On relentless positivity
"Relentless" is generally a negative term.
The new Labour leader has undertaken to be "relentlessly positive" between now and the election in September.
If Jacinda Ardern's appearance on yesterday’s Q&A with deputy leader Kelvin Davis is anything to go by, his role is to be "relentlessly negative."
"Relentless" is generally a negative term: "relentless rain, relentless suffering" etc. One would not commonly refer to "relentlessly good weather" or "relentless happiness." The same is true of "relentlessly positive." It sounds incongruous, fake.
To illustrate her relentless positivity, Ms Ardern smiled relentlessly during her interview with Jessica Mutch on yesterday’s Q&A. That seemed incongruous too, with "fake" not far behind.
Between now and September 23, Ms Ardern will be relentlessly feted by her adoring supporters. It will be tempting for her to hear little else. I would counsel against that. That dry, laconic, southern man currently running the show comes pretty close to the Kiwi version of the ideal joker. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in the front passenger seat with Barry Crump.
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On relentless positivity
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