The real candidates?
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 am by David FarrarPhil Goff, making a virtue out of necessity, has adopted the bloggers line of warning that as the other parties are putting up List MPs, someone on their list will enter Parliament if they win. And with the story that ACT will probably put up John Boscawen, this is very true.
So who will enter Parliament, if various List MPs contest and win the seat?
If National’s Melissa Lee is the candidate, then Cam Calder, No 58 on National’s list, becomes an MP. How it works is Melissa resigns as a List MP once she is the MT for Mt Albert, and this creates a list vacancy for National. Cam was an MP for a few days after the 2008 election but lost his seat when specials changed the final allocation. Calder stood for Manurewa and was a dental surgeon, but now is the clinicial director of a medical and sporting equipment company. Also Cam is a mad keen petanque player and actually sit on the executive committee of its global governing body.
If Russel Norman wins the seat for the Greens, then David Clendon, No 10 on the Greens list, becomes an MP. He actually lives in Mt Albert.
If John Boscawen wins the seat for ACT, then Hilary Calvert, No 6 on the ACT List, becomes an MP. Hilary lives in Dunedin and is a lawyer.
Tags: Cam Calder, David Clendon, Hilary Calvert, John Boscawen, Melissa Lee, Mt Albert, Phil Goff, Russel Norman
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Personally, I can’t see the point of ACT fielding a candidate in the byelection (though I have a very high regard for John Boscawen). There is no chance of winning. There is a cost in money and time. So what are the returns?
In this case, there might be more mileage in approaching National and saying we’ll endorse your candidate in exchange for your dropping the Emissions Trading Scheme (or some such policy tradeoff). Far better than splitting the vote, and letting Labour win.
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 10:19 am
or National could not field a candidate and let Act have a pop eh ?
Vote:Whoever wins is going to be a person who is voted in by a minority of people who voted
STV in electorate election I say
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
How long has Goff actually been in politics because hes flailing like a novice and he seems to have missed the election results entirely.
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 11:46 am
You are assuming that all parties will follow accepted behaviour. If Russell Norman wins, he who entered Parliament by pressuring other members to give up their right to a seat then how can he insist that the next cab on the rank David Clendon should automatically get in. Staying with the taxi rank metaphor we all know that we are free to chose any taxi on the rank and I frequently do just that. Given this free for all who are next two on Nationals rank? Conway Powell and Stephen Franks. Abundant talent. Have a look at the Labour candidates The privateer or the tunnel visioned tyro. Their list options for further by elections is even worse, Tizard et al Should be an interesting by election
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
You can’t resign as a list MP. You resign as an MP. And she’d better do it before she is the MP for Mt Albert, otherwise there’s going t be another by-election!
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
“if Russell Norman wins, he who entered Parliament by pressuring other members to give up their right to a seat then how can he insist that the next cab on the rank David Clendon should automatically get in.”
Vote:What nonsense Norman didn’t pressure anyone if he did he would be out on his ear
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I’ll admit that I’m confused… surely the Mt Albert outcome cannot change the proportionality of parliament?
Why does electing a list MP mean that someone else moves in off the list? Surely if the winner is currently a list member, then they simply become an electorate member instead – no other people enter to fill their vacated list seat. If the winner is not currently a member, list or otherwise, then they should replace the lowest list member in the house for that party, who then leaves parliament Anything else changes the proportionality of parliament, which I am surprised is possible outside a general election…
What have I missed?
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Methinks ‘their’ Phil protests too much. Perhaps he is privy to some Labour Party polling data that causes concern.
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Baron – it’s just how it’s done. You could have a system in whiche the allocation of list seats is re-done after a by-election, but we don’t. That’s not what the law requires or allows. Proportionality is only kept at general elections – at other times, it’s not.
I might ask what you think would/should happen if:
1. an independent/new party wins a by-election, as happened in Te Tai Hauāuru when Tariana Turia resigned and was then re-elected.
2. someone from New Zealand First won Mount Albert. Would you expect that a bunch of NZ First list MPs would come in because the party had now crossed the threshold by having an electorate seat?
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Owen Glenn should stand as an independent.
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Graham E so at what point does Melissa resign so as not to cause a second by election this question of course could also be asked in reference to John or Russell
Is it before she is sworn in as the MP for Mt Albert or before the return of writs ( I think that is the term) or before the result is declared final.
Vote:May 2nd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Before the return of the writ (presumably, after the the official result is announced, but if it’s clear before then, the letter of resignation could be sent earlier). After the writ is returned, but before the swearing-in couldn’t work. People aren’t sworn in as list MPs or constituency MPs, but as MPs. Given they’re all already MPs there’s no need for a new swearing in (unless they resign).
Vote: