Greens launched Wellington Central campaign last night.
It is the most controversial waka house this side of Cook Strait, but the Greens weren’t put off, last night launching their Wellington Central campaign at Te Wharewaka o Poneke, on the waterfront
Interesting to hear their candidate Gareth Hughes describe it as a campaign for the party vote on Backbenches last night. Mature beyond his years.
Going to be interesting to watch the approach in Whangarei, Waitakere, Auckland Central, Maungakiekie, and the provincial marginals.
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Gareth isn’t the Wgtn Central candidate, James Shaw is.
Fortunately he is also campaigning for the party vote only.
Grant just might be the only Labour MP to significantly increase his majority this election!
Green votes are likely to strengthen on the back of a poor showing by Labour. But there are problems for both parties – not the least of which is very limited funding to even fight the 2011 election.
Both Labour and the Greenies are fighting for the votes in a small pool of leftist voters and the bad news is that pool is fast shrinking.
Once Labour rebuild, and introduce new MPs (won’t be in 2011) with some genuine talent and intellectual grunt, then Labour will have some hope of clawing back their support, and fortunately that will come at the expense of the Greenies, who will hopefully disappear from Parliament.
Montybear, they have grunt and intellect and even a token disabled in the form of a wheelchair bound duck! Labour has it all!
Trev, you need to get some no asset sales signage to hang off your chair!
Gareth Hughes lost the candidacy to James Shaw – bit of a snub for a sitting MP. OTOH, Shaw looks pretty good – miles better than Hughes.
Who are the tories putting up in Wellington Central? Usually names start buzzing around, but there’s been nothing in the press.
Interesting analysis Monty, because didnt the Greens get a few seats while Labour held the front benches for 9 years?
Yes Tracey, but Labour wouldn’t give them ministerial jobs, so they pouted for quite a while.
Good question Kane. I do wonder who the Nats will put up in Wellington Central. For what it is worth, I think Grant is a very good MP and he does fine work for Wellington – as did Marian Hobbs previously (I was very impressed with Marian gave to some neighbours who were in a spot of bother), and if the Nats put up a weak candidate, then that person will not get my Vote (Grant probably would in that instance)
Yes Tracey the Greenies did get a few votes (but no seats) during the Labour lears. But my feeling is that people have got sick and tired of their arrogance, “we know best” and the way they think that we should all live our lives by their rules. Those on the left (especially extreme left) have at present only got the Greens as a home, especially while Labour continue to implode. Once Labour pull their themselves together, the Green Vote will drop a little. and it only needs to drop a little to see them evicted from Parliament. That will be an election day to celebrate. (in much the same way I did when Winston was evicted, followed by Clark’s resignation on election night 2008
Dave, can you post your evidence of the alleged “pouting” and (if proven)how it is relevant to Monty’s assertion that Greens succeed only to the detriment of Labour?
I’m pretty sure they managed to get s59a Crimes Act, Paid parental leave to name just a couple of initiattives.
Kane – other comment still in Moderation, but in the meantime the National Candidate is Paul Foster-Bell
I don’t know much about him but seems like a good man from the limited knowledge available. He will add good balance to the current outstanding list of MPs that National has in their ranks.
But that was only because, once HC finally had to accept publicly that one of her ministers was a criminal and was forced to cut Field adrift, she couldn’t hang on to power without Greenie support, and those were the costs to her of securing it.
The ultimate cost, of course, of supporting mad Sue’s bill was loss of the treasury benches and probably an eventual long-term change in the nature of the Labour Party back to something more akin to what normal people can relate to. As they say “it’s an ill wind…”
‘Gareth Hughes describe it as a campaign for the party vote on Backbenches last night. Mature beyond his years’
Aint MMP great! Without it we wouldn’t have people like Hughes who dress (and get arrested) as Ronald MacDonald sitting on a 100k+ salary after graduating working as a hospital porter.
Good work at the Backbenches last night, Trevor and Gareth. Sensible, clear statements from both, well supported by a vocal audience – I think you even won over the large Probus contingent!
Captain Sensible (aka the leader of United Future) seemed to be flying solo. Lifting the profile though – must be election year.
