Women MPs needed
December 8th, 2011 at 4:04 pm by David FarrarThere are not a lot of glass ceilings left in New Zealand for women to break through. Two of the last three prime ministers were women. Two of the last five governors-general were women. The Speaker of the House before the current one was a woman. The chief justice role has been held by a woman since 1999 and Dame Sian is not due to retire until 2021. Also the then largest company in New Zealand (Telecom) was headed by a woman just a few years ago. …
Though in 2011 there are not many glass ceilings to break, there is still a serious under-representation of women in Parliament. Sadly the proportion of women in Parliament dropped this year for the first time since 1996.
Now I’m not one of those who advocates that Parliament must or should exactly match the population in gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, left-handedness and so on. I think competence and quality is the most important qualification. However, so long as the MPs are high quality and competent, I think it is desirable that Parliament is indeed a House of Representatives, and our Representatives do reflect the diversity of New Zealand.
So I would like to see more quality, competent women elected into Parliament. But working out what the major barriers are is not so easy. …
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December 8th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Forget the quality competent women what we really need is hot sexy women MP’s.
They could do lap dancers at the Backbenches during lunch hours and after work in order to help the Government back into surplus by 2014.
I would pay quite alot for a Kay/Adern double team.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
The major barrier is that woman is not a man. It’s so simple that it makes me laugh/groan that modern people don’t get it. Women have babies, men do not. Is society that stupid that it can’t see this?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
That women have babies and men don’t is not some problem that needs to be fixed. But I cannot see why DPF and others are so perplexed that not all kiwi women want to be lawyers and MPs. And that, shock-horror, they want to enjoy their family and be at home.
It’s like we now have an alternate-discrimination of women: that women are not valued unless they are mums and lawyers and wealthy.
Surely that’s a feminism fail.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Promotion based on gender is insulting and so last century.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
I mean seriously “Sadly the proportion of women…”
Are we actually a society that is ‘sad’ when women decide they want to raise their kids and be there when they get home from school?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
I agree with EWS . I don’t mine taking my wife’s advice, most times she is on the money but she knows as well do I that when it comes to the finial word or making that decision for the family it’s down to me. I’m not a chauvinist pig it’s just the way it is. You can have all the equal opportunity rules you like, nature is nature despite what the pc idiots would like you to believe. May I humbly suggest these rules apply to the political world to.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Since women are the root cause of global warming, why the hell would we want more of them making decisions for us?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
I was at a National Party event recently where more than one speaker (including MPs) expressed their desire for there to be more women MPs. I couldn’t look past the fact that the last 3 people on National’s published list (of 65) are women. They stood in less winnable seats and were in less winnable list positions – but they wanted to be there.
I don’t believe in “affirmative action” as such, but they cannot complain at the lack of women MPs when there are great candidates putting themselves forward, but not being given a real chance to get into the House.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
So we should leap back to the Clark method where we appoint the sisters to the job, and I thought this style of “Job for the girls” fucked off to New York
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Wake up people, everyone knows the problem is that women take too many sick days from work because of their periods…
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
Whenever I see the word DIVERSITY I reach for my revolver!
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Both, mara and Sam, are correct!
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Women are also seriously under-represented in the coal-mining, drain-laying, furniture removal and rubbish collection industries, and seriously over-represented in the teaching and nursing industries.
We should fix those, too.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Ugh. I’m hoping some of those people commenting above forgot to put smilies in their posts.
My bigger concern is that when we push hard for diversity we sometimes end up with less than the best candidates. Consider a situation where we have 10 women who want to be elected, and 90 men. We wanted 20 MPs, so we fix things so that all 10 women are elected, so are the best 10 men. Law of averages says that now the 10 men are on average better than the 10 women (the 10 men were the best 10 of 90, the 10 women were the best 10 of 10).
So, now when we look at contribution, we’ll no doubt find that the 10 men are doing more of the work than the 10 women – since the 10 men are better. People get the impression that women in general are less good.
Conversely, if we’d picked the top 20%, odds are we have 18 men and 2 women. But those 2 women most likely are the equal of the men in all ways, and will present as such. Fewer women represented, but less potential for people to be thinking that the women are less competent.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Side show bob,
A chauvinist is a person who thinks one gender is superior to the other. That you command your family, and by implication your wife, with ultimate authority indicates that you accord your wife a lower and subserviant ranking within the family unit. By definition this means your wife is treated as inferior and this makes you a chauvinist.
I agree with the sentiment expressed by east wellington superhero insofar as women are biologically different and that these differences mean that, on average, women do not share the exact same tendencies towards certain interests or posses the same skillsets. But these differences do not make them better or worse, superior or inferior, to men.
