The Greens still have a way to go

Oct 22, 2008 12:48

Or so says the Australian: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24537824-25072,00.html

The widespread denial of the viability of the Greens reminds me of religion. No, I'm serious. Despite all evidence to the contrary, people continue to cling to erroneous notions with no basis in fact, either because they were brought up that way, or because it's the prevailing public opinion, and it's just easier to go with the flow. And worse yet, unless there's something wrong with me (mental disability, immaturity, PMS), I should buy into the same notion.

For any other party, electoral success is attributed to better policies, better campaigning, etc. For the Greens electoral success only comes by mistake, or by the actions of the major parties. The Greens can never gain a vote, major parties 'lose' their vote.

In the recent ACT election, the Green vote did not increase because people liked the Green platform, or because the Greens ran an honest (and hence appealing) campaign. No, the Green party was just in the right place at the right time. Pure luck, or as the Australian put it: 'The [Green] party was in the perfect position to benefit from a protest vote against Labor'.

No other party in Australia gets this kind of treatment. The Nationals get a vote because farmers want subsidies. The ALP gets the union vote and/or because the Liberals are just too right-wing and corrupt. And the Liberals get a vote from the rich who want lower taxes, or uneducated bogans who buy into political bs about keeping interest rates low. Even the now-dead Democrat vote was attributed to voters wanting an independent voice in Parliament. In all of these cases, wrong or right, whether you agree with them or not, it is assumed that people are voting based on some policy that they like. Green voters, however, are little more than childish morons, voting only for the Greens as an electoral 'neener neener'. We are, apparently, so bereft of political opinion that we vote Green, even though, secretly, we'd rather have another party in power. The green vote isn't real, it's just temporary. It's just for a shock-value, like something stupid you do as a teenager so you can pretend how bad-ass you are. It's just a passing phase, and the world will return to 'normal' at the next election.

I wonder how many more elections we can go through before this refrain becomes tired and worn-out. Every election where the Green vote increases (which, let's face it, is most of them), it's because the Liberals were scary and right-wing, or people are scared of global warming, or Labor just isn't left-enough. I'm not disagreeing with any of this as reason for people voting Green. What amazes me is that this is then used a proof that an increase in the Green vote is an anomaly. 'It's only because the ALP isn't being Green enough. If they moved more centre-left, the green vote who be siphoned back to the ALP.' Well, yeah? And if the ALP moved further to the right, it'll siphon off votes from the Liberals. How is this any different? More importantly, how is this proof of an inherent weakness in the green vote? then there's the claim that Green voters don't really count if they used to be Labor voters. Because obviously if you ever voted ALP, you're going to come back. Former ALP voters haven't changed their minds, they're just 'disaffected'. Again, it's just a passing phase, nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, if you're voting for the first time and you vote Green, it's still not permanent. It's a passing phase, 'early idealism'. The kids will start voting more seriously once they have a family and actual things to worry about. The implication is that they can afford to 'throw away' their vote at this time in their life.

For whatever reason, people don't want to believe that the Green vote is increasing for good reason. And it makes sense. Despite the occasional crazy non-social Green member who could rant for years on his discovery of the capitalist conspiracy (come on, we've all met one at a branch meeting), despite our tendency overestimate our vote prospects at each election, and despite the fact that we can be just as bureaucratic and full of hierarchical bullshit as every other party, I contend that our policies are a hell of a lot closer to what is fair and just than any other party in Australia. After years and years of criticism and derision: 'global warming isn't real, it's just the natural cycle of the earth. Anyway, it won't be so drastic. I like summer'; 'trickle-down economics makes sense and will make everyone better off. Plus, communism is bad'; 'people don't like public transport, so building infrastructure is a waste of time and doesn't pay off in the long run', even conservatives are coming around to the same conclusions that most of us Greenies reached last century. And that makes us a threat to every other party in Australia.

Our policies are hard to sell in the short-term, but as people become more educated, they can understand why equitable and progressive taxes make more sense than a flax-tax. With the occasional exception (a rant for another time), because the Greens don't buy into quick fixes and scary election ads, we're not subject to ad wars every 3 years, where elections are won based on purchased television time. Because we don't lie about having power over interest rates, we don't suffer when the globalised economy proves the Aus government impotent and powerless. The ALP and the Liberals might hold great appeal in times of fortune, with their claims of more stuff (because you really do need another truck) and a higher paycheque (no seriously, it's a really nice truck), but when it all falls to shit and you're faced with no job and a broken car, the idea of a plasma screen seems just a little less exciting. Having health insurance for everyone, regardless of income, doesn't seem so offensive. Public transport means that as long as you can scrounge up two dollars, you can get to work that day. 'Nutty' environmentalism creates air you can breathe and a sea line that isn't going to rise and destroy your home.

That's not luck. Wanting food and good health is not a protest vote.

I work for a federally-funded non-profit in Washington DC. We were told yesterday that 10% of the staff are to be made redundant. Across America, jobs are being cut and federal and county governments are under hiring freezes. Things take a while to swim across the Pacific, but Australia's unlikely to emerge unscathed. People are moving to the Greens because they've seen what years of neo-liberal policies have done. They've been told that the free market will ensure that they are wealthy and wise. Really, all they've got now are two cars in the driveway, a $2,000 suit and a 4000 sq foot home. All these things are useless when you have no petrol to put in the car, no job to wear the suit to, and an empty pantry.

People are voting for the Greens because the chickens have come home to roost (they actually first started arriving in 2001, but we gave them all credit cards and 110% mortgages so they would go away for a few years). You might not like the Greens for a variety of reasons (the policies, their candidates, your parents think Bob Brown is a communist), but don't pin it on Green voters. And Christ, don't even attempt to ignore what happening in the world, and don't refuse to connect it with anything that's happening politically. To twist a 6.6% increase into failure takes a good deal of delusion. It smacks of a desperation to deny reality so that you can stay in your little cocoon of safety and make yourself believe that your team is winning.

Your 'team' fucked up. And that makes me mad, only because I have to live in this economy too. But more than that, the team cheerleaders are insisting that victory is imminent. And that really pisses me off. Instead of looking at your own policies and ideals, you vilify the other guy, hoping that eventually some mud will stick. No, your policies suck. And unless you un-suck your policies, the Green vote will increase.

Does it really matter if the not-yet-disaffected ALP voters complain about the Greens? Yes, partly because I think the Greens are generally full of win and I don't like you talking shit about them without good reason. But moreover because it reinforces this national idea that the Greens are just a temporary force. The consistent attempts to deny us any credibility is hurtful and infuriating. My political opinion is valid even if you don't agree with it; denigrating it and expecting me to be okay with that is just not on.

So there. Neener neener.

australia, greens, politics

Previous post Next post
Up