The Listener joins in …
Even The Listener joins in the queue to criticise the double rort of the Electoral Finance Bill and the Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill. Some quotes:
Proposed rules for election-year spending are blatantly unfair.
This week the government introduced to Parliament a measure called the Appropriation (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill, which it intends to rush through before Christmas.
It might as well be called the “One Law for MPs Bill”. When combined with the Electoral Finance Bill, which is being considered by a select committee, it makes the rules on advertising in an election period markedly different for MPs than for all other New Zealanders.
The Electoral Finance Bill itself attracted widespread and deserved criticism for being anti-democratic. It establishes a regime that will come into effect on January 1, rather than the usual three months before an election. Everyone who produces material that could be construed as supporting or criticising a political party, or even a type of party, will be captured by the restrictions in the bill, including a cap on expenditure between January 1 and election day. The bill is likely to come back from the select committee with some changes, but nothing so far indicates that its fundamental affronts will be removed.
However, the Electoral Finance Bill contains a provision that means it does not apply to MPs. Instead, they will be covered by the “One Law for MPs Bill”. This allows them to campaign next year, right up to the day before the election, using the generous taxpayer-funded allowances given to each party represented in Parliament. What is more, this spending will not be counted as part of each MP’s individual spending cap, nor towards a party’s spending cap.
It seems that Labour and its support parties, believing themselves to be far more cash-strapped than National, have found a way to legitimise election-period spending through their taxpayer-funded parliamentary budgets. Add such spending to the expensive ad campaigns to allegedly educate the public on policies like KiwiSaver or Working for Families, and next year Labour, in particular, will be bleeding a lucrative vein of taxpayer-funded publicity.
The public deserve better. Not only because the public are paying for it, but because it is unfair for incumbent MPs to have a legalised advantage and because, in election year, there should be a level of robust participation that the Electoral Finance Bill will inhibit.
The bill’s provisions are a shame and a shambles and New Zealand’s democracy will be poorer if they are passed.
One of the better Listener editorials.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
The Listener jumped the shark a while back, but I think they lost all credibility after their recent editorial backing David Skilling’s suggestion we shirk our international obligations on climate change. No wonder their circulation figures are going into freefall and their writing staff are jumping ship.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I think the Labour party have been working under the misconception that the average New Zealander is not as intelligent as they are.
Wrong!
Education and intelligence are not always hand in hand!
November 12th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
And the Listener is run by the same Editors as ….. NZ herald.
What a coincidence. protecting their advertising revenue.
if they go back to the current system , lets allow increased funding for radio TV and internet and less for ‘print’
I guess the old print fogies dont have a problem with parties having very tight restrictions on TV advertising
[DPF: Nice smear but they have totally different editorial teams]
November 12th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Ghostwhowalks:
Oh, silly little fibber. The Listener and The NZ Herald are owned by the same company, and have separate editorial teams. Then again, nice to see Tane and GHW stick to the wingnut MO (lefty division): Don’t debate the substance, smear the messenger – and don’t be too scrupulous about it either.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Tane. I think you’ll find more voters will agree that Labour has jumped the shark than the Listener has.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Actually, a rare example of a Listener editorial that’s any good at all.
Poor Tane. It’s so tough that we don’t have a media that’s 100% leftwing bullshit, like they do in Cuba and North Korea. Not yet, although the percentage has been steadily increasing for years and must be around the high 80′s or low 90′s.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
When the Listener is telling you the left-wing party has gone too far then you’re pushing it uphill with a pointed stick.
Tane, big ups for your continual hands-over-the-ears nah-nah-nah it’ll all be alright nah-nah-nah routine. But right now if you’ve got a warm feeling I’d be checking to see you haven’t pissed your pants … because this issue is starting to move into the general populations view and I think the public’s reaction to Labour’s theft of parliamentary money at the last election is a fair pointer of how they’ll react to these new Labour rorts.
I seriously think this issue is going to sink Labour in the 2008 election. What the Herald, the Listener, the DomPost and the Press are signalling over the last few days is that they’re going to latch on to this from now till the election. You don’t do a front-page editorial and then not mention the issue again.
