Stephen, which bit would you like me to expand on?

Don’t need to expand, you just refer to a lot things specific to her – that i’ve never really been exposed to, even with my middling interest in political goings on – when so often we only hear such things about the high profile Greens like Locke and Bradford, and even then most of that stuff is pre-Green party. Guess you’re just the bigger boffin!

I went into some of this a while back http://libertyscott.blogspot.com/2008/06/just-one-more-chance.html as I am tired of mild mannered Jeanette being thought of as so benign.

As for replacement? Greens would be mad to select Sue Bradford, her vandalising rough protesting past and her proletarian accent are a serious turnoff to most, even if her past Maoism goes largely unnoticed.

Metiria Turei has an odd past, but would shore up the Green party attempt to gather the Maori vote from the Maori Party. That in itself should please the left, and continue to weaken the Labour Party’s past near monopoly on the Maori vote.

I don’t recall any bribes, and it doesn’t appear Mum gave out any before I met them.

But the minute it starts to look like the evil greenie socialists are destroying our familiar harmony, you’ll be the first to know!

Now teachers teach children to judge their parents as criminals if they get a smack. That does wonders for family harmony. let alone respect. That poison will take a while to bite, too soon to call game over no result yet.

You think parents don’t know this? So what do they resort to instead? Fundamentally something less honest, like distractions, or bribes. It’s a slippery slope, and it breeds dishonest weak people who can’t face reality. Welcome to NZ in 20yrs.

A competition between the Maori Party and the Greens would be a very interesting tussle over the next 3 years. Maori have several significant interests to which the Greens could appeal, one of them is the environment, another is the Maori nationalism Turei strongly advocates and a third is the maintenance of the welfare state.

The power to effect real change given to the MP by their coalition with the Nats seemingly gives the MP the upper hand but the emotive nature of the Green party’s politics propaganda combined with the fact the Greens would have a lot of propaganda ammo to hurl at a party that goes into coalition with “the enemy” further combined with the exigencies arising from the GFC which I suspect, many Maoris (and many others as well), won’t accept as a reason for the upcoming hard times, would give rise to some most interesting manoeuvrings, on both sides.

tell us about the ‘Eel Tour’ Metiria Turei recently undertook around the country, or the Wetlands establishment and protection work she’s been driving over the past few years.

As you know greenfly, it’s not what she actually does but what the public thinks she does, that counts. I daresay that none of her environmental escapades has entered the mind of the electorate. I bet if the Greens did a survey asking the public to associate which Green MPs were most active in the environment, Turei would not rate highly. They’d probably rate Keith higher than her.

OTOH, if the Greens did a survey asking the public which Green MPs were active in lesbian affairs and Maori rights, she’d probably score No. 1.

Note that I’m not suggesting those necessarily are her portfolio areas or her particular interests, merely that IMO, that’s how the public frames her, and that’s all that counts in politics, as you well know.

Frustrating isn’t it, all those damned “uninformed” opinions?

So where do I apply for the role of 16th co-leader – I’ll be the straight pakeha environmentalist fella.

Reid – tell us about the ‘Eel Tour’ Metiria Turei recently undertook around the country, or the Wetlands establishment and protection work she’s been driving over the past few years. Remember to outline how her work there isn’t environmental. Come on.

i.e. at the top they’re a bunch of single issue (and no, it’s not the environment) nutbars.

That’s the thing isn’t it, Buggerlugs.

The environment issue is their greatest strength.

It’s the one Green issue that crosses party lines and gives them broad support.

Fitzsimmons has more credibility than anyone in NZ, on this issue.

(BTW, personally, I don’t buy it myself. I’m only saying, a lot of people do. You had Alana Currie as the epitome of the Remuera Housewives voting for them a few years ago for example. That’s how much support they have.)

It’s their golden goose.

And what are they going to do. Kill it.

reid, where did you hear all this stuff from Turei? I just say that cos she’s…pretty low profile really.

Stephen, which bit would you like me to expand on?

I think that’s an astounding statement. A huge social and political paradigm.

Is it easier for younger voters to switch allegiance?

I’m older and find it hard, near impossible to vote a National candidate.

This in view that I like John Keys. I’m proud of his new govt. I’ve met and like Nationals Ham East member, David Benett.

I have close friends who say they will definitely vote National next time around for the first time in their lives.

I am also a friend of Matamata’s staunch National party member Garth Huston, some of you may know, including David.

But somewhere there’s a pyscological block. Even though I despise the socialists.

Guess its Act for me lol.