Sunday, February 01, 2015

Interesting juxtaposition re the Green's future direction

Two columns offer quite contrasting views.

The first from Rodney Hide:

The David Cunliffe experiment of tacking left is over.
That's good news for the Greens: they can hoover up left-wing voters.
It's good news for Labour: they have to win the middle to win Government.
(BTW Rodney predicted Norman's demise as leader in his Radio Live predictions for 2015).

The second from Chris Trotter who, with out providing specific examples, I have a sense often gets things wrong.


Under Rod Donald and Jeanette Fitzsimons, Russel Norman and Metiria Turei, the Greens belonged to the Left. Under its next set of co-leaders, especially if their names are Shaw and Genter, the Greens will belong to whoever offers them the best deal.
Under Rod Donald and Jeanette Fitzsimons, Russel Norman and Metiria Turei, the Greens belonged to the Left. Under its next set of co-leaders, especially if their names are Shaw and Genter, the Greens will belong to whoever offers them the best deal. - See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/01/30/repositioning-rightward-the-political-consequences-of-russel-normans-departure/#sthash.y2wzbHUm.dpuf

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you are correct in respect of Trotter getting things wrong - because he believes in his own rhetoric. I think Hide is wrong as well, possibly because he thinks the Greens are sensible.

The Greens in NZ are just communists in disguise and their hatred of anything remotely centre and passionate loathing for anything to the right will prevent them doing anything at all. They are irrelevant while National remain centre left.

3:16

Jigsaw said...

Trotter is obsessed with the history of the left in NZ and faced with deadlines often advances an argument only to write something almost exactly apposed later. Faced with any failure of the left he simply says that it wasn't done correctly. What he leaves out of what he says often says more about his arguments that anything else.

JC said...

NZ politics has become consumed with something very akin to World champ boxer Jack Johnson who held the title 1908-15.

Johnson, a Black had to endure years of boxers who became the "Next Great White Hope" who attempted to reimpose White superiority in the ring.

Here each new Labour leader becomes the NGWH attempting to take on Key.

The Labour contenders can't win if they are focused on Key.. they have to beat his team in the realm of ideas and the public's assessment of reality.

To me Little looks like an angry and somewhat less goofy Don Brash. He could well get his team rowing together but just fail to win because of clashes between ideology and pragmatism.. eg, how to repeal the 90 day employment law whilst claiming to be the friend of small business.

JC

Anonymous said...

The Greens in NZ are just communists in disguise

Like Labour, and NZF, and Peter Dunne, and MANA and the Maori Party...

They are irrelevant while National remain centre left

But National is hard/extreme left - ACT is is barely centre left.

The rest of the world is up in arms because Greece just elected a "communist" government in Syriza.
You do know Syriza's policies are precisely those that John Key has been running the last six years, don't you?