A Wedge Too Far for the Greens

Sooner or later, lefties in a love-affair with Islam come unstuck. In the ’70s, it was the Iranian communists, supporting the Khomeinists against the Shah. Once the Khomeinists came to power, they immediately rounded up the communists and shot the lot of them. More recently, pathologically altruistic “asylum seeker advocates” have found, in the worst possible way, that Islamic invaders do not reciprocate their ostentatious “kindness”.

The Australian Greens are not the fastest learners – which we already knew, or they wouldn’t be Greens – but even they are finally cottoning on that their flirtation with jihadists is a two-edged scimitar.

Panicked Greens senators and MPs fear the burgeoning The Muslim Vote movement could cost them the prized target seat of Wills and upper house votes, pleading with the campaign to leave it and the Senate race alone.

Can I get a sad trombone noise?

The no-doubt shocked and bewildered Greens are dimly realising what the “Queers for Palestine” loons won’t: political Islam might exploit you when it’s convenient, but they still hate you.

A potential split in the pro-­Palestine vote came as Muslim leaders said the Greens’ policy slate would be a “deal-breaker” for the community, regardless of its pro-Palestine stance.

The revelations are part of an investigation by The Australian into the Greens’ policies and electoral strategy as it seeks to win the balance of power in the upcoming Queensland and federal elections.

The Greens’ strategy, so far, has been to play handsies with jihadists. This suited the Greens, insofar as that both of them are anti-Semites, and trying to wedge the government drives more of the anti-Semitic left into the Green fold. The only problem for the Greens is that, while the Muslim Vote might share their antipathy to Jews, it hates everything else the Greens stand for.

Amid the five days that saw senator Fatima Payman resign and the emergence of The Muslim Vote, the Greens realised the wedge they drove into the ALP may have been two-edged.

Having stuck their heads on the block, the Greens are reduced to begging the executioner to stay his sword.

Multiple figures in the progressive party picked up the phone to “preference whisperer” and political strategist Glenn Druery, who had reportedly been advising Senator Payman and, separately and informally, The Muslim Vote campaign.

Mr Druery didn’t respond to questions from The Australian, but insiders said Greens figures, including NSW senator David Shoebridge, quickly contacted the strategist concerned with how an organised Muslim campaign could affect them, particularly in Wills and the Senate.

Sources said some pleaded to Mr Druery that he tell The Muslim Vote to focus solely on the lower house, leaving the Senate alone so as to not take potential votes and spots from the party.

And, just like that, the Greens discovered that the enemy of their enemy is not their friend.

The Greens’ wedge had succeeded in splintering off the senator, but accelerated an organic movement that outflanked it on Palestine and was more palatable to Muslim voters than a party whose Venn diagram with the community only overlapped on Gaza […]

The Muslim Vote’s leaders have told activists and backers that they or parts of the community could not vote for, never mind endorse, a Greens candidate, given their policies.

The party’s positions on same-sex issues, religious schools and drug reform were a “deal killer” with campaign figures, regardless of the shared Palestine stance.

Still, there’s one other thing the left have in common with political Islam apart from anti-Semitism: no matter how much ground you cede to either, they’ll only demand more.

Lebanese Muslim Association general secretary Gamel Kheir […] said the community was frustrated it didn’t feel it had electoral representation or “that their voice is being heard”.

The Australian

There is already a higher proportion of Muslim MPs in Parliament than Muslims in the general population. How much more do they want?

Well, we all know the answer to that.

As for their voice: Australia heard it loud and clear from the steps of the Sydney Opera House on October 9.