Ryan Bridge: This ceasefire, can we celebrate yet?

Should we welcome a ceasefire? Yes, of course.

Should we count on it holding? No, of course not.

The Iranians now control a strait they didn’t control before the war, and the Israelis are still dropping bombs in Lebanon even though this ceasefire apparently says they shouldn’t be.

In fact, both sides now seem to be claiming they're talking about completely different 10-point plans.

These are the things you can’t control.

But on the things we can, does anybody else feel a bit relieved about the grownups we have in charge at home?

Nicola Willis has risen to the occasion. Clear, concise, across the detail, and realistic about what Government can and can’t do to fix everybody’s problems.

You’ll remember when this all kicked off I said they had few political choices given how hard they fought Labour’s Covid spending and its effect on inflation.

The targeted, temporary, timely motto seems to have, for now, been the right one.

Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. If there was to be a leadership spill in National, her performance in this crisis has out her top of the list of contenders. 

And Winston Peters, for all the cries and pleas for him to thump Trump, to criticise and protest, to play the role of the ICC, he’s held his nerve and kept his thoughts to himself.

Some argue that shows weakness. 

But most Kiwis know what he’s doing is protecting us from the wrath of a very sensitive and vindictive President.

This situation is far from done and dusted, but it’s shown us we have competent political and diplomatic leaders who are realistic about they can’t and can’t control.

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