James Shaw throws Barry Coates under a bus for flawed Green Party strategy

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Remarkable 24 hours in Green politics which has culminated in James Shaw throwing Barry Coates under a bus for flawed Green Party strategy.

Coates is a regular contributor for The Daily Blog and this week posted the Green Party position on their strategy to attack NZ First

If we were not part of the coalition, we would not accept a Labour-New Zealand First government and certainly not a National-New Zealand First government. Neither will be acceptable to the Greens. We want the Greens to be the beating heart of the next government and the strongest possible party vote for the Greens is the only solution.

…Coates, like a good soldier, is only articulating the attack NZ First strategy that the leadership has insanely embarked upon and for articulating it, he’s had James Shaw throw him under a bus on the morning political shows claiming that Coates is somehow wrong in his analysis that the Greens are threatening to with hold their support for a NZ First-Minority Government and force the country back to the Polls.

What’s actually happening is the same thing that happens every time the Greens fuck up strategy and tactics, they frantically are trying to back peddle their position now they’ve realised how bad it looks.

They did this when they voted for the budget and realised National would use that.

They did this when they realised running Gender against Ardern was madness.

They did the when they voted with National for Red Peak.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

The enormity of the fuck up the Greens have embarked upon by attacking NZ First and trying to threaten the nuclear option of forcing the country back to the Polls is only dawning on the Green Leadership and they are more than happy to crucify Coates if it means trying to reign their stupidity in.

This is what Coates said yesterday to NewsHub…

In an extraordinary move, Mr Coates has said a Labour-NZ First Government would be “unacceptable” to the Greens.

Asked by Newshub if this meant forcing the country back to the polls for another election, Mr Coates responded: “It could do.”

Mr Coates also said Green MPs had discussed refusing to support a Labour-NZ First combination as a caucus in the past fortnight.

“[Labour-NZ First] could not count on the support of the Green Party there is no automatic support that is provided for a Government under those circumstances,” Mr Coates said.

…Shaw is now trying to claim that this wasn’t discussed and wasn’t the strategy.

So who are you going to believe? James Shaw, a former coke-cola consultant or Barry Coates, the former Executive Director of Oxfam?

This is a needless cluster fuck by the Green leadership who should never have embarked on this kamikaze attack on Winston in the first place.

The Greens look divisive, they look like they don’t want to actually change the Government and they will look like hypocrites if they do in fact sit down to work with ‘racists’.

The Greens have allowed their uber woke middle class Twitter activists to call the shots on strategy and are paying a heavy price for that stupidity.

This is a total home goal by a Party who are increasingly looking like they are unable to function in any Government.

Winston will be laughing all the way to the ballot box. Un-fucking-believable bullshit by the Greens.

31 COMMENTS

  1. The Greens are still a great party and desparately needed to push Labour and NZ First and the country left of centre. Bad time for the Greens to have a teething issue. But in the interests of ‘change of government’ best for centre left commentators not to read too much into this.

    All three parties Labour, NZ First and Greens are better combined than individual. If they bother to work together rather than fight each other they will make a great government.

    Greens seem to be having a bad week. Barry Coates has my respect and I think James Shaw should be given a chance to see what he can do. Metiria has the most experience and she should be the one taking any flack and de escalating the problems.

    It also helps National NOT NZ First, as any name calling between two minor parties undermines both parties, confuses voters and helps National most. Have they learnt nothing from Internet Mana?

    NZ First as well as Greens should remember that.

    P.S. The time to be a hard arse is during negotiations AFTER winning the election from National and keeping strategy close to chest (aka Winston Peters style) before hand. Not before.

  2. It’s difficult to see this as an attack on Winston specifically. More a defense against NZ 1st attempting to exclude the Greens from government.

  3. Surely there is nothing more to this than the Greens trying to create a negotiating position for themselves. While they seem, prima facie, not to have pulled it off, it still might be part of a broader move that is worth their making. For one thing, they will want to keep the support they have if they do end up in a coalition that includes NZ1st. For another, they must surely feel the need to lever themselves out of the position where they do not have to be taken seriously because they are not a threat, and can be fitted in at the dominant party’s convenience.

  4. The bright young things of the Green Party appear to have the political savvy of an aardvark galloping through the crocodile infested Lompopo River.Thrills and spills! Gaping jaws! The upside is that out of the carnage they may learn some Realpolitik ,however I am not holding my breath!!

    • Shit Pete, – Iv’e been across the limpopo quite a bit mate in my day.

      I was working in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1970 and crossed the Limpopo river a few times on my way to the border post fixing Government vehicles.

      I never saw much water in the river then as i drove across the river bed in my Government Landrover.

      Thanks for the memories, that name limpopo got me there.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limpopo_River

        • +100 CLEANGREEN and WILD KATIPO…very evocative…my mother used to read me a story about the “great grey green greasy Limpopo River”.

          … a NZF ‘Just So’ spanking story for the Greens

          ‘The Elephant’s Child or How the Elephant got his Trunk’

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5719o8vvm_Y

          (maybe the Greens need a good spanking?)

