Karl du Fresne is a journalist and columnist from the old school. He probably wouldn't object to being labelled a curmudgeon, and if fact may have even used that moniker himself in his regular Dom-Post column.
But today's piece should be mandatory reading for every Green MP, both current and aspiring; under the heading Smug Greens deserve a small comeuppance du Fresne opines:
I am not a supporter of the Greens but part of me longs for the day when they find themselves in government.They are enjoying a dream ride right now, confidently sounding off on every issue from mineral exploration to state asset sales and teacher-pupil ratios.They are well organised, adroit at using a sympathetic media and blessed with a front line of fresh, articulate MPs who combine earnest idealism with sharp political instincts.But the Greens have never really been tested in combat.They have never had to balance their worthy ideals against the political realities of being in government. That's when the pressure goes on and principles get compromised.Pragmatists and purists find themselves at odds and cracks start to appear. It's happened to every minor party from Social Credit (which started to fall apart when its then leader Bruce Beetham did a deal with Robert Muldoon) to ACT.It's likely to happen to the Greens too, should they eventually find themselves in coalition with Labour.
This is a salutory lesson from Karl du Fresne, but one that the Greens ought not dismiss merely because they either don't want to hear it or because it's authored by du Fresne. They only need look about the House to see other examples.
There's NZ First, which came within a whisker of annihilation in 1999 after having gone into coalition with National (against whom the party had vigorously campaigned) in 1996. United Future has steadily declined; from eight seats in 2002 to three in 2005 and just Peter Dunne in the last two elections. And there's Act, which had nine MP's after the 2002 election, and now just has John Banks, regarded by most as National's 60th MP in everything but name.
And as du Fresne notes, whilst it's MMP that has given the Greens prominence, MMP could also be their enemy; read on:
One of the paradoxes of MMP is that the acquisition of power, which is what all politicians aspire to, has been the kiss of death for minor parties.This lends a special piquancy to the old saying that you should be careful what you wish for.For now, the Greens can take the moral high ground on virtually everything because they have never been exposed to the pressures of office and the compromises it demands.They are unencumbered by previous form in government and have no shoddy record to defend.They are as pure as they would like our lakes and rivers to be.I find their self-righteousness tiresome at times. Co-leader Metiria Turei can appear particularly smug. I relish the thought of their self-assurance melting if and when the heat goes on.
Karl du Fresne is right on the money here. The media has, until the last couple of months, given the Greens a pretty easy ride. If they are ever in the position of holding the balance of power, or even of replacing Labour as the opposition party of choice, they and their policies can expect to be placed under far greater scrutiny than they currently receive. And that will not be a bad thing, even if it gets uncomfortably warm for Green MP's used to the media running their press releases without scrutiny or adverse comment.
26 comments:
To imply that the Greens are more likely to fail if they get into government than National or Labour, because they are untested in this role is a flawed notion. Any political party is only as strong as the indiiduals within it and while a party may be "old" its MPs could be new and untested. Labour has a new leader who has never been a Minister and many of National's Ministers had never held office before they got into government.
You could also easily say that the Greens have some capable and experienced staff, like Laila Harre, who has experienced being in government. The Green Party has now a considerable history and political experience and has manage to push through a number of legislative changes and private members bills while outside government benches.
Many Greens are also experts in their field, Kevin Hague has led a DHB, Julie Anne Genter actually knows a thing or two about transport and Eugenie Sage has been an effective and respected regional councilor.
National MPs have often used the implied threat "Imagine a Green Minister, and what they could do..." Well I have and the thought is very comforting and reassuring. :-)
bsprout. the point of Du Fresnes piece is that the Greens will have to learn that their very pure view of policy/ideas will be tested as they will not get it their own way and will have to COMPROMISE to make progress.
It is easy to sit outside government and be critical of watered down decisions - which are a result of MMP and the need to compromise between political parties to make law. Du Fresne is pointing out that if they are in a position to be part of a government, they will not have the luxury of pushing their pure ideas into policy. and how will they handle that??
my comfort levels are a lot lower than yours, fair to say, with the Greens having hands on the levers of power.
Whatever the topic this guy is a very fine writer.
Well said double d. Whilst there is merit in what bsprout says (and I have much respect for Kevin Hague in particular), the Greens will have to learn to compromise if they are every to succeed in an MMP government.
Look at Winston Peters; the consummate opposition politician. But three times he's been in government, and three times it has ended in tears. The Greens would face the same dilemma as Peters, and at some point, a key principle would have to be softened or abandoned as a trade-off for saomething else. Then their supporters get all high and mighty, they are accused of selling out, and it all starts to unravel.
That's why I suggested that every current and aspiring Green MP read du Fresne's piece; then they won't be able to say they weren't warned when it all goes pear-shaped!
Karl du Fresne has said what many have been saying for a long time .. he will be on the melons hit list.
It's easy to yell and scream from the stands, different when on the playing field and I have also got a small wish that they get the chance to play but what a potential shambles.
Interesting comments. I think the National Party are more inflexible than the Greens and the memorandum of agreement that we shared displayed how the Greens are prepared to work with any party if positive outcomes can be achieved. The home insulation scheme was a joint initiative and one of the most successful schemes of the last term.
