I recently posted that Greenpeace was extremely worried by the implications of Labour’s Electoral Finance Bill
From the NZ Herald September 28th
Greenpeace adviser Geoff Keey said Greenpeace activities would effectively grind to a halt and it would be unable to debate issues inextricably linked with politics, such as climate change.
The Greens have an extremely close relationship to Greenpeace and the two organisations work in tandem on many issues.
Both Greenpeace and the Green Party for instance are heavily supportive of the Save Happy Valley Coalition-despite that organisations very close links to the “Urewera 17“.
It is therefore not surprising that the Greens crowed about this little triumph in a recent mass email to supporters;
Changes the Greens achieved in the Bill (Electoral Finance)
In summary, the Greens have made the following amendments:
Amendments to protect freedom of speech
1. Alter the definition of election advertising to protect issues advertising. This means that individuals and groups will be free to campaign on the issues that are important to them, regardless of whether one or more parties is also campaigning on the same issue. The Greens come from a campaigning background and we were determined to protect the right of groups to continue to campaign. For example, Greenpeace can continue to campaign against whaling, even though it is a campaign the Green Party has a profile on.
In other words, the Green Party used its influence to alter the Electoral Finance Bill in favour of its friends in Greenpeace!
Knowing full well that this would help Greenpeace maintain campaigns that would aid the Green Party agenda.
Wasn’t this the whole point of the EFB-to stop rich organisations influencing elections and government policy?
Now the Greens have changed the Bill so that “non political” Greenpeace can still use tax deductible donations to run campaigns that help the Green Party.
Corruption and hypocrisy are two words that spring to mind.
One you lose it you can never get it back.
We can only hope so trev.
EXOCET
Aye anon.
This has been a huge blunder for the Greens.
May it be the beginning of the end for them.
The Greens are down to 4.6 / 4.8% in the polls.
They could have been up to 9 / 10% by now.