Milne learns it’s not easy being Green

IN his farewell speech to the National Press Club, former Greens leader Bob Brown rejected the lament of the philosopher puppet, Kermit the Frog, who sang “it’s not easy being green”.

But these days Greens leader Christine Milne must be identifying more with Kermit than with Bob, who led the Greens to the peak of their success.

Rather than supplanting Labor as the dominant party of the Left as Brown predicted, the Greens are sliding back to their erstwhile position on the fringes of politics as support in the electorate plummets at a rapid rate.

After lifting their vote in the House of Representatives from 7.8 per cent in 2007 to 11.8 per cent in 2010, in subsequent electoral contests the Greens have inflated expectations only to see them crushed by reality.

The local council elections held across NSW on Saturday are the latest blow to the Greens. In the key Labor-Greens battlegrounds of Leichhardt, Marrickville and Sydney, the Greens were smashed with swings of 7-11 per cent.

In the eastern Sydney councils of Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra they suffered swings of 7-12 per cent.

In other areas across Sydney such as Auburn and Ashfield, and on the central coast, in the Blue Mountains and in the Hunter, the Greens vote collapsed.

It was a comprehensive rejection of the Greens across almost all areas, from the inner city to the suburbs and the regions to the country, linking every possible socioeconomic voter cohort.

After winning the federal Labor seat of Melbourne in 2010 with Liberal Party preferences, the Greens also wrested the state Labor seat of Balmain at the NSW election last year, this time with Labor preferences. Many expected the Greens to continue to collect electoral trophies throughout this year. In February, the Greens contested the South Australian by-elections for the state seats of Ramsay and Port Adelaide. In Ramsay, the Greens were polling 9 per cent ahead of the election, but received only 6.6 per cent of the vote. In Port Adelaide, despite polling 12 per cent, the Greens vote fell to 5.6 per cent. Labor held both seats.

At the Queensland state election in March, the Greens vote fell by 0.8 per cent to just 7.5 per cent. Although Labor suffered a 15 per cent swing, the Greens failed to boost their vote. In a direct contest with Labor in the Melbourne state by-election in July, the Greens won 36.5 per cent of the primary vote to Labor’s 33.4 per cent. Although hardly a good result for Labor, the Greens were expected to win comfortably. Labor held the seat on preferences.

At last month’s Northern Territory election, despite Labor suffering a 7 per cent swing, the Greens vote declined by 1 per cent to a miserable 3.3 per cent.

At the recent Heffron by-election in southern Sydney Labor demolished the Greens, winning 58.9 per cent of the primary vote to the Greens’ 23.3 per cent.

via Milne learns it’s not easy being Green | The Australian.

Rulling in a Minority Government

Ruling in a minority government must be hard, I think nobody is ready to put aside their principles and let others rule for the sake of the country, those who have the balance of power will take advantage of that, in the julia gillard labor government there two politicians who are doing that from one side is Andrew Wikie  MP , from the other is the Greens Member Adam Bandt MP.

To form government the Labor party had to get support from 3 independents because they party couldn’t reach the 75 seats it required for them to rule form Government and be elected government in the eyes of the public of Australia, so they had to get support from the 3 independents, those who supported the government had their Xmas wish list, in other words if they gave the support to the Julia Gillard labor government to form government they also  had demand,  a list of things the MP wanted the government had to do for them, so Julia Gillard was in the middle of all of this, negotiating and getting in bed with those two PM so she can form government and be the first Female PM in Australia (which she was not yet after the downfall of kevin rudd and she become the party leader she was not yet elected PM) so Julia Gillard had dilemma on her hands accept thsoe demands and form government or lose everything and be Opposition leader for years to come. she accepted and she become a minority government ruling in a minority parliament.

The Pokie reform was Andrew Wikie idea put to the government, wasn’t a recommendation from the independent MP, it was a must wishlist put by Andrew Wikie to the government when the Negotiation to form government was put to Julia Gillard labor government, if they refused to do so the MP would withdrew their support to form a minority government and send Julia Gillard and labor to be opposition government and put Tony Abbott and liberals in power, which Julia Gillard didnt want so she accepted the pokie reform,

The Carbon Tax reform was put by the greens member Adam Bandt to the government, same as the pokie reform was put to Julia Gillard, by Andrew Wikie, the Carbon Tax wasn’t never in Labor plans, as once Kevin Rudd mentioned in a ABC Program qanda he said: Some member of the Government wanted the ETS dead, that member was Julia Gillard she didn’t want the carbon Tax it was obvious, but it was on the agenda and she couldn’t run away from the carbon tax, at the election trial Julia Gillard mention she wouldn’t introduce the carbon tax she didn’t introduce the carbon tax it was Adam Bandt who did and not Julia Gillard.

Julia Gillard labor Government has just turn one year since got elected, they have done not much as their promise more, we will find out in years if the minority government was good for Australia not just for Julia Gillard.

Luiggi berrospi is Law student and Political Science at University of Western Sydney

E-mail: 17265342@student.uws.edu.au

Sacrificing the White Bull Part 1

Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd

You’ve all heard the story before. There was a white bull, a red bull and a black bull oh and a (hungry) lion too.  As they set off on a long and arduous journey together, full of danger due to many obstacles and wild animals along the way, the lion pulled aside the red and black bulls and explained that the white bull, due to the way it stood out so blatantly, should be sacrificed for the long term safety of the group.  

They both agreed, and the lion proceeded to eat the white bull.Not too long after, the lion pulled aside the black bull and convinced it that the bright red bull had now become the threat to their safety. And so the red bull was duly eaten.After a little while, the lion turned to the black bull and said, “My friend, it’s now time for me to eat you.

”The black bull resignedly replied to the lion, “No doubt, for indeed I died the day the white bull died.

The white bull is Kevin Rudd, the Red bull is Julia Gillard and the black bull is the labor Party and the hungry lion is the faceless man.

The day the labor party sacrifice Kevin Rudd (The White Bull)  was indeed the day the black bull died.

The white bull didn’t really died just when into standby mode.  The greens take power in the senate, meaning the black bull (The labor Party) will need their approval or the opposition’s to get legislation through parliament.

The Red bull popularity at all-time low Nielsen poll confirms that the Labor Party remains near its historic low point among voters and would decisively lose an election held today.

Time will tell if the Red Bull wakes up from standby mode, and give young activist fair go, so they can become tomorrow leaders.

Part 2 Out tomorrow.

Luiggi berrospi is Law student at University of Western Sydney
E-mail: 17265342@student.uws.edu.au