Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 14th, 2011 - 112 comments
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has decided that Key’s hour-long promotional programme on RadioLive was not an election programme.
It will now be very interesting to see what the Electoral Commission decides in relation to advertising complaints.
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 62 comments
Key’s staff spun to media that his Radio Live show was ok if he didn’t discuss politics, saying the station had received advice from the Electoral Commission that “political content’ could breach rules. That didn’t sound right to me, so I asked the Commission what they actually said.
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 pm, August 22nd, 2011 - 2 comments
The recall elections in Wisconsin over Governor Walker’s attempt to remove collective bargaining for public servants had it all – Republicans running fake Democrats in primaries, massive spending by faceless outside bodies, and two Republican senators losing their seats in the subsequent ballot. Democrats did not succeed in overturning the Wisconsin Senate majority for Walker’s Republicans, but it is down to one and there is one Republican who voted against the anti-union law.
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, June 29th, 2011 - 47 comments
According to Audrey Young: “National and Act, the parties that kicked up a stink in Opposition about Labour’s taxpayer-funded election advertising, are engaging in their own taxpayer-funded binge this month”…
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, June 1st, 2011 - 21 comments
No Right Turn asks an interesting set of questions about the state allocation of broadcast media time.
“..if we think TV and radio broadcasting is so influential that it must be restricted to produce a level playing field between parties – which I agree with - why do we allocate it so it produces the opposite?”
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, December 21st, 2010 - 18 comments
I couldn’t let the last of the year slip away without a fond farewell to the good old Electoral Finance Act. Last week the government passed its replacement legislation. It tweaks some thresholds, but retains the principles and much of the substance of Labour’s EFA. But this time there is no “Democracy Under Attack” campaign. I wonder why…
Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, December 13th, 2010 - 46 comments
ACT, through Rodney (who’s so careful with the taxpayer’s money) and Jami-Lee Ross, are trying to make an issue with Len Brown’s spending. I’m shocked…
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, November 24th, 2010 - 60 comments
Two Friday’s ago, corrupt Nat Pansy Wong resigns as minister. Key tells her not to talk to media. As if she can’t remember her own overseas trips. Gives her a week’s leave. Wong disappears. Week’s up – no Wong. Where is she? Mallard’s heard she’s overseas. Fundraising for the Nats. Is she using her travel perk?
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, November 23rd, 2010 - 64 comments
In developing their replacement for the EFA the Nats have decided to limit what lobby groups can spend on election campaigning — despite strongly objecting to limits in 2008. Interesting how the responsibilities of government mean that the Nats have to repudiate so much of their irresponsible opposition rhetoric! But some of their spinsters are still stuck in the past…
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, November 18th, 2010 - 8 comments
The NSW Parliament has just passed passed the Election Funding and Disclosures Amendment Bill 2010. It includes donations capped at $5,000 for parties and $2,000 for candidates and third parties, all donations over $1,000 declared, caps on expenditure for parties, candidates and third parties, reimbursement of election spending up to a reasonable limit, and provision of funding for policy development.
Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, July 17th, 2010 - 29 comments
National is claiming its donations are strong but the numbers tell another story all together.
With an election possible within 12 months, National needs to scare up some cash – and quick.
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, July 17th, 2010 - 9 comments
Pundit writer and legal academic Andrew Geddis has been doing some important work on electoral law, including contributions to the select committee that is looking at the 2011 referendum on MMP and the reform of campaign funding practices. You should head on over to Pundit and have a look.
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, June 5th, 2010 - 5 comments
Two Electoral Reform bills are currently accepting submissions, and each contain one particularly large flaw. Firstly, as I commented on the Electoral (Finance Reform and Advance Voting) Amendment Bill: getting rid of the 3 month election period is a very dangerous move. National have now decided that the election period only starts on the day …
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, May 2nd, 2010 - 7 comments
In Florida, a legislative plan to close as many as five state prisons and ship inmates to a private prison run by GEO Group was scaled back last month.
The feds may be searching to see if former state House Speaker Sansom received any kickbacks from the company. The GEO group are also contenders for running private prisons here.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 pm, April 30th, 2010 - 25 comments
The Electoral Finance (Reform) Bill contains a major change from what had been previously indicated. The regulated period for limiting election expenditure could be as little as six weeks. This is effectively a 50% increase in the expenditure cap.
It looks like a swifty by Simon Power tilting the election playing field.
Written By: - Date published: 2:53 pm, February 17th, 2010 - 11 comments
I’ve been looking for feedback on Simon Power’s electoral finance reform package but I can’t find anything from Labour. After the hell that rained down on them over the EFA (much of it richly deserved) I can only assume that Labour thinks National’s got it about right.
