I know some of you may not like what I am going to write, but I’m not usually one to care, so I’m not going to start now.
There are some things that need sorting out in this country, and I mean like yesterday. Things like legalising same sex marriage, things like sorting out a price on carbon so that we can work towards keeping up with the rest of the world and having a cleaner environment, and things like taking the religion out of the public school system.

Some of you are probably now thinking, “Too bloody right, that’s why I vote Green”. Well my aim here is to shine a light on that theory, and try and show you that a vote for the Greens, is almost as good as a vote for the Liberal party.

The Labor Party, and the Greens have similar views on some of the bigger issues, such as those mentioned above. However the major difference lies in many of the other issues, such as the Greens wish to bring in a Death Tax, something I’d imagine most of the Green voters, either don’t know about, or choose to ignore.

One needs to look at the big picture in these matters. Both parties would agree that under a Coalition government, environmental policy would go backwards like a bullet out of a gun, same sex marriage would not have a hope in hell, and religion, which was put into the schools by the Liberal Party, would certainly not be taken out.

I know many of you out there are disillusioned by Labor, and its recent failures to stand up on the issues of same sex marriage, and religion in schools. It is something that many of us, within the party, are fighting hard to change. However while we may want to see these things changed, we also understand that it cannot be done at this time.

Quite simply, the Labor Party does not have the support to do all these things at once. At the moment, we believe that a Carbon Price is the most important of these issues to address. It is clear that this is not an easy job, nor is it a simple sell to the public. Tony Abbott with his ranting, and rallies run by the shock jocks, is currently winning this battle. One of the things making this so easy for him and his band of heretics, is the division of supporters for a Carbon Price between two parties, rather than one. Abbott has the much easier job, we have to explain a policy that is quite complicated, all Abbott has to say is “Great big new Tax”, and the good ol’ scare tactics work a treat with a dumbed down public.

I know that this is stating the obvious, but it needs pointing out. Not every supporter of any party agrees with all of the policies of the party they support. I don’t, and I’m sure most of you Green supporters don’t want a Death Tax, and I know many Liberal supporters who aren’t climate change sceptics, and who think that the Coalitions stance on Asylum Seekers is wrong.

Currently, things are so tight between the major parties, that from an ALP perspective, safety is paramount. We will push the policies that we have promised that we will push, and also push hard for what we believe is best for the country. Unfortunately though, fringe issues like same sex marriage, and religion in schools will be left behind.

I know many Labor supporters, predominantly Catholic, who are against same sex marriage. Their numbers aren’t huge, but with such tight polling, every demographic is important. To those of you who say that politicians should not be poll driven, I say, wake the f#*k up. To tell a politician to ignore polling, is like telling a football coach never to watch his team play, receive no score updates during the games, and only get the final result at the end of the season. Polling tells parties where they are succeeding and failing, and decisions on those matters determine election results, and no Labor or Green supporter wants to see a Coalition government, so polling is important.

I can assure you if there was a larger gap between the parties these issues, and others like them, would be addressed.

When the Labor party has the overwhelming public support, moral issues are addressed. Take things like Medicare, Compulsory Superannuation, and Public Hospitals. Add to that the ending of the White Australia Policy, ending military conscription, and the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act, Equal Opportunity Act, and the Racial Discrimination Act. All of these things were introduced when Labor had the numbers to push for them.

One thing we can all be sure of, that no matter how trendy, and cool being a Greens supporter may seem, we are not going to see a Green Prime Minister or Premier in our lifetime. So although you may feel like you are doing the right thing putting the number 1 in the box that says Green Party, you won’t feel so good when a Coalition govt comes into power, and you start losing the rights you were seeking to improve.

So what’s the solution?

I would clearly suggest switching your support to Labor. At least you will have a chance that your concerns will be addressed. However, more than anything, I would strongly suggest joining your local branch of the Labor Party. If you don’t think the ALP is pushing hard enough on these issues, quit whinging and moping about it. Join up and do something about it. We would be more than happy to have you, and all opinions are important opinions.

Oh well, that’s just what I think, for what it’s worth.

United we stand, but divided, we are starting to fall….