Now we know why the Greens are freaking out over The Opportunities Party

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Gaia with a vajazzle. 

Now we know why the Greens are freaking out over The Opportunities Party, all week Julie Anne Genter has been taking pot shots at TOP and desperately trying to argue that the Greens are more radical on cannabis than their political posturing towards the centre would suggest.

This was the exact conundrum I pointed out the Greens would find  themselves in when they pushed to change their image from social justice activists to Gaia with a vajazzle. The Greens have desperately sold themselves as mainstream and in doing so have watered down all their policy. They have left Dairy Farmers out of any real emissions targets for 5 years, not a particularly strong position to take if you believe in climate change and as for cannabis reform the Greens are promising to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.

TOP however have far more stringent climate change policy and an actual legislative market format for cannabis.  

The Greens have zigged when they should have zagged and are in danger of going backwards by getting jumped by NZ First as the 3rd largest party.

Their tactics and the staff directing those tactics saw Genter run and lose badly in what should have been a Green Party stronghold of Mt Albert. The Ruminator was a terrible choice as a communicator for 6 months and the Party seems to be held to ransom by the Wellington Twitteratti.

God knows what the hell is going on in the back room, for example here at TDB all the progressive political parties and Unions worth listening to get their press releases to us, but the Greens don’t, their new media person hasn’t even gotten around to adding us to their media list. The largest reading bloc of our readers are Green Party voters, the Green media team don’t seem too be aware of this.

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If the Greens go backwards this election, there will need to be some heads rolling in the back room.

30 COMMENTS

  1. I can’t help feeling that you’re injecting drama and conflict where none exists.

    Personally, I’m luxuriating in the novel sensation of multiple political parties competing for the cannabis vote.
    Feels a bit weird, to be honest.

  2. yes they should be worried…I know of at least one 25 yr old Green voter who is seriously considering the Opportunities Party, because she says they have better policies

  3. Any Party that gets distracted talking about dope in the build up to this election will lose, because the vast majority of people are way more concerned with getting an affordable roof over their head and feeding and clothing themselves and their children .
    Water quality , affordable healthcare and education and excessive immigration are the other top priorities.
    Legalising cannabis can be dealt with once power is established!

    • Hi Grant, people vote for their own best interests.
      Greens have tried to join the crush in the centre.
      They have been relatively quiet on social reform issues.
      People will vote to free the marijuana.

      My hunch is the greens will go backwards this election.

  4. National: off the cliff at 100km/hr
    Labour: off the cliff at 90km/hr
    Greens:off the cliff at 80km/hr
    TOP: off the cliff at 70km/hr

    All mainstream political parties advocate ‘off the cliff’.

  5. Yes i agree with this as we dot see the Greens coming out against this dirty Government policies strongly any more on this killing of our Environment, like the killing of rail and shutting regional freight Northland/Gisborne) recently and now just turning them into John Key type cycleways, and spending very big public funding to prop up a dirty transport building of now using more roads for trucks, how Green is that?

    Also we see little lip service paid into our declining water quality issues any more, (me excluded as a past green now a swing voter of the left.)

    • I agree CLEANGREEN with your sentiments.

      To me the NZ Greens seem to have changed tack, now heading towards the centre. This point became quite noticeable after Russel Norman left. Even Meteria Turei isn’t the same fire in the belly MP she once was with Russel by her side. The pair of them would stand up in Parliament and spit hell fire and brimstone at the Natz, championing ordinary working class Kiwis, demanding a fair deal for the less fortunate. They were also champions for the environment, challenging government to recognise and acknowledge the importance of a clean healthy environment, as the way of a prosperous and progressive future.

      Rod Donald will be turning in his grave at what his beloved party has become. RIP Rod. He and Jeanette Fitzsimons (followed by Russel and Meteria), gave NZ something special and unique, which was working.

      Now that spark which gave the Greens that point of difference has gone, leaving the Parliamentary wing of the party as a shell of its former self. So yes, given its present direction, I hope the NZ Greens are freaking out. They well need to be!

      Sadly not the party I will be voting for this year (after 20+ years support as a member and voter). Leaving another swing voter of the left.

  6. Gareth Morgan will get my offspring’s vote. All three of them.The Greens vote will drop dramatically this election. They are staid and boring, communicating poorly and are devoid of charisma and cojones. Being earnest and have few folks who actually do some work is not engaging.