This is a strategic mis-step from Helen Clark. She’d have better to have made a public show of apology for the $800k thievery and promise not to do it again – us Kiwi’s react well to public contriteness. But the woman doesn’t have a contrite bone in her body.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Oh Dear – why are the beloved subjects and media turning against the Dear Leader. Why oh why have the people turned? – Does labour not provide all the needs of the ungrateful subject, giving to each according to their needs and in return all Dear Leader demands is strict obedience to the Socialist objectives of the wonderful and all caring Labour Government.
“Why are the people revolting against me”, I hear her cry into her Hubbard’s cereal.
The left are screaming that the Herald front page proves that the media are in the pocket of “very big money and I emphasise the very”. Now that the Listener and all talkback radio stations are joining the opposition, the only publications that seem to be in favour are the union publications (funded by the Labour Government “education grants”
So the question now is – “in the face of so much opposition to the Bill, why is Labour supported by the Greens and NZ First continuing with the Bill?” How much more momentum can be gathered to Kill the Bill?
And on that point – what is the status of the High Court Hearing in respect of the advice given by Crown Law to Cullen?
November 12th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Sorry. Grammatical mistake in last post. Last sentence should have read …
“But the woman (?) doesn’t have a contrite bone in her (?) body.”
November 12th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
It will be interesting to see how the Greens and NZ First hold up if this issue gets real public attention.
Winnie the Pooh has form in just brazenly pushing his own self-interest, so I doubt NZ First will turn away. Besides, he really doesn’t have any other options. But he and NZ First are goners in 2008. I wonder whether Ron Mark will jump wakas.
But the Greens, with their Google-ish “do no harm” type mentality might start to wither under intensive pressure. I know they feel hurt about the EB’s going at them at the last election. But do they really want this venal corrupt tag applied to them? So far they’ve been a bit teflon-ish at portraying a “more saintly than the rest of Parliament” image. Are they prepared to sell that image down the river???
November 12th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
The Greens might survive, albeit battered and bruised, but I reckon NZ First is history. You can add “Electoral Finance Bill” to the other three-word phrase that will be Winston’s epitaph – “Baubles of Office”.
BTW virtualmark – did you read Key’s statement?
November 12th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
IV2 … I did read Key’s statement on your blog.
I was interested that it didn’t actually quote him directly saying that National would repeal the bill. The title said National will dump the bill, and the first line says that John Key says he’ll scrap it. But I’d feel more comfortable if the man himself went on record saying they’ll repeal it.
Sorry, I can’t help but be cynical about politicians …
November 12th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Why am I not surprised that those who bag the Listener over this editorial would have bagged the Listener for backing off the Kyoto penalty regime (as against actually improving our own environment).
November 12th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
It is possible that National have been keeping their powder dry. The following weeks up to Christmas will make or break Labour, and prove or disprove the open question about whether National have what it takes to govern the country..
November 12th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Does anyone outside of Wellington read the Listener, and really why would they want to.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Lee,
I wonder if the Nats had started to make the same incorrect assumption as Labour and assumed electoral funding was always going to be a ‘beltway issue’. They have to me realized their error just in time.
I note that Hooton this morning on Radio NZ was scathing about National’s prior efforts in making hay out of this.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I did wonder how long it would take for more of the nominal left to oppose this bill. It would strike directly at the sort of campaigning carried out by so many organisations of the left, Greenpeace, WWF, SPCA, F&B, etc etc. Only the Labour Party tools like the Unions are exempted. How can the Green Party in all honesty support such a travesty.
That the mass of NZ’ers are finally waking up isn’t really a surprise, just that it took so long is.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
virtualmark – I’ve heard sound-bites today where Key says just that, also the e-mail I got from English’s office on Friday was pretty blunt on that point.
Interestingly, there was a statement on Key’s site today that intrigued me – on the Comments Response tab was the following:
“John Responds to visitor comments
A response from John to concerns in several comment threads that National is not sufficiently visible in its opposition to the EFB, published in this thread on 09 November.
