The best news to come out of the Green Party in years
Incredible news today that Anti-poverty campaigner Ricardo Menendez-March selected as Green Party candidate for Maungakiekie.
Ricardo has been a tireless critic of the Government’s poverty, welfare and housing policies.
He has made AAAP the most credible and important voice on social policy and is deeply respected by anyone who isn’t tribal and knows from the coal face that the distance between the politics of kindness and the sadism of MSD staff are a chasm into which the poor are swallowed up by.
His addition to the Green Party comes at a time when they are crumbling in the polls and risk the real possibility of sliding under the 5% threshold.
Ricardo’s nomination is the best thing to happen to the Greens since Chloe Swarbrick.
Good luck Ricardo. You are going to need it.
Yes fantastic news, he is stunning so is AAAP and Child Poverty Action. I do hope he isn’t swallowed up by the other Greens however. The party continues to disappoint. Mmmmm could it be that all politicians believe in capitalism and are simply not prepared to rock the boat.
Any aspiring Green politicians should have had to done some grassroots activism before being nominated, I mean serious stuff, not just attending one demonstration.
In Oautahi we have 2 supposed ‘Green’ councillors, (both in the Green Party) who has voted against social housing and against numerous other things including he living wage. The people concerned will give you some vague comment like ‘oh but that is Green national policy, or not I want it to go back to the public for consultation…………… In fact the two of them on the council are pretty much like that. No one here unless they follow local government or go to council meetings would have any idea that this goes on so they will both get the nod again.
Wow – great news Ricardo. First chess move. Not to be stalemated!
He comes across as a real warrior for the poor but I fear he will be blindsided like Sue Bradford was and plenty of others who think they can change how society works. There are winners and losers always has been always will be .The civil service is full of people who are winners who have not respect for those they feel are losers and these people are there no matter which party is in power left or right so little will change.
Ricardo has just got a good handle on what he is doing at AAAP, and now he wants to waste his future few years for the Green(wash) Party?
While I wish him the best of luck, I fear he will get a relatively low list place, and as the Greens may just stumble in on five percent, he will not be one of the handful of MPs that may make it.
He has a shit show to win Maungakiekie, Priyanca runs there for Labour, and the Nats did also do well in that electorate last time.
https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2017/statistics/party-votes-by-voting-place-26.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyanca_Radhakrishnan
It will be years until he may eventually sit in Parliament, if at all.
He would be better placed working in his present role at AAAP, holding whichever neoliberal friendly party to account, Nats or Labour, whosoever may form a new government.