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Christine Milne has none of Brown’s limited charm and even less of his political nous so its likely that this will herald the demise of the Greens and It is evidence of the utter failure of the extreme left, will anyone give me odds on that aging Commo Lee Rehannion will mount a coup before the next election?
Cheers Comrades

By Iain Hall in Blogging on April 13, 2012.

15 Comments

Ray Dixon says:

April 13, 2012 at 12:45 PM

You’re welcome, Iain. It’s a bit of mystery and I’m not jumping to any conclusions just yet because, for all we know, it could be health-related. Either that or it’s an ‘Earthian’ thing. I’m no fan of Milne though.
Iain Hall says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:01 PM

Milne has this crazy look that appears in her eyes when she gets at all close to any power and I don’t think that aphorism “be afraid, be very afraid” is out of place when ever you consider Milne.
personally I think that Brown may be jumping now so that he can claim the credit fro the high point of the Greens but avoid being blames for their inevitable decline as the go hand in hand with the unelectable Labor party to the next election. Because if the Queensland experience is repeated federally then the Greens will suffer some serious loss of support this time around.
Leon Bertrand says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:04 PM

Whilst I think Brown’s charisma was an asset, there was also an ‘it’s time’ factor building because he had been there for so long and was getting old.

Sarah Hanson-Young could be a future leader of the Greens, but she will need to develop more gravtias in order for that to occur. Her ‘accidents happen’ quip in response to boat people deaths revealed a total lack of responsibility for the deadly boat people policies of the Greens.
Iain Hall says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:11 PM

A thought that occurs to me is that the Greens a have a serious shortage of male public faces with the departure of Brown and that is not likely to do them many favours with the wider public.
Iain Hall says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:16 PM

This from the Hun

Mr Abbott said it was a matter for Labor and the Greens whether the change of leadership would impact on the minority government agreement between the two parties.

“The deal with the Greens has been an enormous problem for Julia Gillard,” he said.

Makes me think that we have now got a coalition lead by two women, One of whom is a Liar and the other is a mad zealot of the millenarian Gaian faith….
The left are totally screwed even more than they were up here in Queensland
Ray Dixon says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:28 PM

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t the Greens have a policy of electing their leaders by a vote of the entire party membership? If so, Milne is only temporary.
Iain Hall says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:32 PM

No I think that was how the Democrats worked Ray
Ray Dixon says:

April 13, 2012 at 1:51 PM

Oh, I thought the Greens did too. They do defer to the whole party on other policies though, which is why their policies are so wishy-washy.
GD says:

April 13, 2012 at 2:37 PM

What great news! I guess he finally got that call from the aliens.
Ray Dixon says:

April 13, 2012 at 2:43 PM

E.T. has called home.
GD says:

April 13, 2012 at 2:50 PM

With Milne leading and those two nutters, Hansen-Young and Rhiannon, it will be fun watching the in-fighting.
Iain Hall says:

April 13, 2012 at 4:32 PM

Hot from my inbox:

The time has come

Dear Green Friends —

This morning I resigned as Leader of the Australian Greens. I will leave the Senate in June when the Tasmanian Greens nominate a replacement Senator. The time has come.

I wanted to immediately thank you for your support, enthusiasm and direct involvement in Green politics on my watch. I can never forget or adequately repay the personal encouragement I have received over so many years from you, my family, friends, colleagues, work mates, party workers, voters and supporters.

Our Greens Party Room now has a depth of talent which stands out in Canberra. There are 10 of us, but every one is true to the Greens Charter and policies, and works hard to give Australia the finest new option for progressive politics in more than a century. We are Australia’s party with vision.

I have been contemplating parliamentary retirement for some time. I started 10 turbulent years in the Tasmanian parliament beginning with the Franklin River blockade in 1983, and ending with the very successful Labor-Green accord of 1989-92: witness Tasmania’s Freedom of Information laws, economic reforms, educational outcomes and 650,000 hectares of new World Heritage wilderness.

Since then, there have been 12 exciting years in the Senate with the Greens since Tampa, defending international law on refugees and leading calls for self determination in Timor, Tibet and West Papua. We have spearheaded political action for the Murray-Darling Basin and other rural lands threatened by dams and mining, the nation’s wild forests and marine ecosystems, the Northern Territory’s right not to have a nuclear waste dump, the Kimberley, the Great Barrier reef, the Traditional Owners’ plea to protect the wild rivers flowing to Lake Eyre, and every city’s need for bikeways and pedestrian amenities and fast, clean, cheap public transport. The Greens show how Australia can well fund a disability insurance scheme, Denticare, and the Gonski educational package without a budget black hole. And, of course, we invigorated Australia’s new package to curb carbon pollution while boosting the real incomes of poorer households. We are the advocates for marriage equality and euthanasia.

It is now time for me to hand on leadership to the experience and talent of my colleagues. I am, after all, 67. I want to leave of my own volition, content that the Greens will stay in good hands.

This morning Party Room unanimously elected Christine Milne as Leader. Christine has been my great colleague and friend for the past 25 years and she will be a fantastic Leader of the Australian Greens.

