SST says Fitzsimons to announce retirement

The Sunday Star-Times says:

GREEN PARTY co- Jeanette Fitzsimons is about to announce her resignation from the post. She will stand down to allow a new co-leader time to make her mark before the 2011 election.

The veteran Green, co-leader since 1995, is expected to serve out the parliamentary term as a list MP.

No real surprise, but earlier than expected. Seems weird to announce your retirement just weeks after the election. guess if she had become a Minister, it would have been delayed.

Fitzsimons' departure will leave a difficult problem for the party. She is a widely liked and admired politician, with appeal across the political spectrum.

Yep. You very very rarely hear a bad word about her.

The SST looks at her possible sucessors:

Neither Bradford nor Turei has similar appeal. Bradford, once a fiery Marxist radical, has softened her image, but her sponsorship of the anti-smacking bill drew much flak.

Turei has the progressive appeal of being a woman, but she may be seen as too radical to have wide appeal.

It is not known if , elected to parliament at last year's general election, will be a candidate for the co-leadership. Her lack of parliamentary experience could count against her.

Oh please please please let the select Catherine Delahunty as co-leader. If she stands, I urge all Kiwiblog readers to join the Green Party and vote for her πŸ™‚

Sue Bradford is a very competent and hard working MP. She impresses on select committees. But her anti-smacking has (rightfully) tainted her public image, and she is not from the environmental wing of the party. Bradford would be a risk – a Bradford/Norman leadership coudl look like the Greens had turned into the Alliance.

I think Metira Turei is their best bet. She is very smart, and while she is a radical (former anarchist), she has been pretty restrained as an MP.