Herald on Greens

And today the Herald looks at the Greens:

Performance rating this term: 6/10

Recovered and refocused after the death of Rod Donald soon after the 2005 election. Has spent the past three years forging itself as a party that can stand out of the shadow of Labour. Has had some policy gains, largely in one-off projects. However, has not been able to make any gains in the polls, despite growing public concern on environmental issues and Labour’s own low polling.

However the latest Colmar Brunton had them at 7%, so they may be starting to pick up support now – time will tell.

Assets and liabilities:

Sue Bradford is one of the party’s better-known faces, as a staunch advocate for social policies, and should be used more. All MPs are strong voices for their causes, the party has a diverse party list and does its research thoroughly for its policies. But it is still viewed as airy-fairy by some voters and as too “nanny state” by others, after the anti-smacking law and the push for the ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs.

Not just light bulbs they want to ban either!

Achievements and failures:

A stellar run getting private members’ bills passed into law – including allowing mothers to keep babies in prison for longer, and getting rid of the “youth wage”. Sue Kedgley’s flexible working hours bill and Nandor Tanczos’ waste minimisation bill also became law. Played significant role getting the Government to agree to electrify Auckland’s rail network. …

But from outside government its successes have largely been restricted to one-off projects. Was forced to cave in after threatening to pull its support for the Emissions Trading Scheme despite getting no concessions on its main concerns, and settled for a $1 billion fund to make homes more energy-efficient.

As the ETS pushes up power and fuel prices, and at a time of weak economic growth, it may become a political liability.