Category: Greens

15 Jun

1 Comment

An election that will resolve nothing

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Labor, unsurprisingly, refuses to concede any policy mandate for a Turnbull victory. Nor do the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team or most of the independents. The mandate theory, once applying to an elected government’s program, has been corrupted to mean every party and independent has a mandate against the government. This year’s policy contest may […]

17 Aug

11 Comments

End times for Abbott’s prime ministership?

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Let’s get something clear right away — same-sex marriage has not been and will not be the kind of issue that could destroy Tony Abbott’s prime ministership. Electorally, despite overwhelming popular support for equal marriage rights, it has consistently been a lower-order issue in terms of votes. And within the party room Abbott is on the […]

08 May

5 Comments

The Greens after Milne: Running out of options?

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The sudden departure of Christine Milne as Greens leader — apparently kept so secret that even many of her staff didn’t know she was plotting a transition with Richard Di Natale, Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters — is a logical outcome of the party’s impasse since its electoral high point in 2010. Perhaps most significant is […]

Filed under: Featured, Greens

27 Feb

Comments Off on Peter Pinkney: A Marxist running for the UK Greens

Peter Pinkney: A Marxist running for the UK Greens

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Some joined up thinking in Redcar Peter Pinkney, President of the RMT, Rail, Maritime and Transport, Trade Union, spoke to Kevin Ovenden about his decision to stand for the Green Party at the general election in May in the once Labour heartland seat of Redcar on Teesside. The electoral advances by Syriza in Greece and […]

Filed under: Featured, Greens, trade unions, UK

29 Dec

3 Comments

Australian politics 2014: Decline & decomposition

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Abbott has to perform well as prime minister next year, not just to preserve his leadership and give the Coalition a chance of re-election but also to restore public faith in the political class and Australia’s system of parliamentary democracy. The year 2015 has to see a restoration of political stability in the national interest. […]

14 Sep

8 Comments

A federal ICAC? ‘Accountability’ & the decay of politics

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It’s been enjoyable indeed to watch the humiliation of both sides of NSW politics on the ICAC witness stand. But, unlike Peter Hartcher in the Sydney Morning Herald — or the Greens, who have been pushing the idea for some time — I don’t think a federal ICAC would either solve the problem of “political […]

18 May

9 Comments

Dazed & confused: The Left, Palmer & Budget 2014

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We are very concerned about the risk that savings are falling too heavily on some families and young people trying to find work. —Jennifer Westacott, Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia I don’t think even the colleagues realise the extent to which Tony has locked in a strategy from which he cannot turn […]

07 Apr

4 Comments

WA result: Normal (anti-political) programming resumes

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For most of the Left the re-election, on a big swing and record vote, of Greens Senator Scott Ludlam will be the most cheering news from the WA Senate special election. The Greens campaign was carried out with a large army of enthusiastic and youthful volunteers — door knocking and staffing phone banks (the latter […]