Thanks for your comments, and I can assure you that National remains vehemently opposed to the Electoral Finance Bill……”
Given that I had challenged him on Friday when posting on the site “I would be greatly reassured by your comments that National remains vehemently opposed to the EFB, in the form in which it went to the Select Committee.”, I shall rather immodestly take a little bit of the credit for eliciting the response!
November 12th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Any environmentalist worth his salt would have jumped off the Kyoto wagon years ago.
Any democrat worth his salt would have jumped off the EFB wagon months ago.
Those that are still on both, prove either their illiteracy or that their real concerns are neither the environment nor democracy.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Inventory I do not think immodesty is necessary. I also wonder if the fact that we were having a right go at the media last week has anything to do with the slow but definite turnaround. Regrdless of our political persuasion – we have tried many tactics and contacted many people about this issue – all in the face of a government that firmly wanted their agenda kept under wraps.
We have refused to fall for the inane responses of the EFB supporters from
‘It will be wonderful after the Select Committee’ or
‘There’s nothing to see, move on’.
We have been subjected to taunts by it supporters tnat the ‘people’ and ‘the media’ are not interested in our ‘hyperbole’.
We’ve had pompous a**holes who appear to believe they are able to receive telepathic messages from the Government telling us our concern is pointless, therefore redundant.
We’ve had ‘It’s a beltway issue.’ rubbed in our faces, and have been accused of wanting to kill the Bill because we are National Party sock-puppets who are only out to ‘rort the election’ – ie we are dishonest and corrupt, when we are merely concerned citizens trying to preserve our rights.
We’ve listened to the scratched record claims tht the Bill is designed to stamp out the kind of machinations the EB underwent, but have seen that is BS, and and by implication, Key has been defamed as being party to it and to the next attempt.
Our recognition of the bad drafting, the ill-conceived advice from Val Sim, the recommendatios of the Law Society and the Human Rights Council, have been belittled as ‘tin-foil hat paranoia’, and as well, those who have criticised us have done so under the pretence that our response has been unworthy of serious debate.
We have been called ‘Hollow Men’, by people who resemble nothing more than a cracked drum.
So, do not be immodest, my old china, what we have done lately has been superb and maybe difference between us being able to hold our heads up high, and skulking in corners in the coming months.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Lindsay – the most charitable interpretation for National is that they have been playing a waiting game.
The country will be a little bemused by what is going down. The real test for Key is whether he can prove he is a leader, or a follower…
If he is a leader, then it’s game over for Labour. If he is a follower, then well, it will be Ground-hog day.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
For the record
Listener circulation: 69,000
Listener readership: 275,000
Organisations that have got it badly wrong on campaign finance (according to Labour).
- Electorial Comission
- Auditor General
- Council for Civil Liberties
- Law Society
- Human Rights Commisioner
- NZ Herald
- NZ Listener
etc
etc
etc
… who would you rather have in your corner? I guess it depends on whether or not you aspire to a democracy like that in Singapore …
November 12th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
NormL has it wrong too.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
John Key was on with Leighton Smith just before 11 this morning. Not a direct quote but Leighton said something like this to him”
`I would be happier if you would say that National would repeal this bill if you became the Government’.
Keys reply was along the follwoing lines:
`Even though it will be to our disdvantage we will repeal this bill’.
I don’t think you can get much clearer than that.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I’ve just emailed my list of Auckland based contacts urging them to join the march and used some of the material from my SC submission. If it means 10 more people show up it all helps. I urge everyone on this blog to do the same where ever you are in the world. In America, blogs and people power stopped legislation that gave amnesty to illegal immigrants. It looked dead set to pass the House and Senate and be signed by Bush (who is weak on illegal immigration) but people shut down the entire Congressional phone system for a two days with the huge volume of calls. This movement was spearheaded by the conservative blogosphere and talk radio in much the same way David has done here on Kiwiblog.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Lee C
Hear hear. I am reminded of a comment by Winston Churchil that went along the lines of:
“Never underestimate the ability of a small group of people to change the world, they are in fact, the only thing that ever has.”