          • Thanks wild katipo, & Red Buzzard,

            It was the experience of my life as a young 25yr old Kiwi then.

            As at the time I was stuck in Toronto unhappy about the winter and cold society which seemed alien to me, compared to my home country then as it was a warm & friendly country when I left our shores of NZ in 1968.

            I was invited through a Toronto Star newspaper article to apply as a tradesman Auto-Electrician to come to Rhodesia and work for the Government mechanical agency, “Mechanical equipment division” similar to our old model of public works or “Ministry of Works”.

            The workshop in Salisbury now “Harare” was huge and housed every mechanical shop anywhere seen elsewhere in the world.

            But there was an embargo on the country then and Rhodesians needed to make and fix everything they had and as a tradesman my first job was to completely rewire a IZUSU 15 tonne truck and coming from a country that taught tradesmen though skills ten it was a simple task that impressed the locals.

            The proud and steady Prime Minister was a blue collar worker called Ian Smith (similar to UK’s Jeremy Cobyn) effectively welded the country both Black & white together in a shared wealth agreement.

            I went to a Native village invited for a time to see the way all native folk were housed and was impressed as we all mixed with natives in social events bars and most places of daily life.

            It was at a time when Ian Smith had stood up against the British Government rule and declared the country free as a “Unilateral Declaration of Independence ” (UDI) who desperately wanted the only part of what was southern Rhodesia NOT to revert to native control entirely as northern Rhodesia had done so EARLIER called (ZAMBIA) and all witnessed the problems that developed there.

            Ian Smith was partnered by a kiwi Garfield Todd who was a quiet mannered man & farmer.

            The country was booming with the exports making the country rich, and ian & Garfield was making a sharing society out of it.

            Ian Smith’s pictures were everywhere when Britain put a blockage (embargo) on Rhodesia to bring him down so his signature saying below was saying;

            “We have set our course and will never deviate”

            I simply loved the country then.

            Rhodesians say now don’t go back it will break your heart as the country did revert back to native control and for a while it was good until rogue like John Key/ss Joyce combo’ came and took it over and wrecked the place, and the rest is just history I don’t want to read.

            NZ is headed this way as I fear civil unrest is not far away now.

            Hope you enjoyed my memo.

  5. Un-fucking-believable you say?

    Totally in keeping with the middle class wankers that they are.

    In the meantime kids starve, pensioners freeze, and the rest of us live on the streets…

    • No patience. Not humble.

      Not patient enough to what for the right conditions to present in order to execute policy directions properly. Not humble enough for self reflection.

      Not patient enough to back out of bad policy. Not humble enough to drop unpopular policy But quickly shift focus to winning policy (probably because other parties already championed them)

      This could be very easily addressed by Meteria and Shaw. With one question: “what do we have to do now?”

      With out putting words in there mouths they have to dump underperforming policy and replace them with new policy advertisement.

      So that’s to say buy into policy less when it is unpopular, and by into policy more when it is popular.

        • That is true. They also need to tast the fruits of there Labour before sanity can prosper or else, TS authors would not be pleased about gentlemen’s sports interrupting the magnificence of The New Zealand Green Party.

  6. Tragic, but not irredeemable.

    The best thing now would be some form of brief public reconciliation of sorts, nothing ostentatious but at least some sort of acknowledgement . And then get on with the job of working together for the bigger picture. And that is to get this corrupt National party out of office.

    There’s a place for both NZ First AND the Greens in the incoming Labour led government. A ton of talent in both of those party’s.

    Keep your eyes on the ball and kick for touch.

    And as so many right wingers have tried to make out about so many of the colossal and immoral hypocrisy’s of National saying ‘ it will all be forgotten and the public doesn’t care ‘ – the same logic can be applied to this. There are bigger issues this country faces and this latest perceived spat between the Greens and NZ First pales into insignificance in light of the long term destruction that National has been responsible for.

    • You’re right but unfortunately the foreign owned 4th estate will play this up as much as possible as a diversion to keep National in power. National will always be protected by the corporate media. They will always have a free pass to get out of jail.

  7. Yes martyn,

    This would never have happened when Rod Donald & Jeannette Fitzsimmons & Sue Kedgley as very smart people, were running the party when I had joined them in 1999-2000 – but since left them.

    They need what Winston has!!!

    Pure long learned political experience mate!!!

    The Green Party had this power & experience back then.

    But at least the tall poppy (co-leader) James Shaw did come out finally and set the record straight thank god.

    Yes Winston will be on fire at their Auckland Conference this weekend http://www.nzfirst.org.nz/

    We hope you attend this AGM & Election year NZ First conference and give us the full cover please from the 24th Annual New Zealand First Party Convention and AGM located in the heart of South Auckland at the Vodafone Events Centre, July 15-16.

    http://www.nzfirst.org.nz/

    The 24th Annual New Zealand First Party Convention and AGM
    Located in the heart of South Auckland at the Vodafone Events Centre, come along and experience democracy in action with likeminded members.