I am ready to enjoy the other green pursuits including writing, photography, a little music and bushwalking with my good companion and partner, Paul Thomas. Amongst many anticipated things to do comes accepting a kind invitation from Stuttgart University and the (world’s first) Greens government of Baden- Württemberg to give a speech in the city hall in Stuttgart in September. I have also offered to accompany the Rwandan Greens Party leader, Frank Habineza, whose deputy was recently found beheaded, safely back to his country later this year, to help re-establish the Rwandan Greens right to exist there. As well, I am keen to see Papua New Guinea Greens leader Dorothy Tekwi win her courageous bid for the seat of Vanimo – held by the current Deputy Prime Minister – in PNG’s elections due soon.

Of course, from the sidelines, I will be giving all the backing I can with you, to your candidates and elected Greens representatives, and our growing party around Australia in the years ahead.

It is not impossible that between now and the end of 2013 there will be unplanned upheavals in both the Labor Party and the Coalition. So this Greens transition will ensure we remain not only the most progressive unit in parliament, but also the most cohesive, sure-footed and settled.

I have just returned, with Rachel, from the Third Global Greens Conference in Dakar, Senegal. There I gained the rewarding impression of Green politics growing to meet the needs of the Twenty First Century world. The Australian and New Zealand Greens are taking key roles in that Greens advance. It was in the lead to, and at this get-together with the Greens global leadership, with Paul by my side, that we finally determined this is the right time for me to move on.

The Greens are a logical response to the post industrial age human community’s need to secure the biosphere, biodiversity, equal opportunity and long-term economic, employment and lifestyle security. Greens political philosophy will grow and spread regardless of any individual. I arrived in Tasmania shortly after the Greens established in 1972 and I will leave before we Greens inevitably gain much stronger roles in governance in Tasmania, Australia and beyond.

Out of elected office I will continue to enjoy being part of this optimistic and enlightened new politics and tangling with its often bleak and recriminating critics. The future is Green.

My deep respect, gratitude and best wishes to you all,

Bob

p.s. I hope to see you on a more personal level as I visit your state or territory in the coming months.

Does anyone care to deconstruct that load of self-serving Tosh?
GD says:

April 13, 2012 at 6:25 PM

A slight correction:

Dear Green Fiends –
This morning I was forced to resign as Leader of the Australian Greens. I will leave the Senate in June when the Tasmanian Greens nominate a replacement Senator. This should have happened a lot sooner, like twenty years ago.

I wanted to immediately thank you for your support, enthusiasm and direct involvement in Green politics on my watch. I can never forget or adequately repay the millions of dollars I have been paid to present my destructive policies to the senate. Of course the Greens didn’t pay this, it was the poor, misguided taxpayer. I guess there are some good things about a democracy.

Our Greens Party Room now has a dearth of talent which stands out even in Canberra. There are 10 of us, but every one is true to the Greens Charter and policies, and working hard to take Australia back to the Stone Age. We are Australia’s party with blinkers.

I have been contemplating my navel, and the occasional comet, for some time. I started 10 turbulent years in the Tasmanian parliament beginning with the Franklin River blockade in 1983, and ending with the disastrous Labor-Green accord of 1989-92: witness Tasmania’s gradual decline economically as the Greens blocked the timber industry at every turn. Today the state is an economic basket-case dependent entirely on the other states for survival. Of course our ideal plan for Tasmania is to turn the whole island over to World Heritage as a national park.

Since then, there have been 12 exciting years in the Senate. We have managed to stop all dam building across the nation, thus exacerbating water shortages in times of drought and hindering water management in times of flood. Our destructive political action for the Murray-Darling Basin has forced many farmers off the land and into bankruptcy. We have solved the problems of funding a dental scheme and a disability insurance scheme: we will tax the rich more and more, even after they die. We’re pushing for the legalisation of euthanasia, as this will help a few of them die sooner.

It is now time for me to hand on leadership to the motley rabble I call my colleagues. I am, after all, 666. I want to leave the ship before it sinks, content that the Greens have managed to destroy Australia’s economy for years to come. I’m particularly proud of the carbon tax in this respect.

This morning Party Room unanimously elected Christine Milne as Leader. Christine has been my great colleague and friend for the past 25 years and she will be a frighteningly bad leader of the Australian Greens.

I am ready to enjoy the other green pursuits, such as flying around the Milky Way with my new alien friends. Yes Earthians, they did call!

The Greens are an ilogical response to the post industrial age human community’s need to secure the biosphere, biodiversity, equal opportunity and long-term economic, employment and lifestyle security. Greens political philosophy will spread like a cancer, bulldozing away the rights of any individual. The future is Red.
Ray Dixon says:

April 13, 2012 at 7:11 PM

Well whether I agree with all that or not, GD, it’s a great piece … and I think you should lodge your application to be Iain’s next co-author. Seriously mate, that’s comment-worthy stuff – well said.
GD says:

April 13, 2012 at 7:39 PM

Thanks Ray!