Whatever the outcome of the election, it seems the political landscape in New Zealand will be changed forever. The media is treating NZ First as if it has already gone, which is a death knell to a man who has been on the political scene for over 40 years. Regardless of my personal disappointment with Winston, I think it is time for him to step down anyway. He is clearly past his best: cantankerous as ever, but his sharp wit has deserted him. Now he has nothing other than bile and nastiness left.
The other party hovering around the edges of oblivion is the Green party. Their demise has been on slow burn for a while. It started with Metiria Turei’s confession of benefit fraud in 2017, and their subsequent 3 years as part of government has done little to shore up their support. The Greens may be gone from parliament after the election too, and that would make the political landscape of New Zealand very different indeed.
James Shaw is not going down without a fight though. He has some ideas about how to ensure that Jacinda remains prime minister. To do that, he says, we should vote Green.
All those mung beans must have addled his brain.
Greens co-leader James Shaw has told supporters the best way to ensure Jacinda Ardern continues as Prime Minister is to “party vote Green”.
Shaw was campaigning in Lower Hutt today and spoke to a crowd of around 30 supporters in Eastbourne this afternoon.
Surely the best way to ensure that Jacinda remains prime minister is to vote Labour? Now there, apparently, is a radical thought.
“Frankly they are going to need us if they’re going to be able to form a government because if they’re polling just shy of 50 percent then they’re going to need a partner to get them over the line and we are the partner they want to have,” he said.
Shaw said he understood that a lot of people wanted to ensure Ardern continued as Prime Minister.
“We do too. I know that’s counter-intuitive for some people, but actually, a vote for the Greens is the most powerful vote you can wield in order to ensure Jacinda continues as Prime Minister and we have a strong Labour-Green government”, he said.
No James. There is absolutely no chance that Labour will not make it back after the election, but at the moment, without the Greens, it looks as if they might be able to govern alone anyway. Sure, that has never happened under MMP, but with only 4 viable parties in contention at this election, it is much more likely than at any time in the last 24 years. Whether Labour remains in government depends entirely on their share of the vote not on whether or not the Greens make it back into parliament.
Shaw also told supporters that the bigger the Greens’ caucus the more bargaining power they would have to push for bold policies, such as their wealth tax, in coalition negotiations.
He said they were hopeful of getting “some version of this” policy over the line with Labour.
Now you are really dreaming, James. It is most unlikely that the Greens will have a bigger caucus after the election than before. Activists like Golriz Ghahraman have ensured that the Green vote will be reduced this time which will mean that she probably will not make it back into parliament, even if the Greens do manage to make 5%.
It is really funny to hear Shaw wax lyrical about his proposed wealth tax in Eastbourne, the wealthiest suburb in Lower Hutt. It is unlikely his policy of envy will get much traction there, as many of the residents will find themselves liable for the tax. Sure, there are a lot of environmentalists in Eastbourne, but there are a lot of homes worth well over $1 million too.
The Greens know they are fighting for survival, but it never seems to occur to them that their policies of envy are part of the reason for their shrinking numbers. Maybe if they stopped trying to deprive hard-working people of the money they earned for themselves, they would have a broader appeal. Their wealth tax could be the final nail in the coffin for the Green party. Historically, proposing punitive extra taxes has never been an election winner, but James Shaw thinks it will work for him. He is likely to be very disappointed.
We all know about voting strategically, but there is nothing strategic about this. I suspect that James Shaw knows this though. He is just treating the electorate as if they are stupid. That is exactly what left wing elitists always do but the scent of desperation is hard to mask.
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