  7. How dreadfully embarrassing. Our entire political world is deeply embarrassing. Both in this, and in parallel Universes.
    The Nationals
    The Labours
    The Greens
    The The Opportunities Party ( Oh my God. )
    ACT
    Maori
    The Alien Federation of Star Travellers and Zorgog snugglers Party
    The Beetles and Fleas For Freedom of Expression party
    The Weasels and Bears Transgender Support Federation Party
    The Vaguely Human Pencil Sharpeners Party
    The Everyone Can Just Fuck Right Off Party ( Mine. Care to vote for me? )

    We have a political crisis in Nu Zillind. We have a social crisis too. We have a classless, clueless, meandering, mindlessness that allows Barbies and Kens to rule us with an iron fisting.

    • @ COUNTRYBOY … here here.

      “The Alien Federation of Star Travellers and Zorgog snugglers Party
      The Beetles and Fleas For Freedom of Expression party
      The Weasels and Bears Transgender Support Federation Party
      The Vaguely Human Pencil Sharpeners Party
      The Everyone Can Just Fuck Right Off Party ( Mine. Care to vote for me? )”

      Thank goodness for the above list. I was really becoming quite concerned that there isn’t a party for me to vote for this year. The list you have posted gives me some hope of casting an intelligent vote this year 🙂

    • I quite like our last option, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Zorgog snugglers. (Did you mean “smugglers”? Because they are comPLETELY different.) But I agree, in general there aren’t any game changers there. Even Bolger has renounced neoliberalism; if only Andrew Little could do the same. But they have no alternative vision. Nothing really special to offer, and nothing ordinary that can be delivered in a way that makes people think it’s special. Like asset sales. That went well didn’t it? Apart from Solid Energy and a couple of others. Can you feel the difference?
      But I digress. The point is, to the average person, there is no real point of difference, therefore nothing to really raise anybody’s pulse. And I WANT to trust the Greens more than Gareth….

    • “Mine. Care to vote for me?”

      No. Not enough anarchy.

      Keep at it, though. There’s another bus due in 2020.

  8. TOP economic and social policy is light years ahead of the Greens (and the ‘main parties’). He also tells us how he will do it, not just ‘we will do’. A pack of 20 ‘Marleys’ from the shops is just the icing on the cake

  9. bout time the greens had some opposition. There intentions are good but they are full of (clean) air heads

    • ” time the greens had some opposition.” Everyone opposes the Greens.

      However – if they faced some genuine competition that actually understood action and persistence they might be redeemable. They might get out of platitudes and Will of the Universe and ‘we’re helpless’.

      But it’s unlikely.

      I miss the Old Greens…

  10. I think the thing is that the time has arrived for progressives to be staunch rather than apologists for what they stand for. What the last US election told the world was that middle-of-the-road doesn’t cut it any more. I don’t think the Greens have weakened their policies but they give the appearance of having done so. I don’t think you can blame the Green leadership for trying something different after getting very little reward from voters for all their hard work over the last few elections. Green members in general were feeling frustrated with the status quo and sick of getting pidgeon-holed, hence the election of James Shaw. Unfortunately, just as they have glammed it up, the mood of the electorate has swung in the opposite direction.

  11. I won’t vote for any party who isn’t for legalizing cannabis. The Greens have enjoyed the marijuana vote since their inception, yet they have made zero progress. I know many ignorant people who believe the Greens will/are putting in the hard yards to see legalization. Unfortunately for them, their track record speaks for itself!

    Hopefully cannabis users wake up this election and vote TOP, rather than buying into the Green’s lip service on the issue. Hmmmm, ever changing lip service at that.

  12. When the Greens entered the political fray and parliament, policy and principles were always to the forefront. What was great was they didn’t give a shit – just stuck to their guns – and didn’t play politics.
    Now – they’re just becoming another party with greener policies but playing the game nonetheless.
    Gareth Morgan comes along – doesn’t give a shit – just pitches up policies that are evidence-based. Anyone with a brain knows what to do.

    • A narrow view Dave. I suggest you watch Weediquette, though you may find confronting your current beliefs too challenging. Remember, anything can be misused, including food and alcohol.

      • I think the problem with the Greens is their backroom team, seems to have been nothing but stuff ups and poor decisions all round lately.
        The Green Party list is fantastic.
        We have yet to see what team of idiots NZF will come up with this time around.
        A vote for TOP is wasted unless they are on 5% or thereabouts. Maybe this cannabis policy will give them a lift, but will it be enough? Let’s see their party list before jumping in .
        In the meantime I’m sticking with the Greens in the hope that they will get their mojo going again. I must admit that I too am wavering.

      • I recall the kids I went to school who were regular cannabis users. The have not gone on to achieved much. The “straight” kids have by and large done a lot better in life.

  13. Wow, all the swing shifters seem to sit on the centre left. If only they lived in the centre right. Read the policy, work out what policy is important for you (us all) and vote accordingly, without the incessant kiwi need to run down who you are not voting for. As for the idea of a wasted vote…surely the only wasted vote is the one not posted.

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