Antinuclear

Greens leader Christine Milne shows strength in difficult election situation

Monash University’s Paul Strangio says that now, more than a year after succeeding Brown, Milne has established her identity as the party’s political leader………

After Julia Gillard’s demise, Milne is also the only female national political leader. She notes that the two big parties are now led by married men, each with three children, both of whom go to church on Sunday. ”People who have difficulty with women in leadership are quite satisfied now that the stars are aligned and everything’s back as it should be,” says Milne. ”That’s a tragedy in Australia because women in leadership have a lot to offer.”

Her leadership of the Greens, she explains, is therefore also about making it easier for the next generation of women to lead

Tenacious Milne walks the thin green line   SMH, Shane Green Associate Editor of The Age  24 Aug 13 Christine Milne takes her seat for another flight on the campaign trail. Behind is a woman about her age with her elderly mother. As the flight progresses, the younger woman taps Milne on the shoulder and passes a note, written by her mother.

”You’ve got my vote, Christine,” it reads, instantly providing Milne the personal fillip that is intended. Yet its true significance becomes apparent only when the elderly woman gets up to make her way to the toilet. She is struggling, obviously battling a debilitating physical disease. The note of support would have taken half the flight to write.

The Greens leader is deeply touched. It’s a powerful and poignant reminder of the responsibility we place on those who seek to lead us, and the importance of delivering. In an era of pervasive cynicism about politics and politicians, this is a telling moment.

”I’ve always stood up for what I’ve believed in regardless of whether it’s popular or not. And it means a great deal when you have a very elderly person saying to you, I’m going to vote for you,” says Milne. ”All that investment of trust from someone like that really matters.”…….

These kids are great, she says, but her party has supporters across the generations. Among the youthful enthusiasts are two greyer heads, for boomers have also come to the aid of the party.

All of which will be needed in an election that will not only be a fight for survival for Bandt, made all the harder by the Liberal decision to preference Labor above the Greens. It will also be the first big electoral test for the Greens under Milne’s leadership. The Greens were Bob Brown, the lanky and charismatic doctor-turned-environmentalist who largely defined the party. Under his watch, the party secured unprecedented national influence in the minority Labor government.

But that was 2010. Three years on, Brown has departed the national stage, handing over to another warrior from the Tasmanian green movement trenches. Under Milne’s leadership, the Greens walked away from the alliance with Labor. On September 7, will the Greens remain the third force in Australian politics?

That force now consists of nine senators, who held the balance of power, and Bandt in the House of Representatives. At the last election, the party recorded a primary vote of 11.8 per cent in the lower house, and 13 per cent in the Senate. The polls now have the Greens at about 9 per cent, and Bandt in a difficult fight that will require him to improve his primary vote by several points.

The nature of the campaign so far has been the fixation on the leaders of the two main parties, understandable to the extent that it will be Tony Abbott (probably) or Kevin Rudd (less likely) who will form government and occupy the prime ministership. So it is that their every step or misstep is recorded, dissected and interpreted.

But what of the third force and its leader? Can the momentum of 2010 be maintained, and has Christine Milne emerged fully from the long shadow of Brown to stand politically in her own right?……..

There were legitimate questions over whether the Greens would founder after Brown’s departure, but Milne has impressed with her own style in the role. While they share a common background in the Tasmanian green movement, she is not Bob Brown.

Monash University’s Paul Strangio says that now, more than a year after succeeding Brown, Milne has established her identity as the party’s political leader………

After Julia Gillard’s demise, Milne is also the only female national political leader. She notes that the two big parties are now led by married men, each with three children, both of whom go to church on Sunday. ”People who have difficulty with women in leadership are quite satisfied now that the stars are aligned and everything’s back as it should be,” says Milne. ”That’s a tragedy in Australia because women in leadership have a lot to offer.”

Her leadership of the Greens, she explains, is therefore also about making it easier for the next generation of women to lead. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/tenacious-milne-walks-the-thin-green-line-20130823-2sh2z.html#ixzz2cvCePzA1

August 24, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, election 2013, politics