Turei wins co-leader election
May 30th, 2009 at 5:54 pm by David FarrarAs widely expected, Metiria Turei has been elected co-leader of the Greens.
The new team of Norman and Turei will certainly be younger then the previous leadership. Neither of them have much of an environmental background, but neither did Bradford.
I doubt this will affect their poll ratings much. The Greens are one of the few parties where the party’s brand is far more dominant than the leader’s brand. Having said that Fitzsimons and Donald both exuded a certain warmth that their sucessors have yet to demonstrate in public.
Related posts:
- Turei on The Nation
- Turei on Trade
- SST says Fitzsimons to announce retirement
- Editorials on Jeanette
May 30th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
The gutless mainstream media will no doubt write flattering editorials on the Greens new Co-leader. It will be just the usual cowardly lies. Turei is an extreme leftist and a racist. EOS.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
One thing’s for sure – any doubt that the Greens are a hard-left party have now been erased.
And RB – I made the same point when I posted about the leadership contest this morning – Turei’s advocacy of an apartheid justice system is especially worrying
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2009/05/anarchist-or-marxist.html
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
watching her pitch the party to an all out assault on the maori vote should be fun to sit back and watch
The alternatives were, someone telling me how to discipline my own kids – to someone telling me how I should pay for Sth Auckland kids
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Putting it as politely as possible WHO GIVES A SHIT rubbish bet rubbish
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I was hoping for Sue Bradford, but oh well, at least its clear that they aren’t about the environment anymore [if ever they truly were]. I wanted Sue Bradford because she has a more recognised negative brand.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
This has made my evening.
Does it get much better?
Patrick, get your wallet ready. Sonic and his pals also want heaps of money from the productive sector in order to pay for the bludging sector.
They don’t understand that the only way to make money is to provide goods and services that folk are happy to pay for.
You could rob a bank or an old lady etc. But then you stand a very good chance of being locked up for a long time.
You can borrow the money, but it has to paid back. Or you never get to borrow again, or have your kneecaps altered.
Perhaps Sonic could explain a system that just relied on the State and its dependents?
I am not aware of a system that could ever sustain this, and yet they whinge and carp. More, more more.
Yet in the final analysis they are all dreamers and idealogues.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Poor Sue, she’s put in the hard yards for years and gets pipped at the post. She will be gutted. Good luck Greens you’ve slighted your king-hitter and now will have a hell of a job keeping her in the game.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
“Patrick, get your wallet ready”
The waves would have to be breaking against my front door before I follow any advice the watermelon party has to give
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Can they really call themselves “The Greens” now? The only true green is gone, I think a name change is in order.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Grant was right.
sue bradford was too much of a liability.
Isn’t there still a referendum coming up for the anti smacking law.
I personally know someone who has gone to jail for it too.
Anyway, I’m glad Fitzsimmons has gone. Her persona kept the Greens with a wholesome image.
Lies , lies and damned lies.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
You know of someone charged with assaulting their kids, who would previously have been charged with assaulting their kids, but whose lawyer now didn’t have “reasonable force” as a defence against those charges, and thus has now gone to jail?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
“She will be gutted.”
Yeah? How damn sad. This extreme left creep went to Communist China years ago when suppression of individual rights was even worse than it is now, and came back with glowing reports.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
‘You know of someone charged with assaulting their kids, who would previously have been charged with assaulting their kids, but whose lawyer now didn’t have “reasonable force” as a defence against those charges, and thus has now gone to jail?’
Actually, this is a pretty silly case.
A father slapped his 17 y o daughter’s back side. Not really proper I would agree.
But, if she wasn’t his daughter, he would’ve been charged with indecent assault and given a fine in all probability.
What is the age a parent is legally responsible for a child?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I tend to agree with DPF that the new leadership won’t greatly affect the Greens’ popularity and votes.
However, the new combo clearly do reflect a new direction for the party in which they intend to be more mainstream and centrist, and hence there’s a serious potential for the party to considerably increase it’s support. Turei (and Norman) represent the new guard of the party – those younger recruits that weren’t in leadership positions during the 1990s and who now want to move the party out of the ghetto that they are perceived to be in on the left of Labour. Turei will help push the party to be much more independent of Labour, rather than being a ‘captive flank party’ that Labour can easily rely on or ignore at will. The Greens are likely to become more like other successful environmental parties around the world that concentrate more exclusively on the environment, and are much more prepared to support other parties of either left or right.
And let’s not forget that there’s a huge floating vote to be grabbed out there. In 1996, nearly 40% of voters voted for parties other than Labour and National, but by last year’s election this had declined to only about 21% (from memory). And Labour are still in the doledrums, so there’s surely the potential for the Greens – if they can somehow become both more mainstream and still differentiate themselves from the other centre parties – to be a 10%+ party under Turei and Norman, who are both savvy, pragmatic and populist.
Bryce
http://www.liberation.org.nz
[DPF: I agree they can reach 10% potentially if they focus more on environmental issues, rather than a lapdog/victim for Labour]
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
“A father slapped his 17 y o daughter’s back side.”
Wincest.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Is Sue married? Looks like she is not going to be top fruit cake, maybe her and Sonic could hook up, they would make a great item with so much in common.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
EverlastingFire “The only true green is gone, I think a name change is in order.”
