Environment
Kevin Kiernan’s comment. Wilkie at the Press Club …
No-one should under-estimate the significance of this comment from Kevin Kiernan … it demonstrates profoundly a loss of faith of a bedrock founder of environmentalism … in Green political philosophy and direction in Tasmania …
Thank goodness we still have three Greens in the state parliament at least.
But what a shame that the other two who got themselves elected under the Green flag have been such a comprehensive disapointment.
Cassie (sic) O’Connor had already nailed her ALP colours to the mast by breaking ranks in supporting the ludicrous Three Capes development even prior to the state election, but she still scraped in because voters were blinded by the Green badge she was wearing and too inattentive to notice what she had done.
Nick McKim failed to pull her into line then, and seems to have gone from bad to worse since.
A candidate’s ability merely to get elected by draping themselves in a green flag does not mean they necessarily deserve the vote of electors who believe our environment is important.
I suggest that Green voters just need to remember next time to take advantage of the fact that there are likely to be other Green candidates on the ballot paper who may actually deserve their vote. Just be a little more attentive and discerning before you mark your ballot papers. If you do so, you could end up with five real Greens in the parliament after all.
Posted by Kevin Kiernan on 23/03/11 at 08:55 PM
This comment first appeared on this article HERE.
First published: 2011-03-24 08:32 AM
Wednesday, March 20:
Mercury:
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/03/30/218431_tasmania-news.html
Wilkie serve for Tas Greens
SUE NEALES
30 March 2011
TASMANIA’S federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie has used an address to the National Press Club in Canberra to slam the recent performance of the Tasmanian Greens.
Mr Wilkie said he was deeply disappointed at how muted the party had become on contentious issues since it entered an alliance with the state Labor minority government last March.
Mr Wilkie believes Greens leader Nick McKim showed poor judgment when he and colleague Cassy O’Connor accepted invitations to enter the Labor Cabinet after last year’s election.
He branded the unusual hybrid arrangement, which left the three other Greens MPs outside any formal coalition, a mistake that had effectively nobbled the Tasmanian Greens party.
“I think the Greens have fallen for a trap set by Labor,” Mr Wilkie said after his Press Club address.
“They have locked themselves in to give the [minority] government the support it needs, but have been neutralised themselves in the process.”
Mr Wilkie thinks Mr McKim decided to accept the unprecedented power-sharing offer of a Cabinet ministry in an attempt to make the Greens as relevant and as powerful as possible.
ABC Online:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/29/3177144.htm
Tas Greens ‘virtually silent’ in Govt: Wilkie
ABC Online
Posted Tue 29 Mar 2011 9:38pm AEDT
Tasmanian Federal Independent MP, Andrew Wilkie, has criticised the Tasmanian Greens for their behaviour in the minority state Labor Government.
Labor and the Greens struck a deal after the state election and there are now two Greens MPs in state Cabinet.
In his first address to the Canberra Press Club, Mr Andrew Wilkie said the alliance had virtually silenced the Greens on their policy issues.
“What we’ve seen in Tasmania is a very interesting demonstration of the perils, in the Tasmanian example it’s the Greens, the perils of getting too close to Government,” Mr Wilkie said.
“We’re seeing in Tasmania where there are two Greens in the Cabinet.
“Certainly when it comes to their policy areas, when an issue has blown up where the Greens used to be all over it like a rash, they’re now virtually silent and I think that is bad for Tasmania.”
The Greens leader Nick McKim rejects the suggestion he has been silenced.
“It’s absolutely beyond me. Perhaps he’s grumpy that he’s never been offered a ministry.”
Mr McKim says he is prepared to debate Mr Wilkie on the issue.
“Mr Wilkie’s entitled to his view but he’s completely wrong about this,” he said.
“We made a decision to play a constructive role in Government so that we could deliver Greens policy and we’ve delivered a range of Greens policy since we’ve been in Government which has good outcomes for Tasmania and we’ve also contributed to delivering stable Government, which also has good outcomes for Tasmania.”