    Whether this is your 24th Convention or your very first, this is a unique opportunity for delegates and observers to contribute to policy and elect the movers and shakers responsible for managing the Party.

    The Convention is a members only event. Join now to attend or come along to our free public address Sunday July 16th at the Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau

  8. I disagree. Most people I know, and myself included, are glad to see a left-wing party challenge the toxic views of NZ First.

    The Left’s problem is Labour – so let’s stop making excuses and bashing the Greens for Andrew Little’s ‘neoliberalism without identity politics’.

    Maybe for 2020 the Labour Party will gave the Left policies worth campaigning for.

  9. Aaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh….this just does my head in?
    Do they have no instincts at all as to how this looks in voter land .
    All those people, schools , hospitals, lakes and rivers out there that are suffering terribly under this current useless incompetent regime are now consigned to another 3 more years of the same garbage.
    Why did they put their petty indulgences ahead of everything they say they stand for??
    If Little can pull this together and turn this around now he will well and truly deserve the leadership and a standing ovation to boot

  10. 3 more years of National government kleptocracy coming right up after Septmber. Thanks a bunch Greens!

  11. Barry is a good man and he is right about the Green partys leadership, theyre shite!
    A purge of the Green party leadership is a must if theyre to remain in double digits by the next set of PoP’s! Barry, Eugenie,Denise,Kennedy,Catherine D,Mojo,Gareth or David C will be better leaders than the current two idiots! Done now, it could be done & dusted by Monday! Chop, chop!

  12. Here’s my suggestion for the Greens which I will still be voting for. Stop playing clever politics, push the issues we care about, see how many votes we get on the day, and THEN think about what to do next

  13. Thanks wild katipo, & Red Buzzard,

    It was the experience of my life as a young 25yr old Kiwi then.

    As at the time I was stuck in Toronto unhappy about the winter and cold society which seemed alien to me, compared to my home country then as it was a warm & friendly country when I left our shores of NZ in 1968.

    I was invited through a Toronto Star newspaper article to apply as a tradesman Auto-Electrician to come to Rhodesia and work for the Government mechanical agency, “Mechanical equipment division” similar to our old model of public works or “Ministry of Works”.

    The workshop in Salisbury now “Harare” was huge and housed every mechanical shop anywhere seen elsewhere in the world.

    But there was an embargo on the country then and Rhodesians needed to make and fix everything they had and as a tradesman my first job was to completely rewire a IZUSU 15 tonne truck and coming from a country that taught tradesmen though skills ten it was a simple task that impressed the locals.

    The proud and steady Prime Minister was a blue collar worker called Ian Smith (similar to UK’s Jeremy Cobyn) effectively welded the country both Black & white together in a shared wealth agreement.

    I went to a Native village invited for a time to see the way all native folk were housed and was impressed as we all mixed with natives in social events bars and most places of daily life.

    It was at a time when Ian Smith had stood up against the British Government rule and declared the country free as a “Unilateral Declaration of Independence ” (UDI) who desperately wanted the only part of what was southern Rhodesia NOT to revert to native control entirely as northern Rhodesia had done so EARLIER called (ZAMBIA) and all witnessed the problems that developed there.

    Ian Smith was partnered by a kiwi Garfield Todd who was a quiet mannered man & farmer.

    The country was booming with the exports making the country rich, and ian & Garfield was making a sharing society out of it.

    Ian Smith’s pictures were everywhere when Britain put a blockage (embargo) on Rhodesia to bring him down so his signature saying below was saying;

    “We have set our course and will never deviate”

    I simply loved the country then.

    Rhodesians say now don’t go back it will break your heart as the country did revert back to native control and for a while it was good until rogue like John Key/ss Joyce combo’ came and took it over and wrecked the place, and the rest is just history I don’t want to read.

    NZ is headed this way as I fear civil unrest is not far away now.

    • Who is this white supremacy apologist that has the Rhodesia blinkers on? If he’s a green supporter they better get rid of him quick before local “natives” come & throw him under a bus, along with Barry Coates. As for the Greens – the middle-class selfishness we used to see in the Alliance from some of them is shining through. We’ve seen them progressively push out or sideline those with a strong social justice world view, to the point where the aqua hues of the blue-greens are starting to become pretty evident. Most unfortunate, as there are still some pretty good people in there, but they better start organising to take back control of their party.

      • Correction Dave I am not a Green party supporter, I was in their party when they had balls after returning from Canada in 1999 when they had leadership and yes I went to Alliance meetings also as we were interested in their poicies of old “Social credit and still are today some of my closest friends are Alliance party members.

        Rhodesia was a place in time not suited for today and I cannot apologise for Cecil Rhodes (Founder of Rhodesia) either as I had never met him he had past away by then.

        Britian was the aggressive party then not Rhodesia, as 25000 white born Rhodesians were another fact of life I understood also.

        Today they would call them refugees as we see today pouring out of Africa so nothing has changed has it?

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