The Greens are actually very pragmatic and would rather base policy on research and evidence while National's ideological "rough guess" approach is hardly robust.
While the Greens have never been in government we have achieved a lot through compromise and positive engagement. Kevin Hague is currently working with Judith Collins on how his detailed plan to fix ACC can be used to inform future decisions.
As an educator for 30 years I have never had to work with a Government that is so inflexible and unwilling to work with the profession. Hekia Parata is making a greater effort currently but initial meetings are still base around supporting National's agenda and questioning the appropriateness of some of that agenda is still not possible.
The Greens are the yapping dogs that chase cars. Won't know what to do when they catch one.
Long may they stay a minor party in opposition. The country would be well and truly stuffed if they got anywhere near the halls of power. If you think there a lot of people leaving the country now, there would be a virtual stampede to Australia if the Greens got into Govt.
bsprout, it is a very different thing once you are in government and you have a much stricter rule book to work with.
You'll find all these great notions of pragmatism versus ideology are for naught when you have to balance the needs of the country with the desires of the party faithful when it comes to cutting deals to achieve even the small things.
A wise man who was a cabinet minister explained it to me that government really is death by a thousand cuts. Every day you have to make decisions that alienate a part of your constituency.
Paranormal
"Many Greens are also experts in their field"
So the best poster boy/girls you can come up with are...A gay-rights activist who has "worked" for the UN, a BA in philosophy who also doubles as a "parking expert" and a spokesperson for Forest and Bird.
Sadly, with people like this in charge of our destiny, I feel our future would not be bright.
I'd take issue with you on Kevin Hague MVL; unlike most of the Labour Rainbow members, Hague is an MP who is gay, as opposed to being a gay MP; a small but important distinction. He also has commercial experience as a DHB CEO, so will be a little more realistic than idealistic.
When he was biking through Wanganui recently, I steered him (via Twitter) in the direction of Kristy's Cafe, and he enjoyed the hearty kai there so much that he went back the next day before leaving town. He can't be all bad!
Hague may look like Uncle Fester but he does seem a reasonable sane bloke BUT a Lone Ranger with his fellow Green MP's. He would HAVE to fall in behind party policy and that will be the killer.
Keepings resident Green stalker failed in his attempt to become an MP, thank goodness, and I say that because he is always right and no compromise would be his motto.
Oh... is he gay KS?
I certainly didn't say so :)
I described him as an activist who has worked for the UN
That Hague is gay is no secret MVL; he talked about it in a story in the Herald at the weekend:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816436
But unlike the likes of Tim Barnett, Chris Carter and Charles Chauvel, he is an MP who just happens to be gay. I'd class Grant Robertson and Chris Finlayson in the same vein; they are not seeking to be identified by their sexuality.
I've had a number of social media exchanges with Kevin, and he seems to be a thoroughly decent bloke. At least he had the sense to get OUT of the UN!
An aged tory hack attacks the Greens with generic hackneyed analysis and IV2 agrees with him completely! Colour me surprised.
"It's easy to yell and scream from the stands..."
Well so you say, and yet you're so bad at it, jabs.
That's right; bowl on in and shoot the messengers Judge; colour me surprised!
Another enlightening comment from resident troll drudge (sic) holden .. Stick to your paper backs luv
I assume the "real" judge holden is in paper-back and not a comic?
I think our drudge holden picked the wrong character from his favourite book .. I would suggest Toadvine would have been better .. Maybe bOb could use it next time?
Anyway .. Have you got an interesting comment about this particular post from KS or was that it?
"I assume the "real" judge holden is in paper-back and not a comic?"
You've no idea at all have you bud?
If the message is trite and facile then shooting the messenger for boring us with it is required. He's simply repeating the same old thing that commentators have been saying since 1996, with a couple of ill thought out barbs chucked in to keep you happy. He's effete an dull. Agreeing with him because it accords with your political bias isn't particularly innovative either.
"Have you got an interesting comment about this particular post from KS or was that it?"
Still waiting for you to say something interesting on any topic at all jabber. Not holding my breath though.
So you don't think there's any truth in du Fresne's suggestion that being in government has been a poisoned chalice for small parties then Judge? Did you actually look at the numbers, facts and figures that I added to du Fresne's commentary? And if he's an "aged tory hack", why does the Left-leaning Dom-Post pay him to write a weekly column?
Sorry Judge, but your prejudices are actually blinding you from seeing that du Fresne was making a very valid point which the Greens would be fools to ignore.
"So you don't think there's any truth in du Fresne's suggestion that being in government has been a poisoned chalice for small parties then Judge? "
You didn't read my comment did you? I didn't say he was talking crap, I said he was being facile and trite, not to mention boring.
The Dom-Post is a tory rag. What makes you think it's left-leaning? They used to give column inches to Bassett until he got exposed as a shill for Brash.
jabba said...
I assume the "real" judge holden is in paper-back and not a comic?
Nope! Pure comic!
Except that comics are usually humorous Tinman. Poor old Judge's musings are so sad, as he tries to defend the indefensible.
What am I defending? Your the one forced to defend rubbish by du Fresne (not to mention John Banks, Steven joyce, Judith Collins, McCully etc etc etc)
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