November 12th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
shhhh. Hear that? Is it a rat in a trap, knawing his own leg off so he can limp home to freedom?
No, it is the sound of the left, sharpening their knives as they debate how best to go to war with the Media.
top five slurs so far? May I add the no one manta you will be hearing tomorrow?
The herald is frightened it will lose advertising revenue under the EFB, therefore it has a selfish financial interest in subverting our brave leader’s attempts to make New Zealand a safer, more democratic place….
Anyone have any others we will be hearing soon?
November 12th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
sorry ‘mantra’
November 12th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
and ‘gnawing’
November 12th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Annette King’s office is now producing a propaganda paper that has appeared in my letterbox.
It is called the Rongotai news, and is imblazoned with the crest of the House of Representatives and the Labour banner at the bottom of each page.
The stories are headlined as follows:
“Rongotai reflects Labour’s strong commitment to State Housing”
“Kiwisaver take-up figures take off”
“Island Bay School opens refurbished classrooms”
“Major highway upgrade begins”
“Smart new trains just the start”
“Cleaner air, safer streets, healthier bodies”
“Trolleys get new lease of life”
“Positive Role models for Kids”
“Community Partnership Fund successful applicants announced”
“Money back in Wellington city ratepayers’ pockets”
“Newtown Union Health Service a pioneer in cheaper doctors visits”
This does not ask you to vote for labour, but under the proposed regime this will be allowed under the new rules, paid for by taxpayers. Anyone who would seek to publish a similar paper would not be allowed to. I don’t know what such a paper would cost to produce but any individual or organisation that would seek to do so would not have the unwilling financial backing of the NZ Taxpayer.
During an election year, it would be very difficult to put forward an opposing view in a manner that would make it heard should the EFB come into law.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Just been to the Very Double Standard they are bellyaching about right- wing bias in the media; I made this observation to them:
“superb – you had it your own way for so long, and when it was under the media radar, you were smugly dismissing detractors based on the premise that the media hd no interest in this ‘beltway issue’ because Labour were doing the right thing..
Now, the media is taking an interest, and criticising Labour, suddenly you are smugly using the fact to ‘prove’ that they are following a right-wing agenda to bring down Labour. The common thread in both tapestries – smugness.
It was the smug arrogance of Labour that got you into this mess, and foolishly you assume that your smug arrogance will extricate you.
I think you will be proven wrong on both counts.”
November 12th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
slightly “During an election year, it would be very difficult to put forward an opposing view in a manner that would make it heard should the EFB come into law.”
Then we will have no alternative than to break the law.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
The very same Listener who responded to the storm of criticism that the horrid Joanne Black, the wife of one of John Key’s key advisors, was re-writing National Party press releases as editorals by stopping signing their editorials and hiding their political agenda behind anonymity?
The very same Listener that employs the over-the-hill partner of Murray McCully as its chief political commentator?
The very same Listener that now has every cover devoted to some sort of totally boring middle class obsession?
The Listener is in a circulation freefall. And that sort of Joanne Black parrtingwhat shwe is told by her hubby is the reason.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Earlier I wrote:
“shhhh. Hear that? Is it a rat in a trap, gnawing his own leg off so he can limp home to freedom?
No, it is the sound of the left, sharpening their knives as they debate how best to go to war with the Media.”
Later Toms wrote:
“The very same Listener who responded to the storm of criticism that the horrid Joanne Black, the wife of one of John Key’s key advisors, was re-writing National Party press releases as editorals by stopping signing their editorials and hiding their political agenda behind anonymity?”
Wow, the backlash against the media. Just like I predicted, only ahead of time.. hold onto your sick-bags it’s going to be messy.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
toms we have endured crap socialist media for years. Now the worm has turned all I can say is…..
November 12th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Lee
I dont think it was so much smugness but desperation.