The unfortunate national party mp looked at a bit of a loss, and could only parrot the usual lines (“John Key is the most popular PM in a generation”). Even the Probus people didn’t look too impressed.
Do you know why the Green Party will get my vote and others is because, they are the only ones to come out and speak for parents and adult children with disabilities. For example the following story in the media today.
The Ministry of Health needs to sit down and talk with families who are caring for their disabled relatives rather than dragging them through the courts, the Green Party says.
“The ministry has spent $1.075 million in the past five years fighting court action by seven families who say they should be paid for looking after their disabled relatives.
The High Court late last year backed a Human Rights Tribunal ruling which said a ministry policy to pay carers only if they were not related to the patient was discriminatory.
But, on April 6 the ministry filed a notice of appeal against the High Court decision, which will take the dispute to the Court of Appeal.
Green Party disability spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said the money spent by the ministry was “ridiculous”.
“The Government is spending all this taxpayers’ money dragging seven families through the courts.
“What they need to do is sit down and actually find out the situation of these families, and others like them.”
By continuing to appeal and keep it before the courts it was keeping people silent on the matter and was not the way to do it.
“It keeps families stressed and under pressure, it keeps the ministers from commenting on the guts of the issue.
“It’s not fair, it’s not right…it was an abuse of people’s human rights.”
The ministry refused to comment on the case, as it was still before the courts.”
Catherine Delahunty Green Party
The silence of the Labour Party on this issue disgusts me.
Regards Peter Humphreys
Go read s59a George, then I’ll discuss your ridiculous comments about Sue Bradford.
By the time the 2008 election came along, about 45% thought the amendment was alright. There was so much misinformation around that so-called debate. I was pleased to see the PM stick to his guns and leave it in place. Recently when I suggested that a lack of depth of analysis might explain the PM flying so high, someone here accused me of looking down my nose at the majority. That same person doesnt think Key looks down his nose yet he ignored a referendum result too.
Peter H. As the in-law of a person who for 46 years was cared for by his mother I do know where you are coming from. I too dont accept Ryall’s weak comment about the potential cost of this. He conveniently brushes past the calculation of how much people like my m-in-law and you and the others fighting this cause save taxpayers for decades. At a conservative $3000 per week for residential care, my m-in-law by choosing to care for her son (who incidentally was disabled by the actions of a self important registrar who wouldnt call the specialist – and NO compensation)has saved us all over $7m. All she ever would have liked was even more than the ten days respite care which was available to her per year. It’s the down time which gives these courageous folks the stamina to continue to care for people most of our society turns its back on. I believe most of the people in her position would also settle for more paid respite care days to give them decent breaks, or some money to pay private carers to relieve them.
These are not self interested money hungry people here. Ryall does them all a disservice. At anytime the Government could end this IF it had settled, brought in legislation giving perhaps more paid respite days for family caregivers and/or an annual payment. I bet these folks would have halted their case, and even thanked the government for giving a toss.
I also wish Catherine would name Tariana Turia in all this and not just Ryall, she is Minister of disability
I have read S59a and stick by my description of Sue B.
I’m sure that many who, by and large, support John K think he’s got it wrong on this issue, particularly his ignoring of the clear result of the referendum.
Yet once again you peddle the standard Labour line – whenever the people disagree with you it’s because they’ve been ‘misninformed’.
John Pigani was so right.
@Tracey.
I would have thought that the concept of family looking after their own would be a prime example of Whanau Ora. So it does surprise me that we have had no comment from Tariana Turia Minister of disability, and instigator of the holistic Maori Whanau Ora program.
Regards Peter
@ lovinthatchangefeeling – “without it we wouldn’t have people like Hughes who dress (and get arrested) as Ronald MacDonald sitting on a 100k+ salary after graduating working as a hospital porter.”
Good point. After all Ronald McDonald is a “clown”. It kind of explains the character of the greens and the intellectual ‘giants’ that form their makeup. They’re like a Student Council, that suddenly find themselves at the table with the grown-ups, with no clue about what’s going on, and not understanding any of the humour. They win the award for potentially the worlds most boring dinner guests.
Me think the dreary torys posting here have nothing interesting to read on their own pages, which doesn’t surprise me if the people who speak in parliament are genuine representatives of their thinking I can understand that they would enjoy the red alert