Nor do these average differences justify treating women in the insulting and degrading manner that you have just outlined. A partnership should be based on mutual respect not on subserviance and bondage. There is a simple message for any woman in a relationship with a man who thinks he is the boss: You can do better!
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Ah yes – that famous commitment to diversity.
What’s really desired though is not a diverse Parliament but a Parliament of diverse Liberals.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
The average woman has had her family & in most cases they are near adults by the time she has reached say 45yrs so there’s plenty of time left to become politically involved.
Could it be that many of them just don’t aspire to the back stabbing, Machiavellian arena of politics?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
The other problem with electing women is that there are plenty of women who think men are best suited to running the country. My mother, for instance, is absolutely happy that John and Bill are running the country. Perhaps she hasn’t been liberated by the feminist forces yet, but she doesn’t see that women need to be in top positions.
Wouldn’t you say that representing the population’s views is more important? You don’t need a woman to represent a woman’s view – there aren’t a lot of issues that need gender-specific discussion. There’s not a lot more parliament can do for womens’ equality (of opportunity), legislatively speaking, and what has been done never required half of parliament to be in possession of a uterus.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
The major barriers to getting more female MP’s are:
Vote:(in no particular order)
1. Themselves
2. The bullshit story that its very hard to become an MP if you are femal
3. Stories of the likes of DPF’s that ‘prove’ the myth.
4. The women who are in parliament (who are either weird lesbians, acidic feminists or no-bodies)
December 8th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
@ Weihana.
Of course I wasn’t suggesting one sex is better than the other. I think we’re in a worrying state when one has to qualify every comment by stating something so freakin’ obvious. I can’t speak for what it was like in the 1950-80s because I was too young, and yes, there are chauvinist out there, but in my experience those people also have other character flaws and self-select themselves out of job selections and promotions, and generally not easy to do business with.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Weihana, i don’t believe I’m superior to my wife, you couldn’t be more wrong. I guess when it boils down to it you would have to question my wife if you believe I have degraded her in an insulting manner, personally I think you have been brainwashed by so call progressive thought. 95% of the time I tow the line but when it comes to the last 5% it’s my call. You may not like this, may I humbly suggest you have some learning to do.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
“4. The women who are in parliament (who are either weird lesbians, acidic feminists or no-bodies)”
I strongly disagree! You are describing the women of Labour-Green. What about Judith Collins and Paula Bennett? They don’t fit into any of those categories. There are more examples in National, although some of them probably approach some definition of being a nobody.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
I think that before blogging on this subject David should have perhaps spoken with the children of a few women MPs; ask them how much they like their Mother being reduced to a daily text message in their lives; ask them how they like being packed off to boarding schools so their Mother has more time to draw the raffle at the local church fair; ask them how they like being an appointment in their Mothers’ diary.
I have spoken with a number of children of female MPs over the years, all (after a drinkie or two) opening up and talking along the lines mentioned above; it is also interesting to note that their Mothers are blissfully unaware of their childrens’ attitudes towards their parliamentary careers.
Parental neglect does not just occur in Mangere and Otara.
[DPF: Don't they have fathers? ]
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
JamesS,
What about children of male MP’s? Is there a difference?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Swan – the topic under discussion is female MPs.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Possibly the brutalising aspect of Parliamentary life puts a lot of good candidates off. All women from both sides have extremely thick skins, you name me one who doesn’t. The conflict which generates these necessary thick skins which also of course is in the men there too, is an unavoidable aspect of the Westminster process because it is adversarial just like our justice system. Parliament is not a civilised discussion, it’s a freakin war with all the attendant lies, dirty tricks and Machiavellian scheming any war entails, most of the time.
Unfortunately most women aren’t built for that sort of life, unlike most men to whom it comes more naturally. Obviously there are exceptions which is why we have any women at all in Parliament, but all I’m saying is that because the pool of men who aren’t put off by that environment is larger than the pool of women who aren’t, then across the whole of both populations, we only see a fraction of the female cross-section we otherwise would, which is I hope you agree, detrimental.
Specifically because that group of women who would find politics brutalising are precisely the sort who could add tremendous value to the whole discussion.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Where is Alasdair Thompson to shed some light on this?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
James, it’s nonsensical to say that we shouldn’t want women to be MPs because of the impact on their children if that exact same argument applies to the children of male MPs. By that logic, nobody should be an MP. In which case, I’ll nominate myself as dictator for life. Other than a few small peculiarities, I think you’ll find the new regime to be quite agreeable.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Where is Alasdair Thompson to shed some light on this?