Surely you are not talking about Fitzsimmon? A true Greenie wouldn’t have a burn off on their farm let alone during a total fire ban. Seen her on public transport lately? Just another hypocrite like the rest of them.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Bradford is the more effective operator at getting things done. Even I would give Sue Bradford a fair hearing. Turei is all smoke and mirrors, nothing achieved so far.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
What I’ve never understood is how the news media never reported the Greens honestly — that is, as a bunch of hypocrites and liars.
Examples:
I would not have been the only inmate of Wellington to be driving along the motorway, and being passed by a barrelingly-fast BMW driven by Sue Kedgley or her twin, Helen. Public transport photo-ops at Wellington railway station?
I would not have been the only inmate of Wellington to be walking along Molesworth or any of the other streets in the CBD and be distracted by the loud, barking, attention-seeking cellphone conversations of the late Ron Donald (who was a very clever and manipulative self-publicist, and, yes, I know, one should never speak ill of the dead, so God Rest His Soul); or be within earshot of long, long cellphone chats by Jeanette Fitzsimons; and Susan Kedgley, who would be Miss Photo-Op Trollop in front of cellphone towers, but, like so many people who don’t want cellphone paraphernalia anywhere near them, but still rely on them — as long as the kit is in someone else’s back yard.
That was a long sentence.
The media allowed Fitzsimons to get away with outrageous spin on election night in 2002, after the voters of Coromandel opted for someone else. Fitzsimons’ version of her rejection was that the good voters had decided that she should not be burdened with the cares of an electorate, and that they had said: ‘Jeanette, it’s more important that you’re fighting for us down in Wellington as a list MP.’ It was an obvious terminological inexatitudinarianism that I thought would have been challenged. It never was. I would have had more respect for her if she’d just said: ‘I lost.’
Sue Bradford got Parliament to pass a law that affects every parent in the country — galling, when the passing was done by politicians who were either childless themselves, or who had made a hash of their own children’s upbringing, or who had left the child-rearing to the spouses/partners left back home.
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
This is a great day for Red and Blue.
For the Green/Scarlets, not so sure.
Blood Oranges seems so fitting to me!
Green Goo.
Green sickle and star.
Purple Haze.
They need to get a new name for sure. Black/Red-Red?
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
It was fascinating to see Sue Bradford’s expression (as per TV 1800 News tonight) when she DIDN’T get the leadership vote. Let’s just say she wasn’t exactly impressed and that it showed . . .
A thought to consider: Given that the beliefs held by these two ‘co-leaders’ would seem to be diametrically opposed, (especially given Metiria Turei’s well-publicised anarchist and racial views), isn’t there a distinct possibility that she and Russel Norman (an avowed Communist) must inevitably clash – Communism, doesn’t exactly appreciate anarchists and the last I heard was that the standard means of dealing with them is a firing squad, while Ms Turei’s anarchistic viewpoint is dedicated to the destruction of all and any authority (except hers of course).
Perhaps, based on this, Russell should be considering the necessity of watching his back very carefully, especially as Sue Bradford is just a tiny bit upset.
We live in interesting times. . .
Vote:May 30th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
What’s brown, red and green?
Vote:.
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A rotting watermellon
May 30th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Para, they will be all rotten soon.
Happy Days.
Will sleep well to-night!
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 12:04 am
Yes the Greens have gone for a younger generation with Turei. The average age of their MPs is a problem for them. Fitzsimons is not the only retirement they have to deal with – they probably need more.
I would not say that the co leadership of Turei itself puts the Greens any closer to being able to work with both National and Labour. She was after all an anarchist.
If the Greens narrow their focus to exclusively environmental issues this won’t necessarily be a recipe for success either as every modern political party is adopting some degree of environmentalism – its mainstreamed. It also assumes the Greens can stay away from the non environmental issues that might dominate a future election campaign – again this would be unlikely recipe for success. Voters will usually demand political parties address their pressing concerns.
What has been interesting has been the masculine rebranding of the Greens in the Mt Albert by election – “muscle Russel” is hardly Kumbya stuff or sitting in a knitting circle and ‘sharing’. It would seem obvious that if the Greens are going to take what is essentially a Labour seat then they would have to negotiate that with Labour voters; spelling out how a Green MP might assist the formation of a future Labour Government. In his first act of electoral generalship for the Greens Norman has probably struck the wrong tone and message. However I could be wrong the result will tell.
Despite what DPF says, in regard to the Mt Albert by election the Greens campaign is very much reflective of personality of their co leader and candidate; I wonder if voters will find it attractive either in Mt Albert or beyond.
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Personally, I was hoping Sue would win. Despite her hard as image, she actually is quite friendly and pleasant. Not that I’d ever vote Green.
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 11:45 am
Well SUE should now set up her own alternative party perhaps she could call it New Zealand Green.
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Interesting to note the resident Greenies comming are here… yet they’re clearly visiting disguised as -ve karma pixies
Vote:May 31st, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Totally agree with Redbaiter. Turei is a person of the far left- an anarchist etc etc. But no hint of this on TV news,instead restrained polite applause for this rapid climber of a politician.
Vote:Again the contrast between her coverage and right of centre Christine Rankin’s press is extreme.Rankin has been slated from pillar to post, Turei? Move on,nothing to see.
Gosh the left get a good run from today’s journalists.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Turei over Bradford is a choice, its a lack of options.
Vote: