Back in February, the Greens decided not to run in Ohariu, in a cowardly effort to help jackbooted fascist Greg O'Connor win the seat for Labour. Last night, they changed their minds:
The Green Party has dealt an unexpected blow to Labour's chances of winning the hotly contested Wellington seat of Ohariu by deciding at the 11th hour to stand a candidate.
Tane Woodley was the surprise revelation at an Ohariu candidates meeting in the suburb of Khandallah on Wednesday night - revealing to the crowd that he was entering the race following the shock departure of 33-year incumbent Peter Dunne.
Woodley planned to campaign solely for the party vote. But the decision is likely to benefit National's Ohariu candidate Brett Hudson, as it could split the vote on the left and dent the lead in the polls enjoyed by Labour's Greg O'Connor.
Good. Because O'Connor is a nasty little authoritarian and not the sort of person I want to see in Parliament. The Greens aren't standing to defeat him, of course - they want the extra party votes a visible candidate would bring. But if it has that effect, it would be a bonus, and providing left voters a chance to object to an armed police force is not a bad thing at all.
As for Labour voters upset at the Greens spoiling their chances, tough shit. Peter Dunne's departure means the Greens now have no reason to stand aside, while recent polling means they need every vote they can get. Labour should do what's good for Labour, and the Greens will do what's good for the Greens.
