Jack Tame: The Greens can own the hypocrisy and push Tana out

The Greens have released the Executive Summary of their report into Darleen Tana, and it's pretty clear in asserting that Tana had much more involvement with her husband's bike business than she otherwise claimed.

The question now is whether or she's going to decide to stay in Parliament. Tana said in her interview with Maiki Sherman that she'd take a little bit of time before deciding whether to remain in parliament as an independent MP, but if she does decide to stay around, I think it's pretty clear the Greens have only one choice.

If the party leaders believe in the integrity of the report - a report which took the best part of four months to produce - then I think they have little choice but to instigate the waka-jumping legislation which they so publicly despised, and expel Darlene Tana from Parliament.

Let us not forget, the main reason the Greens opposed the waka-jumping legislation is not for situations like this. The main reason they opposed it was so that if an MP held a different position on a really important policy to that which was being whipped by their party, they could take a moral stand and dissent.

This ain't that. This is not a dispute over policy. This is an MP whose colleagues they believe has not been truthful to the party. An MP who has brought the party and the caucus into disrepute. And while Darlene Tana might complain about the process of this investigation and some of the findings, her former party leader and caucus colleagues have been blunt. They want her out.

This should have been a week when the Greens were laser-focused on the Government's climate plans. This week of all weeks should've been one where they represented their constituents in opposition. Instead, they're still answering questions about the character of MPs who were until very recently part of their caucus.

The Greens have swallowed a rat in the past. After all, they voted to pass the waka-jumping bill into law. But I actually don't think many people would resent them if they swallowed another in this case. If Darlene Tana won't quit on her own accord, and they believe in the integrity of the report, the Greens should cop a few days of criticism for their hypocrisy, push her out, and move on.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Greens have released the executive summary of their report
into Darlne Tanner, and the question now is whether or
not she's going to decide to stay in parliament. Satana
said in her interview with One News as Mikey Sherman
this week that she would take a little bit more
time before deciding whether to remain in Parliament as an
independent MP. But if she does decide to stay around,
I think it's pretty clear the Greens have only one

(00:21):
real choice. If the party leaders believe in the integrity
of the report, a report which, let's not forget, took
the best part of four months to produce, then I
think they have little choice but to instigate the Waker
Jumping legislation which they so publicly despised, and expel Darlene
Tanner from Parliament. Let's not forget the main reason that
the Greens opposed the Waker Jumping legislation in the first

(00:43):
place is not for situations like this. The main reason
they opposed it was so that if an MP held
a different position on a really important policy or moral
issue to that which was being whipped by their party,
then they could take a moral stand and they could
dissent this ain't that this is not a dispute over policy.

(01:05):
This is an MP whose colleagues believe has not been
truthful to the party, an MP who's brought the party
in the caucus into disrepute. And while Darling Tana might
complain about the process of this investigation, in some of
the findings, her former party leader and caucus colleagues have
been blunt. They want her out. Look. This should have
been a week when the Greens were laser focused on

(01:28):
the government's climate plans. This week, of all weeks, with
the government's emissions reduction plans, should have been won where
they represented their constituents in opposition. Instead, they are still
answering questions about the character of MPs who were until
very recently part of their caucus. The Greens have swallowed
a rat in the past, after all, they voted to

(01:50):
pass the Walker Jumping Bill into law, but I actually
don't think many people would resent them if they swallowed
another in this case. If Darling Tana won't quit on
her own accord and they believe in the integrity of
the report, the Greens should copy a few days of
criticism for their hypocrisy, push her out and move on.

(02:11):
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