David possibly because you seem to live in tokyo, you obviously aren’t aware that Thompson was setup deliberately by the screeching hysterical lefty Mihi Forbes and the rest of the media did what they often do which is get all excited and obsessed with the shiny dangly thing and overlook what really happened.
If you were here you probably would have noticed. The entire country knows that’s what happened except for TV3 and most of the media.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
As I say – talk to the children of some female MPs and see what they have to say on the subject. It seems you will all be very surprised!
Group hugs, mexican waves, social engineering and politically correct behaviour is all very well but just remember there is a price to pay for your liberalism; the victims may have a different view.
I am not exactly holding my breath awaiting a blog post which gives them any consideration; I guess we will never see the kiwiblog post which says “sorry you pathologically hate boarding school, but your Mother is doing something important – my thoughts are with you”; we will never see the kiwiblog post which says “really sorry your Mum missed your birthday party, you pay a higher price than any of us”; never read the comments of those saying how awful it is that innocent people need to sacrifice themselves for the egos of others.
Presumably some people are too busy drinking with socialists and being impressed by Labour MPs like Robertson and Adern to write those sorts of blog posts – giving a hug to the children of your own side who pay the highest price of all.
Yes let’s just tell 11/12/13 year old children who are heartbroken something really trite such as – don’t you have a father?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Why do women have to be ‘quality, competent’? Male MP’s don’t have to be either or both.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Why do women have to be ‘quality, competent’? Male MP’s don’t have to be either or both.
Yes agree BeaB. Unfortunately lots of women already there aren’t really ‘quality, competent’ either, are they.
Especially some of them who used to be but aren’t anymore…
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
I don’t believe in any special treatment based on race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Treat us all the same, since we’re all made of the same stuff.
The absurd notion that we need more of this or that is a false one. Only progressives with an (il)liberal agenda push that cause.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
JamesS
“Swan – the topic under discussion is female MPs.”
The whole point of you singling out female MP’s implies that male MP’s are somehow OK. The onus is therefore on you to prove why male MP’s are different from female MP’s.
Alternatively, if the logic applies equally to all MP’s, male and female, then you are really talking about the “curse” of busy parents. So the only logical conclusion one can draw from your “parental neglect” assertion is that we should not have any MP’s, male or female, who have children under a certain age (15 years?). Is that what you think?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
reid,
Yeah I know, I was just trying to be funny. I failed, and Sam had beaten me to it anyways
Vote:AT lost his job though didn’t he?
December 8th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
AT lost his job though didn’t he?
Yes he did David but most importantly he lost his reputation and IMO it was and continues to be a travesty caused entirely by a screeching insane lefty bitch and a totally fucked media system we seem to have in this country (not I think, we’re alone in having one of these).
I just hope someone in a position to help the man recognises what I do and has.
I suspect however that said screeching insane lefty bitch might at some time look into that and do a follow up which may or may not, repeat history.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Swan – male MPs are the status quo; David with this post is suggesting a need to engineer a change to the status quo just for the sake of it ie: more female MPs has an intrinsic importance because they are not men.
Furthermore it is implied that the 1960 – 63 parliamentary term, for example, which had a small handful of Women, was in and of itself ‘wrong’ – that 75 male MPs most of whom were middle aged, white, conservative (etc) were doing New Zealand a disservice because Parliament was not diverse and did not demographically reflect the population at large.
It is further implied that recent Parliaments, for no other reason than their demographics were more in line with the population at large, were somehow or other more ‘legitimate’ than previous parliaments consisting of white men.
To put it another way if 2 million voters in 2014 decided they did not want to vote for Women, gays, polynesians because politics should be conducted by white men, and voted accordingly, so that all but the Maori seats – 114 out of 121 MPs were in that white men category, David Farrar and many others would not consider such an election result to be illegitimate simply because of a lack of diversity.
As others are raising the subject all I am doing is saying that many women MPs have children; the nature of their job means they neglect those children (whether they mean to or not); I am further saying that is wrong. Husbands are a red herring to a discussion on whether a woman is neglecting her children.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
JamesS
Whether or not we should try to “engineer” (as you put it) a more balanced parliament is a totally separate argument and not one I have any interest in debating.
“…all I am doing is saying that many women MPs have children; the nature of their job means they neglect those children (whether they mean to or not); I am further saying that is wrong. Husbands are a red herring to a discussion on whether a woman is neglecting her children.”
I’m not talking about their husbands. I am talking about other male MP’s with children who are in the same situation as the female MP’s with children that you are calling “wrong”. Are you calling those male MP’s with children “wrong” as well? If not, why not?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Swan – it is different because of how our society functions and the matriarchial expectation.
