Robertson on Megaphones

Labour MP Grant Robertson blogs:

I probably disagree with John Minto about as much as I agree with him in terms of the various statements he makes.  I know that he irritates some New Zealanders, but he is someone who stands up staunchly for what he believes, and has played a real part in raising issues that  are important to New Zealand and New Zealanders.

If  it is true as reported on Stuff that the police are seeking an order to destroy the megaphone he used as part of his protest at the tennis in Auckland last week, then this is shocking.  We have to defend the right to protest in this country.  I have been on both sides of the fence when it comes to protests and they are a critical part of a functioning democracy.

Now I agree with Grant the Police should not be seeking an order to destory the megaphone. If Minto broke the law, then he will have his day in court, but destroying megaphones is a bad act symbolically.

Labour’s love of megaphones though seems only to extend to when they are in Opposition. What did they do when they were Government. This is what Labour, NZ First and the Greens voted for in reporting back the from select committee the Electoral Finance Bill:

Other types of broadcasting, such as the use of loudspeakers and megaphones, would be captured by the new provision in paragraph (i).

Paragraph (i) was expanding the definition of publish to include:

(i) bring to the notice of the public in any other manner

So Labour, the Greens and NZ First wanted to make it illegal to use megaphones to advocate against a party or candidate, unless one spoke your name and home address out loud to authorise the message.

So while supporting Grant on John Minto’s megaphone, I do wonder where was Grant’s voice when his own party was trying to regulate megaphone use in election year?

Incidentally the outcry from myself and some others over this odious clause, saw the then Government backdown on it just a few days later.