Sue Bradford is ‘going back to the grassroots’

by David
UNITYblog editor I’m resisting the urge to write some sort of political obituary chronicling Bradford’s political career. After all, she’s resigning from parliament, not politics. “I’ll be going back to the grassroots,” she says. That at least is something to look forward to. However, unless Bradford leads a spectacular revival of grassroots campaigning by the Greens, her departure from Parliament will most likely accentuate the Green’s drift into accommodation with National, Labour and the exploitation of people and planet those parties uphold. Having said that, it’s doubtful Bradford could have done anything about this by staying inside parliament. In the Green Party's official statement Bradford admits that her defeat by Metiria Turei in the recent contest to for female co-leader of the party was an important part of her decision to resign: “The Party made a clear and democratic decision, but of course it was personally disappointing and I’m ready for a change.” I don’t know how Green Party members saw the choice they made. Turei is an excellent speaker and appears to be a capable politician, but for all I know the desire to present a younger face, may have been the biggest factor for Party members. Whatever the reasons Turei, despite her anarchist roots, and co-leader and former socialist Russel Norman seem happy to continue the Green’s transformation into parliament’s environmental lobby, an appendage rather than an alternative to National and Labour. Now, without the restrictions of parliament to hold her back, I hope Bradford will continue to resist her party’s rightwards trend.