"NZ Greens - Time for change? Move centre”

"Time for change? Move centre”

Following on from a relatively disappointing result in last year's election, and with Dr Norman's pending departure, the Green Party now has a chance for renewal. That suggests a move to a more centrist position.

For me and I think for most others, the Green Party stands for sustainability -- that more than anything else.

It’s virtually impossible for a party to make the changes it wants unless it is in power. Being in opposition is like pressing your nose against the window at a party and not being invited in.

People do not enter politics with the ambition of enjoying permanent opposition. That doesn’t mean you have to compromise your principles to be in power. But life is about making compromises at the margin. Sometimes you have to shift a little to get the outcomes you really want. And listen to others.

I find it hard to put myself in any one political camp – I’m left on some issues, right on others and centre on many. I have often wanted to give my party vote to Green because I believe in sustainability and social responsibility, but found them like a mini-Labour party and even left of that. There are many others like me – who vote National or Labour on an electorate level but want to give their party vote to those who take the issues of the planet seriously.

I think it's time the Greens acknowledged that they will achieve little being in opposition or just another party to the left of Labour. I’m not talking about the Greens abandoning their base. If they tweaked their positions, they might have the ability to be in government often and effect the change they espouse.

I reckon Gareth Morgan was right in his recent article about having a centrist sustainability party that appeals to a wider audience.

Greens - time for a change. Get your hands on the wheel of power so you can actually make a difference.