Ending the ban?

Nandor Tanczos has suggested that the Greens should end their ban on supporting National and adopt a more independent position. It's the natural extension of his call for the party to stop being "Labour's dog" - but absent significant policy change from the National party, equally meaningless. And both Tanczos and his main rival, Russel Norman, make that abundently clear in the article. As Norman says, the Greens are a constructive party which tries to work issue by issue with everyone, but

In terms of coalitions, it's very difficult at the moment to see how we'd work with National because of their position, particularly on climate change, where they're still climate change deniers, it seems

And this can be repeated with just about any environmental issue you care to name, from the RMA to mining or development in significant conservation areas.

National could change its policy stance (and I'd very much like to see it do so) - but until it does, there will be a de facto ban on coalition with them, regardless of whether it is formal or not, and the Greens will continue to be "Labour's Dog".