Fearless Sue Bradford will leave big gap

Sue Bradford. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Sue Bradford is one of the most popular and respected MPs across all parties of Parliament and she will leave a big gap when she resigns from Parliament the end of next month.

She is respected for her ability to work across all parties in select committees, for her commitment and advocacy of her issues without getting into the politics of personal attacks. She will be remembered as a truly fearless MP.

She arrived in Parliament is 1999 with the reputation of one who not only fought the establishment regularly from a head-lock but who hated it and those in it.

It seems those she hated actually like her a lot, and maybe she thinks some of them okay too. Perhaps that's another reason for her to go.

She became one of the most effective backbench MPs. Three of her private members bills have become law: the famous Section 59 - making it unlawful for parents to smack their children unless they preventing them from harming themselves or others; allowing mothers in prisons to keep their babies with them for longer; and raising the minimum youth wage to the same as adults.

That is not the real measure of her effectiveness though. She has been a formidable advocate for the most marginalised people in New Zealand and will leave a big gap there. It is hard to see who in the Greens let alone the Parliament will assume that mantle - perhaps Labour's Jacinda Ardern.

She is not one-dimensional, however. The 2005 story here is about how she was raped as a 16 year old and how it took 35 years for her to talk about it.

It was a revelation to hear Bradford tell Kathryn Ryan this morning that she shed a tear or two when Paula Bennett was made Minister of Social Development, and how she really wanted that job or housing.

I can't ever imagine Labour would have given it to her had the Greens ever held the numbers to negotiate cabinet posts. But then I never thought they would give Winston Peters Foreign Affairs either.

The Greens' new leadership team, Russel Norman who used to be Bradford's executive assistant and Metiria Turei who beat her for the leadership, tried to convince Bradford to stay, but her mind was made up.

With no disrespect to Norman, who is doing a good job, I think it is a pity that the Greens' constitution forbids two women co-leaders.

Bradford's resignation clears the way for them to really stamp their mark on the party. Let's face it, Bradford was a brand in her own right.

It may also make it easier for the Greens to position themselves as a more independent party.

Otago academic and former Alliance staffer Bryce Edwards posted a comprehensive and critical political bio of Bradford on his Liberation website just before the leadership contest at Queen's Birthday weekend under the headline "Sue Bradford - the Greens' futile left option."

He noted that "she works across party lines like a true political insider, rather than any kind of partisan class warrior" and criticised what he called an "elite lobbying of style of politics" that imposed change from the top rather than adopting "a popular emancipatory street level approach".

I look forward to her valedictory speech at the end of next month.