THE BAUBLES OF OFFICE

In return for remaining loyal to the Labour Government, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have been rewarded with some token jobs.

WHILE THERE WAS some, including former Green MP Keith Locke, who desperately hoped that the Green Party would decide to act as a progressive counterweight to the Labour Government's determinedly neoliberal and centrist agenda, the chances of this happening were always slim.  Both Green co-leaders, centrist politicians themselves, have never displayed any appetite for the oppositional politics that Locke favours. They much prefer to be inside Labour's tent than outside it.

In return for their 'cooperation'  and keeping the membership in check, the Labour Party has rewarded  the Green's  two co-leaders with 'the baubles of office'. James Shaw will remain as Climate Change Minister and Labour has invented a job for Marama Davidson. They will have the trappings of ministerial office  but without any of the real ministerial power to go with it.  

Climate Change Minister James Shaw's corporate environmentalism has always dovetailed with Labour's market policies so its no  surprise that Jacinda Ardern is happy for him to remain in that position. She certainly won't have to deal with a Minister who might suddenly break from the pack and call for a Green New Deal.

At a time of an existential environmental crisis that threatens us all, the Labour Government's 'business as usual' corporate-friendly approach to climate change is an unmitigated disaster. We have been warned by the scientific community that fundamental and sweeping change is required if we are to effectively  tackle climate change, yet the Labour Government - supported by the Green Party - thinks we can limp to so-called carbon neutrality in 2050. It'll be Shaw's job to continue the inaction.

There's something Yes Minister about Marama Davidson's new job. Its been invented just for her. She will be Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). Its hard to see what she will be doing that isn't already  being done by an array of cabinet ministers. But without any real input into the formation of policy, Davidson's role can, at best, be little more than advisory. Given that she completely failed to oppose the Labour-led Government's policies in the areas of welfare and housing, Davidson can be expected to deliver very little.

That the clamp has already gone down on the Green Party is evident by new MP Ricardo Menendez March's support for the deal. Arriving in Parliament declaring that he had intentions to shake up the status quo and even likening  himself  to socialist US congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, it hasn't taken him long to start toeing the line. Its quite a departure from someone who declared that  he  would fight 'fight tooth and nail' for his communities. Well, you can't do that and lend your support to this Labour Government's neoliberal economic agenda. Although given the egregious  nature of his recent tweets, he's going to give it a go.

Former Green MP Sue Bradford is right when she says  that the agreement is 'a sad day for the party.' She tweeted: 'If you can’t speak out strongly on  climate change and homelessness and have no real power on either, what’s the point of being in parliament?'

I guess its to pick up the fat six-figure salaries. That's the point we have arrived at because, in terms of progressive politics, the Green's are continuing to slide away into irrelevancy.