Aidan Rickett’s recently wrote that ‘Senate voting is a dodgy lottery’. It was a classic case of the kettle calling the pot black.
Stalwart Green Party supporter Aidan states , ‘The genuine party’s preferences will reflect their stated values….’ Well that means The Greens are not genuine as they consistently preference right-wing parties over progressive ones. To highlight: the Greens’ preferencing of Clive Palmer during the last federal election.
‘The Greens have looked past the party’s anti-mining stance to go into a preference deal with minerals mogul Clive Palmer in an apparent bid to save the political career of Sarah Hanson-Young,’ wrote The Sydney Morning Herald.
Ricketts fulminates how undemocratic the current system is. He assures us, ‘I am all for diversity in politics….’ Yet he wants to disenfranchise 25 per cent of voter’s first preferences.
Aidan needs reminding the current system was adopted by all major and minor parties, ergo The Greens, to disenfranchise micro-parties and independents. Now that the micros have found a way to get one of theirs elected, the party caliphate coalition of entrenched power want to move the goal posts again.
The Greens have this self-righteous attitude that progressive votes are theirs by divine right. As a left-winger who votes micro, there are many like me who prefer to see a slew of micro candidates, including conservatives, elected , such as Ricky Muir, rather than power first, principle second political parties like the Greens.
Finally, I remind Aidan not so long ago the Greens were a micro-party. I am extremely dubious if it were the same situation today he would be evincing the same meme about ‘micro-parties gaming the system.’
Paul Recher, Dorroughby
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
