Agreeing to disagree gracefully

Published: July 2, 2005

by frog

It’s often said that New Zealanders don’t like “the vision thing”. We’re suspicious of lofty rhetoric, of grandiose ideas, of too much ideology. We’re practical people. That’s certainly what Helen Clark believes, and why she is so reluctant to use the word “vision”.

Well, on this matter, the Greens are different. We do offer a clear vision. Those wishing to find out quickly and clearly what the Green Party’s vision is really about would do well to go read our Charter, Vision, and Values. They are three concise documents which give any outsiders a very good insight into the philosophy underpinning the Green movement. Three of the Green Party’s “values” are:

1. Engage respectfully, without personal attacks.
2. Support ideas on their merit, regardless of where they originate.
3. Encourage new voices and cherish wisdom.

It is in the spirit of these three Green values that I gladly accept David Farrar’s offer to name three people I disagree with and say nice things about them. So, here goes:

1. Rodney Hide: While its fair to say that Rodney’s values and Green values are almost as far apart as is possible, you have to admire his pluck, energy, and confidence under fire. He seems to be a person who puts his heart and soul into his work, and one has to empathise on a human level with him as all this work, for the moment, seems to be amounting to nothing. His efforts on his blog also show a commitment to communicating directly with the public – something many MPs, once they get to Wellington, think they’re above.

2. Katherine Rich and Georgina te Heuheu: These women represent a party that, if it gets the chance to govern New Zealand, could do our country a great deal of damage. However, I have great respect for both of them for being willing to stand up to their leader and not roll over when he asked them to sign up to policies they personally found offensive. That showed courage that very few MPs would be able to muster, especially as it damaged their political careers.

3. David Farrar: While he never misses an opportunity to misrepresent and make fun of the Greens, his blog is entertaining and well-informed. It also seems to come from a genuine desire to make New Zealand a better place. He is also not one to descend into the vicious personal slinging matches that are an occasional feature of the blogosphere.

The thought behind this idea of saying nice things about your opponents may seem kind of cheesy. However, we would all do well to remember, in election year, that the politicians we’re railing against are people too, usually motivated by a desire to improve New Zealand for everybody. That idealism does get lost far too often in the daily cut-and-thrust of party politics.

frog says

Published in Campaign by frog on Sat, July 2nd, 2005   

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