Oh, dear. Here we go. If only the Greens became more like the majors, then the people who vote for them for not being like the majors will vote for them even more!

Doesn't it occur to these realpolitik tactitians that the Greens 'product' is differentiated by their willingness to stick to their ideals and thus provide a real alternative to the interminable policy bargaining of the major parties?

Firstly, the Greens INCREASED their vote in Melbourne, as they consistently did in previous elections. Secondly, the Greens don't have to be in government to influence the political landscape. It's better that the Greens build their base slowly and surely and keep to their principles.

The Greens have had a free ride; their ideology and agenda has not been scrutinised and they have been consummate politicians in camouflaging what they really are:

http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/our-abc-green-narrative.html

Spot on Killarney. The greens nearly took a safe labour seat in a one on one fight and just fell short, this author has it that only the greens cadiates mum voted for her. I think the Greens are well rid of Ronan , maybe the young Libs will take him.

Cohenite one cam only imagine you're trolling.

The Green movement aka the Church of Latter Day Communists are threatening your power supply.

They have already put half of India in the dark -

http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/idiocy-on-two-continents.html

The Greens were quite right but they are not the ones who are inflexible on refugees, they simply think we should uphold our own laws.

There is a delusion in the media and bloviators that the parliament were debating something called off shore refugee processing when they were debating no such thing.

They were debating how to break the law, shove away refugees to places where they would be harmed and was premised on letting them get here before doing it.

If the bloviators and media actually read what was being debated they would be sickened to the core. Oakeshott wanted to have the minister of the day have the right to push away anyone in breach of dozens of obligations and laws to any country that attended the hoax Bali conference.

Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, China, Myanmar to name just a few.

The Greens advised an immediate resettlement of refugees from Indonesia and Malaysia, a massive increase in intake, no detention - all according to the law.

We do not want a parliament that refuses to uphold their own laws or international laws just so they can avoid the legal rights of a few thousand human beings.

Kenny; I'm not a troll; read the link I provided and respond to that instead of trolling.

Marilyn; you have been asked before about the numbers; you say a few thousand; that is grotesque given that nearly 10000 have arrived since this wretched government, first at under Rudd and then Gillard, abolished all semblence of border control.

What we have arriving now are NOT refugees. They are at best economic opportunists and, in the case of Tamils, potential terrorists and activists who do not consider they have relinquished the right to have an independent Tamil state.

And we know what the Islamists want.

The real refugees are rotting in Africa and elsewhere. Your comments show little concern for how Australia may fare from this invasion nor the plight of genuine refugees who are still in the queue.