Younger children without a Mother find it more difficult than without a Father and it is different, yes.
If you think of schools where most teachers are female, the family courts awarding custody routinely to females, fathers being away from home due to being travelling salesmen or whatever, it does not really affect children the same as being without a Mother.
Dad becomes an MP – no big deal; Mum becomes an MP – it is like a front tyre blowout.
If you can show me a 10 year old who has not had female teachers, a female when they come home from school, a female parent awarded custody by the courts – in other words a ten year old with only experiences of males in their young life – I will eat my hat.
I doubt you could find a single 10 year old in the entire country meeting this criteria.
So when you take the female away – she becomes an MP, it takes a huge toll; much moreso than taking the male away because he became an MP.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
James at 7.00
Seems to be a big assumption that women MPs neglect their children ‘whether they mean to or not.’ Or by the same token that male MPs neglect their children.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
I am waiting for someone to produce the female MP who honesty and openly says “I spend more time with my children than ever” (if I am, indeed, talking rubbish)
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Shoot a letter off to all female MPs and you might get your answer, don’t rely on others to produce the negative of what you say if you don’t have the positive to support your own argument. Nice try, off to the back of the class.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
“”nasska (2,238) Says:
December 8th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
The average woman has had her family & in most cases they are near adults by the time she has reached say 45yrs so there’s plenty of time left to become politically involved.
Could it be that many of them just don’t aspire to the back stabbing, Machiavellian arena of politics?”"
You’re spot on, Nasska.
Vote:I’m a woman in this category, and very interested in politics – but I look at the culture of our Parliamentary system and can’t imagine any reason why I would want to give up my current life to “serve the country” and become ground down, wrung out and squeezed dry by the percentage of egocentrics who operate in that environment.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Joel Rowan @ 5.22
I beg your forgiveness – I was thinking only of the labour females. Yes – I agree Bennet and Collins are actually pretty straight up.
Isnt it strange how you always remember the awfuls in this situation.
I could only think of Paint Stripper (from rotorua I think – she not back in) and that Curan one and that crazy green one from the coromandel and Street (lesbian) and mahuta (nobody) and there were a couple of witches who sat behind Goff in parliament and they always looked like theyd just eaten a baby before they came into question time. Good – they are awful.
again -I seek forgiveness for not being careful in what I said.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
I am told that MIT (a top engineering school in the US) tried to artificially boost the number of female students some years ago. So the entrance standard for women is lower than for men. And now everyone knows that female MIT graduates are on average not as good as male graduates. That really sucks if you are a good female student who really deserves to be at MIT, because everyone expects that you are a bad student.
That’s what happens when you try to solve a problem by addressing symptoms not causes. The cause of the gender imbalance in engineering schools is a lack of good female applicants and that needs to be addressed directly. Introducing a quota just creates new problems. Forced equality doesn’t work.
We do not need diversity quotas for parliament.
We should instead try to understand why there are few female MPs and address that directly by changing attitudes.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Dyannt
Have you got any facts to support your theory that women MPs are not mothers of young children who decided to rush off to Parliament for a place of sanctuary while they neglected their children?
Vote:Or are you just making it up?
December 8th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Why do we need more wimmin MP’s?
I thought Bellamy’s employed waitress’s to make sure the male MP’s got fed properly?
Shit no matter how high a fella rise’s in this bloody country he just can’t get proper respect from the bloody females!
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Bring back Helen. At least she had balls. FFS.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Facts vis-a-vis making it up? what – like saying “Robin Bain did it”?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
You should have checked out the facts and presented them before you claimed that MPs were neglecting their children.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Actually Nostalgia-NZ there are a lot of exceptionally foolish women in Parliament who haven’t actually had children and are frittering away their lives thinking they are important when in reality they stuck in the silly little school girl phase of life.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Some are still in that phase at 61 Andrei.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
I don’t give a fat rats dick if the politician is a woman but you can guarantee that if a Weta is climbing up the wall, the cars dip stick is no longer long enough, a possum is sitting on the roses, or the shit house is on the blink, then rest assure a male is needed.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Maybe so bob but who do you think pitched the tent when Helen and Peter went camping?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Once you get used to being bossed around everything will be fine.
Vote:At this stage it’s before a select committee that’s yet to be formed.
I hope they also report on nocturnal rights of lonely heart club members who might be considering marrying an MP just for the money.
