Re: Australian Greens' on the rise

["Jose G. Perez" <jgperez@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Peter,

It would be good to know just how the first preference/second preference
system works. Are Socialist Alliance votes "lost" to the greens? Or is it a
case where, if the SA is eliminated as the lowest vote-getter, then those
votes "roll over" to the greens?

It seems from your description that the green vote represents real motion
towards independent political action by working people, and that even if
technically their program is a narrow one of environmental reforms, in fact
they project themseles --and are seen-- as an overall opposition to the
ruling two party system, with a large number of points on immediate
political issues where their position would seem to most people are very
similar or identical to the SA position (opposition to the war on Iraq,
refugees, anti-union legislation).

It would seem to me the starting point for a discussion would be how to
relate to that motion that is finding expression through the greens, at
least in balloting. If it only goes that far, then it is probably a question
of electoral tactics, narrowly speaking. But how much further than
once-in-a-blue-moon ballot casting does the involvement of people attracted
to the green opposition to the current two-party system go? Is there a layer
of youth coming into active political participation in the direction of
independent action via the road of the green party?

Assuming socialist votes aren't denied to the greens, i.e., that in the last
analysis, for a voter the two are not counterposed, I'm not sure this
exhausts the question of whether SA should launch a broad slate of
candidacies. There are also practical matters like the amount of time/effort
spent publicizing the candidates and so on.

Many variants can be considered, for example, the Green/SA leaderships could
come to an open or tacit "non aggression" pact where socialists would not
run in most constitutencies, and the greens would agree to not field
candidates in a smaller number of districts where socialists would stand. Or
simply a unilateral decision by the SA not to run in certain races where the
greens have the highest possibility of getting elected, allowing all
activists in those districts to focus on publicizing the (de facto)
opposition candidate.

But even if "red" votes don't roll over automatically into the green colmun,
it seems unlikely at this stage the socialist left in Australia would want
to forego its own voice in elections, not unless there were a realistic
prospect of the greens, or a section of the greens, becoming themselves a
socialist voice in the electoral arena.

José


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