Russel Norman’s damning assessment of Greens should wake them up – will it?

By
Martyn Bradbury
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34
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I can’t remember if I’ve actually watched The Nation this year – but this damning appraisal of Marama Davidson’s performance by Russel Norman should force Green Party Woke that they need to actually wake up…

Former Green leader Russel Norman labels Marama Davidson’s interview ‘terrible’, won’t call her right person for the job

Former Green Party co-leader Russel Norman has hit out at current leader Marama Davidson’s “shocker” interview about the party’s flagship welfare policy.

Asked on Newshub Nation if Ms Davidson was the right person to be co-leader, Mr Norman didn’t answer – and labelled her interview with The AM Show on Monday as “terrible”.

Asked how much her party’s plans for the welfare system would cost, Ms Davidson admitted that was a “fair question”, but couldn’t provide a number.

“I don’t have the full cost, but reasonable compared to what we lose when we don’t allow people to make their ends meet… Too many people are struggling to make ends meet at the moment, and that’s not good enough”.

But Dr Norman doesn’t believe that’s good enough.

“She obviously needed to have those numbers. You can’t walk in having announced a policy and not know what it costs. I mean that’s just not one of the options on the table,” he said.

…I’ve watched the response from their twitter feeds to this damning appraisal by Russel and astoundingly it’s all the medias fault and it’s racist nitpicking by men who don’t like women in power.

The Green Woke are in absolute denial that this is poor media planning and strategy and any attempt to suggest it is gets attacked as heteronormative patriarchal misogyny.

Their mutation into a middle class Identity Politics vehicle living in a woke twitter bubble is too alienating for the vast majority of NZ and I’m becoming more and more convinced that they risk dropping below 5% in the 2020 election if TOP put forward a strong  campaign.

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The Greens have dropped in support each election over the last 3 elections, it is not inconceivable their incompetent political messaging could cause them to crash out altogether.

I wonder who they will blame if they do?

 

34 COMMENTS

  1. Yes we hope the Green Party wake up!!!!!

    They are a disappointment now really, & not really doing much to save our environment now sady.

    I see nothing in their agenda now for our failing rail system do we?

  2. The Green Party is the only party that doesn’t believe the illusion that you can have your cake and eat it too, and that you can find solutions that will please everyone. As such, they occupy a part of the political spectrum that no one else occupies.

  3. TOP Party or not, if nothing changes, they are going to go below 5% on their very own.

    It seems inconceivable but its almost like an inside job to destroy the Green Party as a political force in NZ!

    • it was only those of us that had enough political nous to know that the greens were very much in danger of missing 5% in 2014 and that we bit the teeth and made sure they did, otherwise another 3 years of the dipton burglar was on the cards..i for one certainly will not do it again having seen the disgusting mess they have made of the charity vote given to them, what a disgusting bunch of trough seekers we have been landed with.

  4. it was only those of us that had enough political nous to know that the greens were very much in danger of missing 5% in 2014 and that we bit the teeth and made sure they did, otherwise another 3 years of the dipton burglar was on the cards..i for one certainly will not do it again having seen the disgusting mess they have made of the charity vote given to them, what a disgusting bunch of trough seekers we have been landed with.

  5. Russel has shown intelligent understanding of the bigger picture and suffered personal attack to his family for his forthright addressing of NZs needs in financial realignment.

    Environment wise his position shows commitment and realism to fighting the ignorance and greed driving human demise.

    The latest IPCC report is just another watered down pandering to the same malicious greed that is our problem causing terminal damage to the chances of human survival.

    In my one to one discussions with two members of the IPCC writing group, it became obvious that they were both dismayed at the extensive compromise forced on the papers by puppets for business as usual, and sponsored by Govts when appointments are made for these committees.

    The thrust of the message from science is mostly lost in the final papers published. This pattern is organised and surreptitious pressure is put upon many delegates taking part.

    The IPCC position on methane is effectively one of denial although the actual scientific input is plain and clear. But while the pattern is not at all deniable, the argument of detail is enough for it to be relegated to the too hard to agree category, so there for left out of consideration.

    The elephant does not rate recognition nor its effect of accelerating runaway.

  6. Yeah and Russell Norman achieved what in opposition? If the greens want more policy wins…they need more votes.

  7. All I can think of is that the Greens are being attacked and influenced from the inside via key people in dirty politics meets spying type ops.

    They really need to consider internal sabotage or influencing from volunteers, people close to them and advisors who may not be working in their best interests but for spy agencies and big business.

    Marama has gone from activist warrior type to be a complete screw up and maybe there is someone close to her, helping this transformation along?

    I never thought Marama was right for the role, because you need to be the type of person who can handle dirty politics and understand it and be vigilant for it and I think instead the Green Party have done the opposite and clung together for support and keep being influenced negatively by woke left discourse to do or say the wrong things.

    That could end the centre left government next election and let the apocalyptic right loose again in NZ. We already pretty much have a Neoliberal focused left government but wait it could be worse.

    Lets face it, it keeps coming out, how the government and private agencies send in internal spies and fifth columnist from Greenpeace to Oil free Wellington, to the sinister Laurie Moore in a relationship with an animal activist to the earthquake commission spying on people just wanting to get their houses fixed!

    Then the revelations that private realities can be created on an individual level via Facebook and social media thought to influence massive political events like Brexit and US elections.

    Woke left might not even be real, maybe just a right wing ‘strategy’ to create a false group to divide and conquer the left.

    I’m gonna vote Green next election because they are still the best of a bad bunch – and in my opinion are obviously being seriously compromised somehow as this is not the Green Party of old with all the screw ups and weird behaviour.

  8. Can someone get Russell Norman back into the Greens!

    Save the country for our kids!

    Russell Norman also victim of harassment and dirty politics campaigning which drove him out of parliament just like David Cunliffe.

    The politicians that go after neoliberalism seem to be harassed out of parliament whereas if you just worry about trivia you are left alone…

  9. I didn’t see the interview as I don’t watch the AM Show. However Marama’s not having the costs at her fimertips is no big deal. If the interviewer wants to know them he can always do some digging later. M

  10. They are becoming politicians – the same grey pollies as the rest albeit with different policies haha and it simply doesn’t suit them.

    The paradox for the Greens is that they are more effective in parliament when they are free to propose and oppose without constraint. How many of their policies were adopted by Labour and transNational? A considerable number. They don’t have to be in government to get things done.

    Now, locked into a coalition with NZF they’re looking muzzled and ineffective. Ministerial offices, perks and recognition are all very well but they are for politicians of the mainstream not activists.

    Confidence and supply is enough to provide and that leaves room for assessing policy by policy and the room to critique all parties.

  11. The only true ‘Green Party’ is now Greenpeace NZ, and globally the only true environmental ‘party’ is Greenpeace International.

    While I can without much hesitation sign email support messages and petitions for Greenpeace causes, I am these days struggling to support the Greens in Parliament, who I used to party vote for.

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