December 8th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Wasn’t it their test tube son, DC, JB ?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Was it Heather Johnboy?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
I do not know all the answers. But I do believe things in society are not tuned right if we cannot maturely accept my point right at the start of this thread: that women are not men, and men are not women. The problem with accepting that is many-fold. A bunch of academics and political leaders have built their careers and egos on their theories, it’s anathema to the gay lobby’s view of sexuality, and it threatens upper-middle-class women who believe the lie that to be valued, the need to succeed like a man succeeds.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
“women are not men, and men are not women”
shit i did’nt know that. what a silly bunt I am .
FFS.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Don’t worry about it EWS, you’ll get a headache. We can’t change the rules of nature but God knows they keep trying.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Ahmm…here is a new idea, it might be a bit ‘out there’ but perhaps we could give it a spin and see what happens.
How about we pick the BEST people for the job, they can be male, female, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, brown, short or tall, they can be fat or thin, they can be ugly or attractive.
All they have to be is the BEST.
If that means we end up with a Parliament full of Lesbians then I don’t care, if it means we have a Parliament full of straight men then I equally could not give a toss, I just want the best people in the job.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
@D4J
Not sure if you’re taking the mick or not. I know it’s a ridiculously simple concept but I’d wager most NZers don’t understand this, and the consequence of alternative views.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Never been fooled by a good looking tranny then EWS?
You obviously don’t drink enough.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
JB – Is that the same tranny granny that works on the Human Rights Review Tribunal?
Proud to be a kiwi Peter?
Yeah right!
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
BB Don’t be stupid, you can have anything resembling a touch of common sense, get with the program man. Oh and you forgot to mention farmers, the best of the best
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
What about used carsalesmen Graeme?
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
ssb
Just as long as those farmers do not hail from Te Kuiti then I will agree with you.
Oh…and less Cantabs as well, they are always bonkers as certain comments in this thread prove.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
But Graeme you lived in Canterbury remember Sally?
NB- Watch Amanda. This nutbar is going to be exposed bigtime.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
D4J
Have you spent the last (blissful) eight months on the booze?
I did not think it was possible but you seem to have become even more unhinged, even more incomprehensible than you were before.
Vote:December 8th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Goodnight Mr Taylor. Really Graeme get a fucking life you insane nutbar.
Amanda Mill – lets roll with it all.
Vote:December 9th, 2011 at 2:01 am
side show bob (3,570) Says:
December 8th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Weihana, i don’t believe I’m superior to my wife, you couldn’t be more wrong. I guess when it boils down to it you would have to question my wife if you believe I have degraded her in an insulting manner, personally I think you have been brainwashed by so call progressive thought. 95% of the time I tow the line but when it comes to the last 5% it’s my call. You may not like this, may I humbly suggest you have some learning to do.
When you say that you have the “final word” it says to me that you are the boss in your relationship and you only go along with her advice when you think she is “on the money”. With respect, this is not my idea of how a relationship works. Of course no couple will agree 100% of the time, but if agreement can’t be reached then you compromise or if that doesn’t work you might consider third party arbitration. You don’t make one partner have a higher status in terms of making a decision because that is demeaning to the other person.
You say you don’t consider yourself superior to your wife yet what you describe tells a different story which i find difficult to reconcile. You seem to be saying that you are leader in your household. That appears to be an elevated status above that of your wife. That makes you superior, and your wife inferior, in rank. You can’t have your cake and eat it too and describe yourself as being the ultimate decision maker while maintaing that you are both equal in status.
If i have misread your meaning then i apologise but i personally don’t consider myself to have the “final word” if i disagree with my partner.
Vote:December 9th, 2011 at 2:25 am
East Wellington Superhero (592) Says:
December 8th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
“women are not men, and men are not women. The problem with accepting that is many-fold…it’s anathema to the gay lobby’s view of sexuality”
I disagree. I would expect the “gay lobby” to have a very good perspective on the peculiarities between the two genders because those distinguishing differences are often amplified in gay relationships. Perhaps what you think is their “view on sexuality” is just an assumption.
Vote:December 9th, 2011 at 2:39 am
Slightly off topic and not wishing to get demerits but DPF your smiling picture on stuff above the headline “we need good women mps” does look quite lecherous in that context
Vote:December 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am
Lets be honest the men have badly screwed up for too long so why not let 50% of the seats be held by women.
How about 50 electorates with both a male and female seat.
Lets give them 4 years terms.
4 term limit to sit in parliament.
OIA on parliamenmtary services.
binding referendums (67%) plus recall referendum too.
No golden parachute, same pension and medical plan the average Kiwi gets.
close all quangos so no jobs for boys/girls at end of it.
make parliament show costs to local govt of all potential laws.
make parliament show all new laws do not breach NZbora
make all OIA requests available on web in searchable database.
make all govt payments over $5K available on websites of each ministry.
that would do for starters
Vote: