Some serious analysis, please
The media air has been thick this past week with the sound of the Green Party celebrating the 10th anniversary of its entry to Parliament, with more than a few local news outlets — in the environmental spirit, natch — recycling the party spin about its supposed political achievements over the same period.
According to party co-leader Russel Norman, the Greens have championed the environment like no other and kept their political opponents honest in the past 10 years.
Norman believes that politics today is a lot more constructive than it used to be before Jeanette Fitzsimons won the seat of Coromandel and ushered her party on to the parliamentary map.
This all sounds terribly vague. Perhaps it might have helped if somebody in the media had used the occasion to examine one of the party’s supposed concrete environmental achievements.
Alas, a random computer-search on the internet only throws up items to do with the various hardline statements on international affairs by Keith Locke, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons’ recent decision to meet with leading conspirators who believe the American government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, and of course Sue Bradford’s central role in outlawing parental smacking. Not forgetting MP Sue Kedgley’s ill-starred support some years ago for a comprehensive ban on all forms of water.
Nothing very green in any of that. Indeed, the party’s own media release only manages to find one such environmental initiative, now nearly a decade out of date.
We wish the anti-capitalists well on their birthday. We just wish we knew what the dickens it is they’re celebrating.
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Comments and questions10
Absolutely spot-on, David. I used to be close to the action with the Greens, but left in dismay at their sell-out on the environment. They were captured by the dregs of the Alliance and never recovered. This country deperately needs a REAL party to advocate sensibly for environmental issues.
They were celebrating how in every social engineering scheme dreamed up by Clark and her gang from the inept inane Labour Party they supported her legislation. Also let on they were a seperate identity in fact they were and still are anti family and a pack of self serving scoundrels.
Have a look at http://www.greens.org.nz/page/history-green-party if you want to judge for yourself
An oxymoron perhaps.
Sorry Rimu, 10.42; but I have read your webb reference, and cannot find one item which benefitsNZ either now or in the future.
The two 'annonymous's' above have prety well summed up the situation re the gReens, just another group of otherwise un-employables,with their snouts in the trough.
thanks for the link Rimu
I hadn't realised the Greens has done so much
Does anyone know who's paying for the former co-leader to attend the silly climate conference in Europe? Please tell me it's not a tax funded junket!
Let them have their moment. However it cannot be denied this is a party in serious decline since Rod Donald and left and will be left completely directionless with Jeanette retiring (I suspect with her there wouldnt be much better).
Let them have their moment... they wont make 5% at the next election and they wont win an electorate. They may be called green, but the outlook is starting to look very brown and wilting.
To think that one of their leaders is an Australian who foreever likes to tell us dumb Kiwis how our country should be run ,i hope he has a NZ PASSPORT.
Isn't this a wee bit predictable - NBR bagging the Greens? Gee what a surprise ...
How can you all be so mean!
The Greens are lovely and caring and if they weren't in the green party they would be poor and living on the streets and no one would want that because even though living rough has been judged a carbon neutral lifestyle, they would not be able to tell the dirty carbon producing people of NZ how to live.
I have just recieved their latest newsletter giving even more ways to save the planet and there are some great ideas about producing less greenhouse gas. Stopping flatulence and defecation not only means that the world is a better place but ensures that one is full of the stuff that drives discussion and ideas in the world of the greens.
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