Watermelons rotten inside

GREG SHERIDAN sounds a warning in todays Australian The Greens are a menace.

THIS election will probably see the emergence of the Greens as Australia’s most important third party. This will be a sad and a bad day for our political culture, for the Greens represent the triumph of extremism over moderation, of the paranoid style over commonsense, and the flight from that civic responsibility which characterises a mature polity.

and;

It is hard to believe 1million Australians really support the anti-growth, anti-modern prejudices of the Greens.

There has been many a blog article about the Greens stupid anti-Australian policies over the last couple of days and the vision of Bob Green on TV defending his party’s lapse into another universe has done little to settle minds. It has even been suggested on some sites that this man may have the balance following the election. I can understand the Socialist Alliance type people loving his anti US/Australian/economy/defence/commerce/jobs stands but surely they would only number tens of thousands at the best. These are self-indulgent hate voters and every society has them. So where do the million voters come from? It appears there are a lot of people who vote Green because they think it’s a vote for the ecology, for the trees in Tasmania, for the cuddly Koala, for the hump back whale or for whatever species or lifestyle that has been misrepresented as being under threat. They think the Greens are an answer to these problems. They are not. They are simply dangerous.

The Greens would end the US alliance by banning the passage of nuclear-powered ships through our waters. On domestic economic policy they would impose death duties, raise every form of tax they mention, but simultaneously ensure full employment while cutting working hours but not pay. All this self-contradictory nonsense is literally an insult to our intelligence and, worse, a degradation of our politics.

Thankfully, they will never get the keys to the treasury but they can still be very dangerous to our economy and way of life. Think very carefully about your protest vote. If you hate Howard – vote for Latham. If you think Latham’s a fool – vote Howard and in the Senate vote for an independant but if you have any hope for Australia don’t vote for the Greens. I note Tim Dunlop and John Quiggin don’t see the Greens as a threat but they also think Latham is a winner and judging by their comment sections, they have attracted a goodly bunch of like thinkers. Fine, but I detect some heads in the sand at their sites. Seemingly a well educated lot, particularly Tim and John – I trust they’re not just academics. Go read for a different view and be sure to check the comments. I think most of them sort of back the Greens only because it may hurt Howard but at least one reader, Gibbo, thinks the way I do when he says;

You folks don’t handle scrutiny very well do you? Finally people are being made aware that the greens have nothing to do with saving whales and cuddling koalas. They are quite simply another tired incarnation of the communist party with a few anarchists thrown in for luck. I am telling everyone I know to go and read their policies for themselves. The greens go well when their exposure is limited to bob browns’ 30 second sound bites but when you come under real scrutiny, you fold and start crying foul. I vote Liberal but I’m not campaigning on that front. I’m pushing “anyone but the greens” and man it’s fun.

Which explains my headline Watermelons – Green outside and red inside Gibbo’s advice is sound. Go check the Greens website and make up your own mind.