come out the wrong side of it.
Knowing you’re under constant surveillance, being the subject of political and financial attacks, having to stand your ground against intimidation, threats, and physical violence … .
Knowing you won’t get help from the Police but worse threatened with prosecution …
Only the tough survive.
Comment by Bevan Berg — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 7:59 pm
If she does have a bad pregnancy they’ll circle the wagons for her and he’ll get labeled as domestic violence loser and typical Kiwi macho man.
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 8:39 pm
I am confused. Which Clark is the father? We know that Helen Clark is involved with Jacinda’s party. So who is the father again?
Comment by Bradley Petherick — Sun 21st January 2018 @ 11:58 pm
You can see it coming now.
Other kids teasing this kid in the school ground.
“Hey, who’s ya daddy?”
Comment by Downunder — Mon 22nd January 2018 @ 4:50 am
Just as the Family Court tries to reduce a father to that woman’s level of incompetence now we see this in the house of parliament where the country is asked to watch as a woman reduces government to suit her level of pregnant competence.
Comment by Bevan Berg — Mon 22nd January 2018 @ 5:42 am
apart from the fact that Adern is 37, very near the cut off date for a healthy, normal pregnancy,, so we hope she is fit, well fed, given lots of support and all the right vitamins,, the age adds to her hormonal swings, huge for some women, affecting their relationships, ability to work and if the birth happens to be tricky, which is much more likely for older mums, adding to her need for a full recovery,
So then we note that a baby does best when it gets enough of both mum and dad, ie that they both form a safe and close attachment, now I figure Clarke will be like mum in this family, and I hope he can cope with the baby feeds, long nights, lack of sleep and cabin fever, he will need a form of support around him that understands and preferably also has babies..
Plus we hope he gets lucky… in NZ By default,
Dads are optional to midwives,
Dads are kicked out of maternity wards as if they are just visitors
dads are excluded by most Plunket services, treated as if they are always a violent threat
Dads are considered irrellevant by MMH/PND Services, when actually, they are vital
Don’t get me started on CYFs or the family courts bias
So I hope Clarke gets lucky, or he will need a support group like this….
Comment by realkiwi — Mon 22nd January 2018 @ 11:19 am
If anyone is confused, Helen Clark (no ‘e’) is the leader of the previous Labour Ministry and Clarke Gayford (which I assume is his real name) since it appears somewhat coincidentally convenient to the outfit he’s attached to. [Is Jacinda Adern’s partner.]
But you never know, he might be hosting morning teas for solo dad’s some time soon.
Comment by Evan Myers — Mon 22nd January 2018 @ 12:00 pm
#16 Downunder
No chance of a paternity test then.
I want proof.
Maybe she had been trying for ages/years with Clarke and nothing was happening so she did a deal with Winston.
Comment by DJ Ward — Tue 23rd January 2018 @ 5:40 pm
Maybe she never had a problem.
Perhaps Helen Clark had unfinished business and told her to get pregnant and pull the Waitangi stunt.
Comment by Downunder — Tue 23rd January 2018 @ 5:52 pm
This is a very interesting comment from the Pope
Comment by Downunder — Thu 25th January 2018 @ 8:31 am
I’m picking we’ll see Grant Robertson position himself as Jacinda’s replacement now Waitangi Day is over and done with.
First gay PM?
Comment by Evan Myers — Tue 6th February 2018 @ 7:54 pm
Pregnant PM is in the international media ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth heads of government meeting.
Comment by Downunder — Sun 8th April 2018 @ 8:28 am
One thing I do support, is midwives.
And is obviously, a service men don’t get.
I have been to four births, so have watched them in action.
There is no midwife post, so this is close.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/128105567/future-of-christchurch-st-georges-hospital-maternity-ward-hangs-in-balance
They have 70 patients a month, and assume it is two midwives 24/7.
At $50/hr each, that’s $2400 a day or $72,000 a month.
That’s around $1,000, per woman needing that care.
For what the woman has done, it is actually cheap.
The argument is, if it’s about economics or the service.
Do they have so few patients, that the cost is much higher per patient.
Or is it more like a factory, needing many more patients per midwife.
Is the service barely enough, or excessive per patient.
Certainly women deserve better than, barely enough.
What then of providing, more than enough.
How many more skills, can the midwife teach.
How much confidence, can the new mother gain with a longer stay.
What then is the reward of the midwife, for men.
Do they not save, the lives of there partners.
Do they not save, the lives of there children.
With good intent, do they not teach.
I for one, would spend more in this area.
Especially if the midwife, thinks it’s required.
A young alone or dysfunctional mother, may need extra help.
And they are well placed, to see the need for it.
Being a mother, has made the Prime Minister better.
At some point, a midwife was involved.
Comment by DJ Ward — Fri 18th March 2022 @ 10:50 pm