The ALP's possibly terminal woes can be traced to its abandonment of its prior ideological commitment to socialism. While Labor didn't have much choice after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is the ALP's wholesale shift to the Right that has led to voters and members abandoning them in droves.

On the other hand, the Greens have a well-documented and coherent philosophy, the core of which hasn't changed since their inception. Among the four ideological 'pillars' of ecological sustainability, participatory democracy, social justice and nonviolence, are sufficient 'Left' priorities for the Greens to be seen by many who are disaffected by the ALP's abandonment of its traditional voter base as a natural 'refuge' from which to send a message.

Over the past two decades the Greens' share of the first preference vote has been steadily increasing at every election at every level of government in Australia, with concomitant gradual increases in parliamentary representation. They were the beneficiaries of much of the protest vote at the last Federal election against ALP shenanigans, but I don't think that even the Greeens themselves think that this spike will be sustained, rather that the former gradual increase in support will be temporarily reversed at the next Federal election, at least.

Here's the thing: Australia's political commentariat have never quite known what to do with the Greens, and base their analyses on the behaviour of the 'majors'. It is inconceivable to most of the Canberra press gallery that a political party might not put winning government as its first priority, so their analyses are fundamentally flawed. Flowing from that fundamental flaw in most political analysis of the Greens (including the article by Graham Young cited by the OP) is the utter inability of most political pundits to comprehend that Bob Brown is not the Greens' 'leader' and never has been. He acts as parliamentary leader, but the Greens constitutionally don't actually have a position of leader, president, chairman or whatever.

[continued]

[continues]

Bob Brown has no structural authority within the Greens beyond his personal respect and persuasiveness. Unlike the other parties, he has no basis upon which to demand that anybody does what he says - and besides which, he'll be retired soon. I think that Young's analysis misses the point, as do most others. The Greens acknowledge that they are not ready as a party to govern in their own right, and further that they may never want to. They are about achieving their policy agenda, and it doesn't really matter to them who actually implements them.

The Greens would rather gradually bring people with them where possible, rather than demolish all opposition. Of course, there will be issues like AGW that require more urgent action, but they are definitely not into the focus group-driven, knee-jerk mode that lately characterises the ALP, nor the policy vacuum that characterisies the LNP.

Australia faces many challenges ahead, and we really need to find ways to work together to meet them. It seems to tme that the current way of doing politics in Australia is counterproductive, which is a major reason that the Greens are appealing. Over time, more and more Australians are drawing similar conclusions, hence the steadily increasing support for the Greens' way of doing things.

Belly,
Saw this on another blog and thought you may be interested.

"The fact is, the alliance between the Greens party and the Labor party becomes stronger today because the Labor party now relies on the Greens.

Politics is driven by the numbers and the Labor party now relies on the nine Greens Senators to get their legislation through, including the carbon tax. In the House of Representatives,44 of the 72 Labor members relied on Greens preferences to be elected at the 2010 election.

That means Labor is hostage to the Greens’ agenda which includes:
• shutting down the coal industry, which RMIT economists have found would cost 200,000 jobs and cost the Australian economy $36 billion a year
• ending the live cattle trade, which employs 13,000 Australians and generates $1 billion in annual export earnings
• cutting the water available for farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin by 70%, effectively shutting down the foodbowl that feeds the nation
• bringing back death duties and increasing the top marginal tax rate to 50%
• introducing heroin injecting rooms throughout the country
Unfortunately at the moment, a vote for Labor is a vote for the Greens.

With the cost of basic essentials like electricity rapidly increasing, the Greens want to increase the pressure on budgets and put at risk the jobs that power our nation and provide its export revenue.

Worse, the carbon tax won’t provide any environmental benefit. It might make the Greens feel warm and fuzzy inside but it’s not going to cool the planet".

I noticed it said that 44 of the 72 Labor members in the House of Reps relied on Green preferences to get elected. I wonder what your views on that are, as it seems to me that the Greens and the ALP have been giving each other preferences forever. the greens rely on ALP preferences to get seats in the Senate.

Morgan, you've got to be kidding.

The reason many people have been drawn to vote for the greens is that green policies have been totally misunderstood by the average Ozzie.,
Now we have them getting over excited, they have finally started enunciating their dreams, & most of their recently attracted voters are horrified. They had no idea what they were voting for.

You will find that the recent talk about one world government will chase off many more than it attracts. I don't think the idea of their kids having the same life as a Chinese coolie will attract too many Ozzies. That this prospect may have escaped many will not continue.

Next election you can bet Labor will be airing clips of idiot Brown suggesting a one world government, one vote one value, with a suggestion of what that would mean for all but the elites of Oz. That these elites do not expect it to apply to themselves is obvious to any who think of it, but not most as yet. Be assured that will change, & the present vote level for the Greens will leave a high water mark on Oz politics, something like the dirty high water mark left on the bath tub, after washing the dirty kids.

I am going to take a spell.
I am far from silly
Know,have done for a time true Friends are ignoring me here.
Know too my thoughts and ideas are not shared by some.
IT IS startling! think with me! that I hide from stones thrown from my side of the fence.
Read Morganzilas almost bribe offer in my preferences thread,it says between the lines
IF I GIVE UP ON MY VIEWS the greens will talk to me!
I can find plenty to play verbal tennis with here.
People who will throw the verbal arm over my shoulder WHEN THEY LIKE WHAT I say!
I am informed I am not considered well educated or a person who under stands politics.
I know this, AUSTRALIA IS WEARY of politicians of my party[in my view they judge us too harshly]
Of Abbott [ in my view the judge him too leniently]
But my party lost only fools on not being a SOCIALIST PARTY!
And it is/will/must go to war with the flea riding on our back a flea with no power other than its stolen blood from my party and mainstream Australia.
I will now take leave stop posting for a while, but my views remain not marginal but majority ones
Be good Be happy Belly

very proud of our current achievements.
Belly,
Such as ?