If you haven’t read what kiwiblog is posting on the proposed electoral act (I prefer the title “Helen Clark PM for Life”), you are in serious dereliction of your civic duty.
This bill has the potential to destroy our democracy and freedom of speak. Think I’m kidding? Here’s what DPF says at the conclusion of one post:
I’m sorry, I have to say this. I am trying to be restrained. But what retard dreamed up this bill. I mean seriously, having to register with the Government to advertise your opinion on a policy or proposition associated with a political party. Did no one at all in Cabinet read the bill?
He’s not kidding. He is being restrained - he got caught out by assuming that the government was being incompetent, and Helen today confirmed that they’re being hypocritical.
Every member of the Labour Party should hang their head in shame. For over a year Labour have spent almost every day whining about these secret donations. It has been the centrepiece of their entire electoral reform campaign. National had agreed they should end. But Helen Clark and Labour decided unilaterally to leave it out because Labour would have struggled for funding without such money.
It should be unthinkable that a government puts forward changes to the electoral act. Such changes should come from an independent body. At the very least they should be universally agreed in parliament.
A ruling party changing the electoral laws over the dead body of the opposition, effectively shutting down to a minimum all voices but it’s own, is not what should be happening in any western democracy.
But it’s happening in New Zealand. Today.
