I’ve been pretty critical of Green Party tactics, strategy and their watered down environmental policy as they move from activists to middle class sorority club, but their decision to launch a real campaign against Nick Smith is bloody clever…
Greens make big push in Nelson to unseat Nick Smith
The Green Party is aiming to win an electorate seat for the first time in 18 years.
The party launched its Nelson campaign today, and said candidate Matt Lawrey would run a “two-tick” election campaign against long-serving National MP Nick Smith.
The Greens usually campaign solely for the party vote, and have not targeted a seat since former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons won in Coromandel in 1999. That remains the only electorate the Green Party has claimed in its 27-year history.
Co-leader James Shaw said he believed it was possible for Lawrey, a city councillor, to overcome Smith’s 7000-vote majority. He said Smith was vulnerable because of his record in the housing and environment portfolios over the past three years.
…Nick Smith’s incompetence on almost every social and environmental issue this country faces makes him a lightening rod and the Greens have put together a very smart campaign to bring that lightening home to his electorate.
The first is that the Greens, thanks to a large donation that specifically requested the money be spent on the Nelson electorate, are able to spend the maximum $250 000 for the campaign which gives them an edge they’ve never had. Also the choice of candidate for the Greens, Matt Lawrey, is very a very credible candidate to run against Nick and leaves the Labour Party candidate in the dust.
So how do the numbers look?
Nick Smith has built a fortress in Nelson, and while Lawrey would need all the Green Party vote plus the Labour Party vote plus some of Nicks vote, the Greens can outspend the Nats, are facing a weak Labour Party candidate and have in Lawrey a candidate who can remind Nelson voters of just how appalling Nick Smith is.
Smith is still odds on favourite to win Nelson, but this is an electorate worth fighting for.
Clever strategy by Green Party.
Hope NZ First runs a candidate there to split National’s vote?????
Love the photo maybe that water will put some hairs on his chest ?
Well done Elizabeth Riddoch.
We can only speculate, but given that she was unknown to the Greens I would like to think she was trying to see Smith unseated for the benefit of the entire Nation.
Still unsure why any New Zealander would vote for Smith at all?
I can assure you that Green environmental policy has not been watered down. https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/cleaner-environment/2015-climate-action-yes-we-can
Cough.
Bullshit Janine.
The move to the middle class vote with a former coca-cola consultant has seen the Greens allow Dairy Farmers a 5 year reprieve from having to do anything about their emissions. For a Party that claims to care about climate change, that’s a bullshit position to take.
Where and how exactly is the Greens environmental policy watered down? I don’t see that at all. I suggest that Bradbury at least shows evidence to claims like that.
Pity all the Green MPs sat on the fence and abstained on the Pt England Development Enabling Bill?
VERY disappointing.
Penny Bright
2017 Independent candidate Tamaki
Exposing the $1.6 billion Tamaki ‘Regeneration’ – GENTRIFICATION $CAM.
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