Greens left in the shade - again

Rod Donald

It might sound like sour grapes, but the words on the whiteboard in the Green Party's parliamentary reception are not meant to be bitter.

"And so, while others miserably pledge themselves to the insatiable pursuit of ambition and power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing," they declare.

The quote is from a Spanish monk who lived in the 1500s, but if some members of the party are to be believed, they are equally relevant to today's Greens.

Whether the party is enjoying the shade or has in fact been overshadowed is a moot point. But either way, the Greens have been left in the cold by the formation of the new Government.

The ministerial posts offered to their nemeses Winston Peters and Peter Dunne were a punch in the guts for Labour's allies on the left - the third time in three elections they have fallen just short of power.

Visitors to the party's popular Frogblog site have expressed their dismay, describing the Greens' deal as "breadcrumbs", "tokenistic" and "a total sell-out".

"We just got screwed," wrote one party member bluntly.

But others have expressed relief, calling the deal "a free lunch" that grants the Greens policy concessions while permitting them to continue as the Government's conscience.

"In a sense it's Labour's last chance," says co-leader Rod Donald. "If they short-change us on the agreement, we'd really have to re-evaluate our relationship. And they know that."

The 10-page co-operation agreement binds the Greens to the Government's side, but only loosely.

In return for regular consultation and limited policy concessions, they have agreed not to oppose the Government on confidence issues and the supply of money.

Donald and co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons will be ersatz spokespeople for solar energy and Buy Kiwi Made, but that's as close as they'll get to the Cabinet table.

"It's obviously frustrating and we're obviously disappointed but given the result and given that Helen [Clark] is risk averse, the outcome was inevitable," says Donald.

Labour has allowed itself to be "held to ransom" by the centre parties, he says.

"We were willing to build a Government based on trust. I'm not sure the Government that has been formed has that as its foundation ...

"We stand ready if Winston either falls asleep or throws a paddy."

Nearly 40 per cent of respondents to a post-election Herald On Sunday-DigiPoll said they would support the Greens being part of a formal governing coalition. The Greens recorded the fourth-strongest showing of the parliamentary parties in the election - their 5.3 per cent was only slightly less than New Zealand First's 5.7 per cent and almost double United Future's 2.7 per cent - yet the numbers were insufficient for a pure left Government.

Dr Raymond Miller of Auckland University's political studies department says that while there wasn't any "instinctive hostility" from Labour towards the Greens, United Future and NZ First worked to demonise them.

"It may well be that Helen Clark's instinctive conservatism made the Peters/Dunne deal reasonably attractive because being in Government with the Greens was always going to give Labour a more radical tinge to it."

Leery of the party's stances on cannabis law reform, roading and law and order - among other issues - United Future and NZ First both refused to support a coalition that included the Greens.

If the "fruit loop" Greens were in Government, said Peters, the result would be "adoption for gay couples, legalised marijuana, compulsory mediation, everybody consigned to bikes instead of cars".

Dunne colourfully called them "these weird people who promote psychoactive drugs and yet are horrified by a GE spud".

Other pundits have questioned whether the party hitched its wagon to Labour too early on. It also begs the question of whether this could even be its last term in Parliament, given that it only just squeaked over the 5 per cent voting threshold.

But co-convenor Paul de Spa - the Green equivalent of the party president - insists the party has a strong future. The Greens lost only a small number of votes, stripping their support down to a core, De Spa believes.

And he is optimistic enough to predict the party is capable of re-building and lifting its support closer to its 2002 target of 10 per cent. Compared to the other minor parties, the Greens are arguably less reliant on their leaders' popularity - and on at least one of them winning an electorate seat to survive.

And they are hoping to pick up the pieces if, as they predict, Labour's alliance with Dunne and Peters ends in tears.

"What we want to do is strengthen our vote, partly at Labour's expense, partly from new voters and partly from liberal Nats who are going to be disenchanted," says Donald.

Fortunately, he's prepared to be patient, but he also admits he doesn't want to wait forever.

"We spend enough time giving advice from the sidelines, it's time to get our hands on the ball ...

"I don't want to die wondering whether I've got the capacity to be a good minister. I won't say I'm in no hurry but we'll bide our time."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY