Greens being smart

The Post reports:

The Green Party’s strict new process for its party list is prompting turmoil within the membership as former candidates have been excluded from potentially becoming MPs.

The changes have seen one candidate who was highly-ranked on the Green Party list at the last election and another who was endorsed for a local body race excluded from the pool for the party list at this year’s election.

The exclusions have led to some disquiet within the membership, particularly as some feel the reasons given are spurious.

One member who quit the party over the matter told The Post the excluded were being “punished”.

“The candidates declined are interesting, nuanced, staunch, values-driven people who connect with voters. It looks like they’ve been punished for standing up for their values and not playing respectability games.”

The translation for interesting, nuanced, staunch and values-driven is weird, single issue, fanatical ideologues.

Another member who declined to be named told The Post the new rules would lead to “a very James Shaw party list” and said the new process would have excluded former party stalwarts like Sue Bradford and Nándor Tánczos

I very much doubt it would exclude Bradford or Tanczos, but if it means they have more James Shaw type MPs and fewer Benjamin Doyles and Darlene Tanas, then the Greens are being very very smart.

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