I find it odd that people who are green voters are still supporting her when she has pretty much torpedoed the Green party vote at this election by effectively misrepresenting her own circumstances. It's probably one of the worst pieces of politics in the last 20 years
I can't agree with this at all.
The Green vote surged to 15%.
This forced Labour to change its leader to someone who has spent much of her career focused on child poverty. Labour has drawn votes away from the Greens, but Metiria brought the focus to this issue and to the left in general.
The Labour/Green vote is actually remarkably stable. All the media fap is about changing water from one cup to another and back several times, when you are going to drink both in the end.
So the net result is the progressive coalition has taken back some protest votes from NZ First.
Not sure where you get your hyperbole of the last line from at all.
Yes and subsequently the Green vote has collapsed by a third and she has been forced out of politics! You also have a complete change in the way that the Green party is viewed, the veener of confidence and stability they were developing is being undone rapidly...
I don't understand the idea that Labour and the Green are interchangeable - they have very different policies and different policy goals. Green voters surely want to maximise the Green vote, that gives their party more share in a left coalition and more influence. I get that the total vote share of a potential left government is important, but at some point there is the possibility that Labour could govern with NZ First without the Greens!
I agree with this too...
However, I think 1) she has motivated and woken up a bunch of people 2) democracy doesn't end at the ballot box. Labour in government needs strong pressure from the left. I think it's likely the Greens will end up on around 10-11%
They aren't interchangeable for policies, but also the policies don't matter if the bulk of the electorate won't tolerate them. Metiria has put the spotlight on left politics and there is momentum on the left.
It's possible National and the Greens could go into coalition too. But really...?
I think this change is the result of the nearness of power. Respectability without power is easy. Once its possible there is a conflict between environmentalists and social justice advocates on the front bench then it gets messy.
The Greens have more influence with less vote, but in a government than out of a government, but with a greater vote surely??
Without Metiria National were sleepwalking it in.
Now I think it's not quite so sure. .