People do extreme things when they are desperate.
helen was seeing her great mission in life being shot down and her basic survival instincts came to the fore. Get more money.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
the listener has been full of left-style rubbish for years. and middle class this and middle class middle class that and middle classes are thick and middle classes are boring and middle classes are the most hopeless of all and aren;’t we glad we aren’t one of them. Man its been heinous to ‘listen’ to for years. and the blimmin’ finlay macdonald was the worst and still is – seems he doesnt like being middle class – bloody twat.
so given all that rubbish it is now heartening to see they can have some balance after all.
and here’s hoping they drop the condescending (sp?) attitude to the virtualy entire country which is described most arrogantly by them as middle class. after all the lower and upper classes are so small they hardly exist. fume fume.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Inventory2, I’m heartened to hear that John Key’s clearly said he’ll repeal the bill.
If I was National I’d be putting up a few billboards with that message on it. I suspect it’s the sort of commitment you could communicate in a short sharp message on a billboard.
Hopefully the recent media attention has provided John Key, Bill English and so on with a platform to aggressively put the pressure on Labour and their partners-in-crime. Helen get’s bloody brittle under pressure. And I suspect the Greens will get a bit wobbly once the bright lights go on them.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Now I’ve got that ‘middle class’ rant out of my system, to the topic — good to see key and national upping the ante a little/lot re this. It would seem to be a fantastic opportunity for them to take clark and cohorts on full frontal. Fight back hard. Dont back down. Get your claws out.
Show us what you’re made of Key etc. You’ve got the headline now follow up with a few good lefts and rights .
November 12th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I read at the weekend that Jeanette Fitzsimons has been having problems with her wind turbine – the blades keep coming off, or something like that. I couldn’t help but think that it might just be Rod Donald sending her a message to pull her head (and the heads of Locke and Bradford) in! I really believe that Donald would have had a helluva fight with Clark over the EFB – the Greens REALLY miss him!
November 12th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
vto – I’ll be working my schedule for tomorrow so that I lunch in front of the telly at 2pm – the beauty of working from home!!
November 12th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
What a day. Stuck earning my tax payments today so not time to graze in the blog fields.
Have to laugh at the left’s observation about the media… if our MSM sing the socialist song they’re puveyers of truth, but if they dare point out any (widely endorsed) view of abuse of power then suddenly they’re partisan liars and obviously inflitrated but the right.
That aside, i now have folks a work asking me about the bills in question. Most are staggered at the blatant election fixing that is going on.
Mid afternoon i ducked out of the office to grab a takeaway coffee and ended up holding court by the coffee cart as a group of office workers discussed the EFB. again, most had no idea. all good.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Just thinking about these planned marches. Shouldn’t they start somewhere in Mount Albert and finish somewhere in Mt Albert? The neighbours are probably already fucked off about the DPS coppers that hide in the bushes, a noisy protest might just push them over the edge…
November 12th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Got sidetracked – who said this recently: “”For out of chaos, disorder, conflict, repression and injustice we seek to create a better world in which we can give full expression to a belief in innate equality and social justice.” Give you a clue? He’s a liar. Lives in Hawkes Bay. Hates tax cuts.
November 13th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Toms sez: Get back in the kitchen and cook yer men some eggs, youse Tory kuntz! Cuz wimmin are 2 fecking stoopid to think 4 demselves.
Do you actually think about any of the dopey shit you write, tom, or do you just puke on your monitor and smear it around a bit?
November 13th, 2007 at 1:54 am
TomSocialist:
*Yawn*
Of course you don’t hide your political agenda behind anonymity. Oh wait. Did I hear someone say “glass houses”?
And when are you kicking off your national stand-up comedy tour? Guaranteed ticket sales – and you’ll have people laughing in the aisles. Hope you don’t mind paying your share of envy tax… wouldn’t want you getting any ideas with Michael Cullen’s share of your spoils now, would we?
November 13th, 2007 at 6:42 am
PM stands firm!
November 13th, 2007 at 7:59 am
John Armstrong’s column today is very interesting on the firmness of the PM’s stand: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10475697
November 13th, 2007 at 10:46 am
She`s probably on viagra.