Good interview with new Greens co-leader James Shaw on RNZ this morning. I don’t have time to transcribe, but here’s a summary:
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Shaw’s main focus will be climate change. He has issued a challenge John Key to find common cause on climate change, the issue is bigger than politics.
He rules out formal coalition with National. Greens have more in common with Labour, “the distance with National is too great”.
He will draw on his business background to reach out to business.
The Greens support a mixed economy as transition sustainable smart green economy. We don’t have “free market capitalism”. After 2008 governments around the world guaranteed financial institutions. Profits are privatised but risks and costs are socialised – “which to me is not free market capitalism”. “We need to be honest about the system that we’ve got”. “What we’ve allowed in New Zealand and around the world is a sort of a crony capitalist state to creep in”.
He want to revive the memorandum of understanding with National. Starting with climate change, but looking for other areas of common cause. Espiner: what’s in it for National?. Policy stability long term, such as the stability around superannuation.
Espiner returns to his main question – why tie yourselves to Labour? Do you want a formal Labour Green arrangement and signal to voters? Shaw: we need to present an alternative government to National – people are looking for stability and mature government.
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Not a perfect interview from Shaw, but a very good one. Creeping crony capitalism has a certain ring to it…
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