Dear Auckland Central Labour voters voting Helen White – don’t – the climate needs you to vote Chloe

1. Face it if the Greens do not win it is because they have no credibility as a party that cares for the enviroment . They care more about trying to make white men into colonial villains making marajuana legal and making farmers into the enemy of the state.
   Drivers on cell phones kill themselves and others but Genter refuses to increase the fine . Sage has allowed rubbish tips on the West Coast to be exposed but not helped to stop it happen . As a party they showed they had no spin and allowed Winston and Jacinda to walk all over them giving them a couple of hits so they stayed in the fold and hoped for more .

   • However, political party’s fortunes change and evolve. In the Greens case I suspect they will be back in parliament as the natural partners with Labour. If anyone reckons on the Greens being ‘weird’ or ‘inconsistent’ lately, – one only has to recall 36 years of the madness of the neo liberals to really understand ‘weirdness’ and ‘ inconsistency’s’…

   • To be fair, Farmers do want to foul our waterways to make money.

     And no one should be arrested for smoking a joint.

     • “To be fair, Farmers do want to foul our waterways to make money”
       Do you know many farmers Millsy? Do you seriously think farming people are actively wanting to foul waterways?

       I could start telling you about the 250,000 trees I’ve planted and the environmental restoration stuff, all the waterways fenced off, organic certification, no soluble fertilisers used, etc etc etc but some people just have closed minds. If this is not you, I apologise, but man am I sick of the anti-farming rhetoric coming from people who are usually totally ignorant of the reality. I don’t write any hate about people in cities despite the fact that the quality of city waterways are the worst in the country. Why do people want to force a rural/urban divide?

       • I don’t steal and have no wish to kill people.

         But I don’t go round complaining about how laws against theft and murder are stifling people and should be repealed.

         • Cheers Millsy, I’ve got no idea if your comment was in any way related to mine but it’s great to know you’re a good citizen.

           • My point was, that farmers claim they dont want to foul the rivers, yet they right tooth and nail against any law that stops them. If they had no desire to poison the rivers, then they would have no objection to such a law. Unless they wanted to do so to rake in the extra cash,

             • It’s my intent that the Greens turn from an environmental party or an economic Party, or a party of social justice to a truly strategic party that makes itself look like an environmental party, or an economic party, or a party of social justice and fundamentally set the context in how New Zealand will operate every 3 years and also to talk about things in a consensus kind of way. Y’know how do we get fast trains, how do we get equal access to work, pay, how do we get clean secure drinking water and so on.

2. Greens look goneburgers – similarly to National at the moment the suburban housewife set have excised the greens from their thoughts. Shame for Chloe as she is the closest thing the greens have got to a principled politician which is usually half their charm.

   The real trick will be stating relevant enough to get back in 2023. I think they will unless they spectacularly implode while being out of parliament.

   • But they wont be out of parliament. This is no longer the 1960’s and the Green revolution happened a long time ago. They are here to stay. Whether you like it or not.

3. Authors of their own destiny.

4. They are not the Greens. They ceased championing the environment. Instead they’ve gone off the scale with wokeness. They’re the Wokes.

   They’ve been distracted by drug sideshows which is all Swarbrick is now known for and that is a pity because she actually offered far more and anything but, running for mayor.

   They are woefully led and I cannot see that changing with the talentless co-leaders they have. And tactically they have been useless.

   The question is, if the Green Party are returned, what hope is there that they will suddenly realise they are in politics for a reason and get real?

   • They need new Leadership. Then things will change.

     • You’re delusional.

       • Which of these policies do you disagree with:
         Poverty Action Plan

         Ocean Protection Policies

         Greens Farming Policy

         • The loonie fiscal and defence policy and the ones before. The Greens misunderstand the tax regime that Roger Douglas created as do National people. The absence of a wages policy that is believable or credible but back to taxes.

           Because so much of The Labour Party’s policies are devoted to the middle rump of the workforce and the community paid for by bringing down tariffs. So for every dollar, we sell to our largest trade partner, Australia, we get nzd$1.05. If the cuts in taxes had of improved these rates on the wealthy then that would have spoken to those electorates in a language they can understand and much more success for the greens.

           Instead of that, The Greens reckon they should spend tax increase on welfare where I believe productitivy increases should fund a governments budget.

