Greens spit venom at Kennedy Graham

Stuff reports:

A Green Party staffer says Kennedy Graham’s presence at a National Party event proves the former Green MP was never a good fit for the party.

Graham and fellow MP David Clendon resigned from the party’s list at the 2017 election over the rest of the Greens caucus’ continued support for Metiria Turei, who was under fire over her admission of benefit fraud. 

Graham, a former diplomat and academic, sought to rejoin the party list after Turei eventually resigned, but was rebuffed by the party’s executive.

Jack McDonald, a former candidate, campaigner for co-leader Marama Davidson, and current Parliamentary staffer, wrote a post on an internal Green Party Facebook group saying Graham’s planned attendance at a BlueGreens conference on Saturday proved excluding him from the list was the right decision.

“Kennedy Graham is speaking at the BlueGreens forum in Canterbury this weekend. … No wonder he sabotaged us and Metiria [Turei] when it mattered most,” McDonald wrote.

A nasty attack on Graham, from a taxpayer funded staffer (and MP in waiting).

Kennedy Graham has not joined National, He is not supporting National. He is merely speaking as part of a panel on climate change. You’d think McDonald would be pleased that National is taking the issue seriously by having someone as respected as Kennedy Graham talk to them on it. Graham of course chaired the cross-party group on it.

To suggest his taking part of a panel on climate change at the BlueGreens forum means he is a traitor to the Greens, and was sabotaging them as he is a closet Tory is petty and stupid.

I used to organise Young Nats conferences. Guess who was one of our guest speakers. Sue Bradford! Does McDonald think she is a traitor also?

Also guess which other Green MPs have attended Blue Greens forums in the past? None other than his hero Metiria Turei, and Kevin Hague. So are they also traitors?

“In the context of Kennedy still apparently having many supporters in the Party who were upset he wasn’t allowed back on the list, we need to make sure there isn’t the ability for this to happen in the future and prevent the election of Green MPs whose politics are incompatible with fundamental Green kaupapa.”

As far as I am aware the only issue on which Graham disagreed with his caucus colleagues was on the issue of benefit fraud. He thought fraud was wrong and should not be justified. Is McDonald saying a belief fraud is wrong is incompatible with Green kaupapa?

Graham declined to respond to the comments in detail, other than to point out that he was no longer a member of any political party, and that Green MPs had attended BlueGreen events in the past.

I thought the Greens had a charter saying you debate issues, not attack people. Doesn’t seem to be something their next MP believes in.