Eating your Greens
The Dominion continues its series on the state of the political parties this morning. Today, the Greens get the treatment. Some of the highlights of Vernon Small’s commentary:
The Greens are ready and willing to back Labour after the election … much more enthusiastic about getting into the tent …
The Greens favour a more detailed coalition deal than the current arrangement, but less prescriptive than National-New Zealand First in 1996. From the Greens’ perspective, it would cover the major legislative programme, the Budget and Cabinet …
As far as key messages go, GE will remain in the background. The Party talks of addressing it, but not as a bottom line during negotiating talks. In its absence the likely focus will be on four key themes: the threat to the world of “peak oil” and the need to develop policy to meet shortages and higher prices; social justice, particularly incomes and housing for the poorest; the environment; and safe food.
There’s not much in the article I’d quibble with, except the following claim:
They are averaging just under 6 per cent in the polls - slightly behind the same point in 2002.
Three polls were published in March 2002, and had the Greens at an average of 5.2 percent. Meanwhile, last month there were also three polls published, with the Greens at an average of 5.7 percent. All in all, we’re pretty much where we were last time.