5. It is clear that Chloe cannot win simply by begging Labour voters to vote for her. If the Labour party told its Auckland supporters to vote for Chloe she would win but its not happening. The only possible conclusion is that Labour wants to see the Greens out of parliament. I have mentioned this several times in Comment columns and got no response. Labour and National want first passed the post – not just now but always-and by default that is what will happen in this election.

   • Why should Labour tell them to vote Chloe instead of White, they should have arranged a deal ahead of time but didn’t bother.

     If 3 years ago that either the Greens or Labour electorate candidate stood down, then they would have won Auckland Central instead of allowing the Natz electorate candidate back in.

     Judging from the polling it looks like White is a shoe in, maybe due to Covid, the Natz are having difficulty getting their dirty politics guys into NZ.

   • Of course they want them gone.
     Greens have only ever been a pain in the arse when in government.
     Winston too.
     The only minor parties who have not been are Maori and ACT, but is suspect that is because their influence is relatively small.

6. To Auckland Central voters:
   Please, don’t make Chloe pay for Mr Shaw’s unique brand of Dirty Politics.

   Shaw removed the voice of other Greens than himself, at least to some extent, when he made his own creepy deal with the National Party, giving away the Greens Question Time to such as Ms Collins, Paula Bennett, Foulloon, et al. At the time he took that action the female Co-Leader had not yet been decided on, so Shaw was silencing her (whoever) in advance.

   Had they not been silenced, the Green Party today could be leading the way, rather than dissolving as they appear to be now. A vote for Chloe is a vote to restore the voice of true Greens in parliament, which someone tried to silence.

7. Please please stop pretending the Greens are good for the environment.
   They are a woke protest movement far more focused on social justice than anything else.
   Labour are better off without them, the environment is better off without them, New Zealand is better off without them.

8. Once the easily triggered self-righteous formed a dominant faction in the Greens, the party became easy prey for the Right, who learned the lesson that knocking out potential coalition partners on the Left was a pathway back to power.
   True left leaning political parties represent a very real threat to the right, because they give voice to policy ideas that are an anathema to the uber rich and their wannabe enablers. Policy ideas that won’t necessarily be voiced by the self appointed major player of the left – the Labour party (and we can debate the validity of their position on the political spectrum until the sun goes nova). The dangers of community and social based policy threatens greed and profit. Can’t have those ideas being bandied about – someone might realise that there’s fairer way of organising society and saving the environment!! As an aside, it was frustrating to see the lessons of lockdown were quickly forgotten as people couldn’t wait to rush back to their roles as debt slaves and wage serfs. The sense of community dissolved as quickly as it had formed, much to the relief of the vested interests.
   The easily triggered faction, by their very nature an exclusionary rather than inclusionary group, have been regularly and reliably triggered where and when necessary by those they label their enemies. Like flicking a switch, the self righteous, hateful spite that flows from the mouths and keyboards of these blinkered victims serves only to disengage the bystanders and witnesses. Rather than being drawn into an understanding of the ‘woke’ point of view, the onlookers become repelled by their immediate characterisation as the oppressors and cause of the pain and victimhood of this loud identitarian faction.
   This tactic – of putting the boot into the Greens – became even easier when the identitarians managed to alienate even their more obvious potential allies on the left. These days, apart from hard core nowhere-else-to-go environmentally conscious voters, Green-bashing is in fashion across the political spectrum. And it’s not undeserved in all cases. A win-win for the hard right Natz. And of course, you will have noticed as soon as a Green-critical piece appears, the right wing trolls (who, as they do every election year, turn up in force at places like TDB – welcome btw:)) jump onto the comments section to reinforce the ongoing “ain’t the Greens a bunch of fuckwits” narrative.
   The Greens remain naiive. There were several blunders in the last term which damaged their image. And like ACT and their new gun nut friends, they can’t risk losing a chunk of their support by telling their woke warrior faction to go form their own Snowflake party.
   There is real opportunity here for Labour to hoover up some votes by beefing up their green creds, but of course they in turn don’t want to frighten away their SUV driving, ‘latte & a gym session’ cohort.
   A very interesting phase in NZ politics, with climate change now smashing down the door and likely to make 2020 look like a ‘good year’ in the long run.
   What is the best tactic going forward for left of centre environmentally focused voters? Can Labour be changed from within (as Bernie failed to do with the Democrats). Is forming yet another party of the Left the answer? Can the Greens be rehabilitated? Is any of this now even worth it, given we’re about 30 years too late in responding to climate change and a major reformation of human society is now a certainty, whether we want it or not???!

