Morganzola:"As it happens, the demographics of Greens voters indicates higher than average earnings and a tendency towards middle age."

Would you care to back that up? I've seen claims from credible sources that they are overwhelmingly supported by young professional women, who often have higher incomes than average.

Morganzola:"professionals including doctors, lawyers etc"

See above. Some young lawyers love the Greens, just as some young lawyers love the ALP, because young lawyers are often idealistic and they want to "make a difference".

Young doctors are often naturally compassionate and intelligent people who understand that environmental change is happening and would like to see something done about it.

For those reasons I'd like to like the Greens too, but I find it difficult because they haven't given me anything to like and they're too prepared to wreck things they don't like.

M<organzola:"You know that with your attitudes to women you'd last about 5 seconds in the Greens anyway, I reckon."

I thought the Greens were a "Party of tolerance"? So much for the casting of pearls: the swine were never able to appreciate them...

@ Antiseptic:

I haven't got time to look for it right now, but I think the source was one of Graham Young's reader surveys from here, or maybe Crikey. It certainly accords with my own experience in a decade of involvement with the Greens at every level of the party. In terms of gender, it's roughly 50-50.

Intolerance? You'd be tolerated alright mate, but what I meant is that from what you write here, you couldn't stand more than five minutes of hardcore gender equality in practice. All that PC and feminism would send you nuts, I reckon :)

It matters not what the Greens stand for, their goals or even contributions to the Australian nation.

What matters is belief.

In this case Antiseptic believes:

>> I've seen claims from credible sources that they are overwhelmingly supported by young professional women, who often have higher incomes than average. <<

This belief must be terrifying to someone who holds deep antipathy towards women in general. If Antiseptic attended a Greens meeting he may well be faced with the prospect of having to speak to an intelligent, well educated young woman. By his own admission we have reached the foundation for Antiseptic's dismissal of the Greens - its not about the environment, its the women.

Belief trumps reality repeatedly.

Morganzola, keep looking for that link, I'm genuinely interested.

Oh dear, Ammonite, you "believe" that Antiseptic is antipathic to women, because he is antipathic to the worst forms of Feminism. That means you're unable to hold a rational conversation. A shame, but that's what happens when the old "sororal solidarity" thing is allowed to override the cerebrum.

As it happens, I'm not concerned about that at all in respect of the Greens, merely referring to the fact that they are a party informed by the views of a privileged few, many of whom have noble aspirations, if somewhat hazy ideas of how much it's all going to cost, but certain that someone will, because someone has always paid for what they want.

Their intent may be good, but as my old Mum was so very fond of saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I'm sure there must be a few part-time actress, full-time unemployed types in there as well.

Antiseptic "the Greens, merely referring to the fact that they are a party informed by the views of a privileged few,"
I don’t know about the ‘privileged’ but are not all political parties made up of the ‘few’. As for policy the Greens are very much a grass roots driven party, we don’t take ‘donations’ from the ‘privileged few’ be they unions or be they the big end of town, they all expect something in return. Therefore policy is very much formulated from the bottom up. Unlike the two conservative parties where policy is driven from the top down with a good measure of outside influence thrown in. Business wanted a GST so we got one, Unions wanted industrial laws overturned so they were. The ‘popular media’ is very influential, politicians like Gillard and Abbott are far more interested in what Alan Jones and his ilk, or some opinion poll, has to say than the views of ordinary Australians, then again who knows what their views are, their view that counts is the one they express at the ballot box.

The fundamental problem I have with the Greens is their inconsistency.

On the one hand, they rely heavily - and noisily - on the science behind climate change to inform their views on how to terminate Australia's mining industry.

While on the other, they violently oppose nuclear power, which could dramatically shift the country towards green energy. And get all hot and bothered when scientists find ways to grow crops that avoid the need for nasty nitrogen-based fertilisers.

Seems to me they are simply trading on our fears.