That seems to be what some Green supporters are thinking according to the latest Fairfax Media Poll. This has the Greens now below the critical 5% threshold. The Roy Morgan poll also sees support for the Greens dropping.
Why?
In part it is supporters being turned off by Russel Norman and his hard left economic policy (very few of the Greens voters are communists but many activists and MPs are). But there seems to be a realisation by some that the Greens are being suckered by Labour. They enable the Labour Party to survive in power, but get no "Green" policy in return. Even the much publicised Emissions Trading Scheme is a sop to big business and vested interest and will do little to actually help the global environment. To make things worse Labour is expecting the Greens to swallow a couple more dead rats to allow NZ First to support the already environmentally flawed legislation. After the election things are going to be just as bad. Labour can only be Government if it achieves 35% -37% support, in the Greens get 6%, NZ First 5% and Maori win all their electoral seats and achieve an overhang. The majority will be paper thin, and as we have seen with the ETS, every policy will have to be build on massive compromise. The Greens might even get less meaningful policy post election than they achieved this time around.
The smart Green voters realise if something meaningful is to be done about climate change then only National can do it. And National has pledged to have a scheme in place nine months after becoming Government. Can Labour pledge the same thing? Nothing is in place after 9 years.
