I think most people wold support spending caps – after consultation, and also a limit or need to declare anonymous donations – after consultation, etc etc. Trouble is there wasn;t any.

What a mess-up this is.

At worst corrupt, at best incompetent – totally a waste of time

Yes.

1. We had a spending limit under FPP and copied it over.
2. I believe the Royal Commission recommended one.
3. Many countries without spending limits instead have limits on fund-raising instead, and equalise parties through this, rather than spending limits.

It appears to me that all the bellyachng in the world, all the informed opinions, all the esteemed bodies who criticise the EFB are not going to make an iota of difference to it.

I find it incredible that this issue about which we have been whinging for over a month now, is still lagely under the radar as far as Joe Public is involved.

All the majority of your contributors (and I am guilty also) do is chitter-chatter, like THAT’S going to really hurt Aunty Helen’s rise to power, isn’t it?

The amused contempt of the leftie bloggers and trolls display in here is actually justified.

All they have to do is come in,expend a few seconds on some trivial crap about the EFB and the rest of us, like sheep, follow, and ignore the basics.

We are like idiots who crowd to watch some Punch and Judy show while their accomplices load up the car with our household possessions.

We can spend the whole day going on about ‘who said what to whom and how”. But the fact is, all that is chaff, spewed out in the wake of the left-wing Labour ageda to comandeer and divert attention from the real issue.

Some have commented that this blog is a great place to ‘do nothing’. I agree.

Yesterday, having read and taken on board this, I put up a “EFB=RORT” outside a local MP’s Office. It was a small gesture, I know…BUT IT FELT GREAT!!!!!!!!!

Then I asked if anyone might have any ideas about how to organise similar actions.

Guess what, apart from one or two ‘well done’s’ virtual silence.

It’s in the too-hard basket.

Or is it the spineless hot-air basket, readers?

My opinion on this (while I’m still allowed to hold one):

The only thing the MPs care about is their position in power, so , people do do something positive to confront them with their covert activities on this one. Suggestions include:

Find a list of marginal seats, and start to ask these MPs where they stand on this issue.

Put together a poster or leaflet to expose this issue and give it to ten people with their MP’s address on it.

Write a letter to the editor.

Put up a poster outside your MP’s ofice indicating their involvement with the EFB.

Make this an election issue.

Or is the alternative more attractive because it involves ‘doing nothing’?

Are we going to spend another day belly-aching on here, then switch off with the self-satisfied air of one who has ‘made a difference’ when all we have done is enable, and empower the opposition to get away with robbery?

Speech over. You bunch of big girls’ blouses.

Do you have an opinion on why NZ wants to set a limit on campaign spending under MMP when the countries we modeled our implementation of MMP on don’t ?

Look the left don’t actually care a hell of a lot for the facts and that’s about the size of it.

Let us not forget that if “You and I taxpayers” underpaid our tax return by $800,000 in 2005 then by the time we paid it back mid 2007 – the loan would have cost us $1.2m (with LPP, incremental LPP’s and UOMI). So don’t be surprised when the lefty apologists pump up the EB spending by the same proportion or more.

As it is currently drafted, but as Hager argues, this is something that can be easily fixed. What you’re trying to do is use these drafting errors (which will be fixed) to muddy the waters while you defend the right of wealthy interests to spend enough money to control the agenda and drown out the voices of ordinary NZers. It’s all just a bit cynical, really.

Ooops
Last week it was Hager saying this was the Nazi partys Bill
This week Hager has changed his spots now it is a Drafting error
Scuse me I AM CYNICAL
The man from the weird lefty Greens party who brought in the stupid MMp system because…because…because…because those old hippies couldnt get anyone to elect them changed his tune pretty quick Eh!

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, and Australia

Germany the great country that brought us MMP\
surely our lords and masters of MMp the Green party have got some excuse why we deivated from Germany

Why not have a look at what Nicky Hager has to say instead?
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2007/09/guest-column-election-funding-whats.html

“It was a simply a drafting error and was inevitably going to be fixed once the officials and politicians realised they had got it wrong.”

HAHAHAHAHA
this is Hager the Horrible who went on Radio saying it was the Nazi Partys Bill

“This includes National’s secret collaboration with the Exclusive Brethren, who pumped nearly $1,500,000 into advertising to try to get National elected,”

not proved! and the amount keeps getting pumped up wtih NO EVIDENCE
and don’t say no one has denied it BECAUSE THEY HAVE

“That National has got away with this campaign to date is evidence of where some of the genuine problems of our democracy lie.”
what utter crap
poor old Hager has to go onto a lefty blog because noone else will lsiten to him and this is the most undemorcratic blog that wont allow anyone to comment
Lol

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=28726

The one giving police the right to seize assets on suspicion of crime, rather than conviction/proof. Justified because Australia does it and they confiscate more money than we do…

Is that still happening?

Jesus David, the people you associate with…

so he has associayted with Cameron slater who is worth about ten of you
these guys are all hard working productive members of the community
whereas you
Do you do anything except whine

Free Speech for those who can afford it.

This blog didnt cost me a cent to post on
get a life troll

Let’s say Phillip John wakes up on a Sunday morning and decides that the end of the world is nigh (he’s done this once before). So Phillip John decides to set up, I don’t know, the Peak Oil Party. Come election time. Phillip John and his party faithful can’t get their message out there because the neoliberal cabal can afford to outspend him (we’ll humour Phillip John and assume, as he does, that the neliberal cabal is ultra rich and, therefore, anti-environment).

Question for EFB supporters:

(1) How does it advance democracy if Phillip John and his merry-go-round supporters are knee-capped in their ability to campaign? [spending cap]

(2) And how does it advance democracy if everyone else is forced to pay for the Peak Oil Party’s campaign? [centralised funding]

(3) And if the Peak Oil Party spent $100m on their election campaign, 100 times everyone else for the sake of argument, does that guarantee them a victory?

You are assuming of course that it was Glenn’s money.