   • If the Greens are to regenerate, they must have new leadership. Shaw has to go.

     Bring in the young Climate activists and put them high on the List. There are some who are standing but who have been all-but shafted.

     Try and re-call one or two of those ‘Elder’ Greens who moved on, bring them in at least in an advisory capacity. Their wisdom is their strength, their gift to the Party. (But they would need to be approached and invited, and listened to.)

     • Greens might need more oldie climate change activists high on the list instead of ‘advisors’…. but god know what happened to Sage when she signed off the increased water permits. Marama’s war on homeowners and the waged while being an ex aerobics instructor at Les Mills, Shaw’s hopeless 3rd way with business, Chloe and Golriz as self promoters on niche policy. The war on men to reclaim the cunt. Maybe the Greens are better off not thinking about identity at all, and just go with people in NZ who have done the most in terms of real achievements for the environment, not just looking good on Metro and being good at marketing themselves… also climate change as a phrase is so over used now it is almost meaningless.

       If the Green Party ditch all of the above MP’s and go with a brand new bunch of Greens they have more hope of achieving the 5%, but I think they need to ditch all of the current MP’s to make it back and have real greenies to replace them not Labourites in the Green Party.

       The only Green list MP’s I like are Barry Coates because he actually did something on TPPA and maybe Steve Abel as ex Greenpeace. There maybe be more talent hiding on the list, who knows because all you ever hear about is the high up MP’s blunders and constant self promotions.

       Maybe less time with the Green millennials writing their books and more time saving the planet might have helped.

       • Labourites in the Green Party.

         I think Shaw would be more at home among the Nats. He did his little deal with the Nats, muzzling the Greens in parliament, and goes for the super posh private school. He’s like a Nat in Harlequin Green.

9. Chloe has always been a third place runner in Auckland. She obviously has a few highly motivated Green supporters who keep championing her but personally I think she is part of the problem of the Greens. She should be in the neoliberal Labour Party, not Green Party. Cannabis can help calm the masses and stop the riots which is why it’s currently on the agenda for the neo libs.

10. If Chloe Swarbrick could get Auckland central there’s a very real chance that, that could change AO/NZ in an politically evolutionary sense.

    • Yes, strongly agree.

11. Auckland Central is also one of the places where pollution and waste generation is amongst the highest in the country, that is per capita. People live in artificial environments, may have studied, but most are into business, making a buck and their lifestyles rip the guts out of the environment. The only difference is, they may pretend they are ‘green’ and don’t use plastic bags, but they are not really ‘green’, they use computers, cars and other stuff, that was made overseas using enormous resources, creating massive waste, in some cases exploiting not only the environment and nature, also cheap workers working like slaves in low wage countries.

    What do CBD apartment dwellers know about growing food and living off the land, I wonder? But they have nice pics on their mobile and laptop screens, signing petitions to save the last rhinos, yeah, what heroes they are. Chloe needs every vote, so she won’t care about all the detail, I suppose.

12. I’d be willing to vote Green for general ecological and political reasons, but as a convinced atheist-materialist-socialist I’d have to be confident I wasn’t voting for some crystal-hugging biodynamic pseudoscience bullshit. If Chloe would make a clear statement dissociating herself from Steinerist voodoo then I’d be right behind her. Is a bit of plain old rationalism really too much to hope for in these crazy times?

    • Don’t worry mate, she seems very down to earth (Not like me at all – again, don’t worry 🙂
      Here’s a pic of her apartment and check, – not a crystal in sight! 🙂
      (Though there is a “Hug a Tree” pic – Do you mind that?)

      You can hear her here, where she was the guest of Martyn and Damien: Election Podcast with Chloe Swarbrick
      It is worth the time to listen, as her thoughts are very clear and direct. No pseudoscience 🙂 No voodoo 🙂 and no pretentious nonsense.

    • Here is that pic of her apartment: Chloe Swarbrick, The most expensive thing

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