Dear Gareth Morgan
We have followed your contributions to public discussion since the crazy days past 1984 when you were one true blue apostle of Roger Douglas’ neoliberal/neoconservative revolution. Then you seemed to have had sort of an epiphany during your motorbike rides across the globe. We detected some enlightened views when you crossed from Latin America to the USA from abject poverty to abundance. Then you seem to have spend some of your windfall on worthy causes like the Wellington Phoenix and environmental issues. However we now have to realise that deep down you have not changed that much from the economist of old.
On your blog of 23 September ‘Time for a Bluegreen Party‘ you as you later said slagged off the Green Party (1 October ‘Open Letter to Green Party Supporters: Why I slagged off your Party‘). You don’t seem to realise that in you own argument you contradicted your conclusion. How could the Greens possibly turn blue if (in your own words) “National threatens to propel NZ even further toward environmentally-degrading economic growth rather than the ideal of strong economic growth in harmony with environmental protection” or “National’s is more a green wash than a serious commitment to clever and clean growth.”
In reality the differences between National and the Green Party are not that much on environmental but on economic and for that matter social policies.
Here you show your true colours with the old chestnut of “the Green Party a real melon to mainstream New Zealand – a watermelon to be precise, far too red on the inside for middle New Zealand to stomach.” And the old tactic of name calling “rehashed socialism“( BooHoo, reds under the bed) instead of entering into an intelligent rational discussion and finding actual fault in the Green’s policies. This is disappointing as we expect better of you.
We remind you that New Zealand had a blue-green Party before called “Progressive Greens” contesting the 1996 elections getting 0.26 % of the vote. Their protagonist are still here as the National Party’s Bluegreens Advisory Group, which according to you “quickly cowers to the priorities of short-term unsustainable growth.”
Have you got any better suggestions how for instance to tackle the according to the Secretary of the UN defining issue of our time Climate Change other then voting for the Green Party.
With kind regards
Dr. Hans B. Grueber