Joanne McNeill: Red and green make a deal

Joanne McNeill.

At last the Labour and Green parties have announced a level of co-operation.

Hallelujah.

Their apparent willingness to relinquish fierce territorial fiefdoms and historic differences for a shot at the strategic electoral opportunities offered by MMP has been a long time coming but it is reason to hope for a future government more concerned with social justice than selling the country down the river.

Red and green are complementary colours attractive in juxtaposition, although mixed together they make a murky brown, so let's hope each keeps its strengths shining clean and bright.

Despite continual loathing of their endless outrages and glib, slippery dissembling, the current neo-liberal National-led Government enjoys unprecedented electoral support, probably because many lefties and other dissenters live in a social media bubble where they only communicate with those of similar persuasion whereas, in the village which is New Zealand, the "ordinary New Zealanders and their families" so often invoked by John Key would rather watch rugby and laugh at smart remarks than question the party line. Indeed, in the rural village where I live (possibly a microcosm of the entire country) it appears many believe if they don't vote National, they won't go to heaven.

A Labour-Green block will have its work cut out overcoming such deep irrationality.

Merely standing against National reactively or proposing their association as an alternative Government won't be enough. People will not vote for negatives or loose options. It will be necessary for them to articulate a clear proactive vision of what they stand for.

Hopefully it will include a commitment to human rights, to sharing the common wealth more equitably using an economic model which stops flogging the dead horse of global capitalism for the benefit of a few in favour of ensuring many thrive in a sustainable environment.

Reversing our dependence on the eggs-in-one-basket export of primary produce by diversifying is essential.

Sitting on the fence on hot-button issues such as cannabis legalisation in order to try to blend in with the suits won't cut it any longer.

The doubtful future of work needs tackling, too. Just as the industrial revolution made former rural peasants into urban factory workers - and sent their delinquent children to school to mould them into compliant grist to the mill - now the digital revolution, the collapse of unions and global free trade are busy spitting them back out, without either foreseeable income or recourse to former subsistence landholdings. A Labour-Green block would do well to investigate urgently which of the various versions of a universal basic income might work best, before we have revolution on the streets.

Future-proofing with efficient strategic infrastructure - such as rail and electricity - which diminishes dependence on greenhouse gas-emitting fuels would be good.

So would independent foreign policy which concentrates on mediation rather than warmongering. Our lavishly equipped defence forces could instead be used primarily for civil defence and community assistance.

The unpopular tendency of left-leaning parties to veer to the right of Genghis Khan when it comes to obstructive state nannying on health and safety is probably best avoided, too, if they plan to be elected.