Green Party Watch

TVNZ has this story out about the New Zealand Green Party’s 14th MP, Mojo Mathers, who is deaf.

I can’t embed the video here, so I encourage you to watch the story there.

Here is some additional information about Mojo Mathers from the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand:

Date and place of birth: 23/11/1966, London

Ethnicity Pakeha

Current electorate Christchurch East

Educational qualifications Honours degree in Mathematics (1st class); Masters in Conservation Forestry (Distinction)

Current occupation Green Party Strategic Policy Advisor (since 2006)

Previous occupations/work experience Parliamentary advisor (water issues) 2005; Joint owner small business offering forestry management services (2001-2006)

Community connections Current committee member of Disability Inclusion Group; Founding member of Malvern Hills Protection Society, which successfully opposed the Central Plains Water scheme; Secretary/spokesperson for the Dam Action Group (2001-2004); Mother of three, former playcentre committee member

Policy Interests/Expertise I have a sound grounding in a wide range of policy areas and I would be comfortable covering nearly any portfolio area including rural issues, biodiversity, forestry and water, as well as animal welfare, disability and women’s rights.

My broad political issues Unrestrained industrial dairying continues to impact heavily on our environment, including climate change. We need to promote fair and sustainable alternatives.

The recent Human Rights Commission review of Human Rights identifies disabled people as the most disadvantaged minority in New Zealand. As a deaf person who lives and breathes green issues, I am a strong advocate for inclusion for everyone.

Additional information I strive to reduce my personal impact on the environment by being vegetarian, supporting GE free, non-toxic, organic, fair trade and local, using public transport, keeping myself informed and getting involved. I have a strong work ethic and am very accessible by email.

The New Zealand Green Party recorded its best result yet in New Zealand’s November 26 general election. The Greens earned 10.6% of the vote (up from 6.7% in 2008) and increased their number of seats in parliament from 9 to 13. The party could also gain a fourteenth seat if their percentage grows when special votes are counted, according to party leaders. The Green Party is now New Zealand’s 3rd largest party, after National and Labour.

See Wikipedia articles on the New Zealand General Election 2011 and New Zealand Green Party for more information.

On top of polls that show the New Zealand Green Party heading for its best result yet in this weekend’s general election, here’s more good news for the Kiwi Greens’ future:

Otautahi Youth Council, an independent Christchurch-based youth body, ran an online project targeted at Cantabrians between 14 and 24, simulating the general election experience…

The results showed participants overwhelmingly preferred the Green party, giving them 53 per cent of the party vote, compared to 26 per cent for National and 22 per cent for Labour.

Read the full article at The Press NZ.

From Stuff.Co.NZ (although not corroborated by another source, admittedly):

A discrete diplomatic lunch, a free trip to Washington and assurance of “assistance” from the US Embassy in Wellington have been used to blunt the Green Party’s “radical positions on many issues”, a leaked American diplomatic cable reveals.

The Americans seduced Green co-leaders Metiria Turei and Russel Norman, the latter with a free trip to Washington, and managed, over a lunch, to get a commitment from list MP Kennedy Graham “to turn (to the embassy) for any assistance he made need in the future…”

On the July 15, 2009, lunch between Graham and US mission head David Keegan, the cable said:

“The overarching purpose of the July 15 lunch was to establish the beginnings of a warm and respectful relationship with Graham,” Keegan cabled home.

“By lunch’s end, an open dialogue and a mature relationship with Graham going forward were highly probable.”

He said Graham displayed an “extensive knowledge and understanding of global affairs”, was “an evident multi-lateralist” and a “moderating influence on his frequently radical party.”

A bit of inspiring news from beautiful New Zealand:

Celia Wade-Brown has become New Zealand’s first Green mayor – a moment being described as a “watershed” by the party leader.

Green Party members flocked to congratulate Ms Wade-Brown when her narrow victory over incumbent Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast was announced yesterday, with co-leader Russel Norman, former leader Jeanette Fitzsimons and MP Sue Kedgley among them.

Although Ms Wade-Brown stood as an independent, she has been a member of the Greens for more than 15 years, and becomes the first party member elected to a mayoral office. read more »

NZ Green Co-leader Metiria Turei unfurls a 350 banner in parliament. Story at 350.org.

The Green Party of Ontario will elect a new leader at a convention November 13-15, in London.

The Green Party of New Zealand has issued a press release about air pollution, raising concerns about particles 2.5 microns and smaller which are not currently monitored.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party Member of the European Parliament from England and Wales, is calling on Greens and allies to pledge to reduce our personal carbon emissions by ten percent by 2010. Ms. Lucas is also interviewed by The Guardian about how cash plays a role in British politics, making it difficult for smaller parties like the Greens to be heard.

The Irish Times is reporting that Greens and opposition parties are being encouraged to meet to discuss support for the Treaty of Lisbon, which would change how the European Parliament functions.

The Oshaw Express is reporting on what they call “Not quite a green party machine”. This is a detailed report on one of Canada’s Green Party efforts, looking to grow the Green Party beyond their current 11% base of support.

Earth Times is reporting that the German Green Party is applying pressure on the Angela Merkel government to persuade the US government to abandon cluster bombs.

Children are often victims of the weapons, which can remain lodged in the ground for years after being fired, since they sometimes mistake the so-called bomblets for toys.

According to the Laotian government, more than 300 children a year die because of “bomblets” left over from the war in Vietnam and the surrounding nations.

read more »

Spiegel Online reports on the growth of the Green Party in Germany at the expense of the Social Democrats. According to Spiegel, the Greens and Social Democrats are struggling for the “New Center” in German politics. In a quote that could apply to some US cities, Spiegel writes

In many major cities, it has already risen to become the second-biggest political party.

The article also covers the German Green Party’s efforts to connect with voters via their own Internet radio station.

In what may be the most telling quote, a German voter addresses the current financial problems, and the traditional party approach.

“There’s not so much money left, so it needs to be spent intelligently,” says Katharina Blumenstock, a gynecologist in Cologne. “The development of electric cars is more important to me than the Opel bailout. We need to invest in the future.” She says she trust the Greens most to find the right path out of the current financial and economic crisis.

Much more, from New Zealand, Ireland, Argentina, Belgium, Scotland, Palestine, and many more can be found by clicking this article’s headline.
read more »

Posted on Green Ferret, there is relevance here for the Greens in the US. Democrats are notoriously weak on these issues, and Greens obviously benefit from online networking and information dissemination since the mainstream media has shut us out.

One of the political parties of New Zealand, namely the Green Party, is pushing for bold plans for New Zealand’s technological future. The policy would exclude software from the patent process and investigate the possibility of a free municipally owned wireless network. Can you digg it?
With the corporate media refusing to give Greens more than token amounts of airtime, the Green Party needs to take advantage of alternative ways to spread its message, especially the internet. By submitting stories to Digg about Green stances on technology and civil liberties, Greens can gain the support of the freedom-loving web users who helped light a fire under Howard Dean and Ron Paul’s campaigns.

Now that Barack Obama’s running mate is Joe Biden, who is notorious on the web for his efforts to crack down on internet freedom, Greens could make real headway by publicizing McKinney/Clemente’s platform on technology and civil liberties issues. Perhaps one of the writers at Green Party Watch could prepare a statement for the McKinney campaign…