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, October 22nd, 2009 - 13 comments
The ever industrious No Right Turn has turned up more dodgy fundraising practices by ACT. Last month, three ACT MPs held what was billed as “a forum” on “the hard questions – and some answers” at the plush Mecure Leisure Lodge in Dunedin. Three strikes, VSM, local government, and smacking were discussed. People were invited …
Written By: - Date published: 5:49 am, October 14th, 2009 - 6 comments
How do you get someone to change their mind about something they like? Simple, find one negative element to it (nothing is perfect) and blow it into a major issue. Nick Smith knows how to do this, he’s built a career on it. Now, he’s trying to make compensation payments to criminals the issue in …
Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, September 30th, 2009 - 28 comments
Hilarious reading through the Herald’s Your Views on election funding. Seems the Herald’s meek acceptance of the Government’s electoral funding plans has alerted a few of their readers to the fact they were duped by the paper’s blatant political advocacy for National last year. Here’s what Jay of Swanson had to say: I am gobsmacked …
Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, September 29th, 2009 - 7 comments
Rob Salmond Yesterday Simon Power released the Government’s Proposal Document about how to reform electoral finance. On the easy issues, he got it vaguely right. That is a start, at least. So we’ll have one electoral agency instead of three (good), we’ll keep the rules about political donations first proposed in the Electoral Finance Act …
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 29th, 2009 - 28 comments
If DPF doesn’t practice Yoga already I think he should take it up. He’d be a natural. He’s so damn flexible! I’ve had occasion to comment on this once before. But for the EFA we see DPF lowering the bar of consistency to unbelievable depths, and limboing right on down. The Electoral Finance Act (EFA). …
Written By: - Date published: 2:39 pm, September 28th, 2009 - 30 comments
Justice Minister Simon Power has released the Government’s proposals for reform of electoral finance law. Remember, Labour’s reforms of electoral finance law were branded an assault on democracy and free speech by National and its affiliates like the Herald. There were protests in the streets (oddly, at the Wellington one, most of the several dozen …
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 7th, 2009 - 14 comments
The Ministry of Justice has released a summary of the submissions it got on its Electoral Finance Issues Document. They got 79. The Ministry gives out some figures about some figures on how many submitters were for or against certain ideas. Of course many submissions did not cover all issues, but the balance of opinion …
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, July 9th, 2009 - 40 comments
Yesterday David Farrar presented us with his analysis of Labour’s electoral finance submission. There is a lot of ‘Nya Nya I Told You So!’ in there every time Labour’s position changed from 2007 to now, and a fair bit of ‘Nya Nya They Haven’t Learned Anything!’ when its position did not change. That kind of …
Written By: - Date published: 4:57 pm, June 25th, 2009 - Comments Off
No Right Turn reminds us that submissions on the government’s election funding issues paper are due in tomorrow. It doesn’t have to go into huge detail, a few key points will probably do the trick. If you want some pointers on what to say Rob Salmond has some suggestions here, and you can download his …
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 23rd, 2009 - 7 comments
Guest post by Rob Salmond It is almost time for you to send your submissions on the government’s issues document on electoral finance. Submissions are due on 26 June, here’s where you can email the submissions. This is the only time we all get to throw around options before the government comes out with its …
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 15th, 2009 - 25 comments
The National-led government repealed much of Labour’s Electoral Finance Act and is now asking the public what should be in a new law on election finances. Please take some time to write a submission backing greater fairness and openness in financing of election campaigns. All you need to do is: head up an e-mail or …
Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, April 16th, 2009 - 26 comments
We should expect National as the political arm of business to surround itself with dirty money and conflicts of interest. As a self-proclaimed social democratic party Labour has no such excuse. So: – What is Labour’s education spokesperson Chris Carter doing accepting election donations from a private college? – Why is Shane Jones accepting money …
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 16th, 2009 - 38 comments
The Herald covers some of the donations to parties and candidates before the election. One of the big donors was the Road Transport Forum, the trucking lobby, who were behind the famous ‘truck strike’. They’re getting value for money eh? National’s Transport Minister Steven Joyce has taken half a billion out of public transport and …
Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, April 6th, 2009 - 37 comments
I’ve long been of the opinion that the Talley family, owners of the Talleys food empire, are a corrosive force in this country who have a complete contempt for their workforce, the public and our democratic institutions. Sure enough, they’re at it again. NZPA reports: The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) plans to call …
Written By: - Date published: 4:33 pm, March 25th, 2009 - 17 comments
Boing Boing reports that: The London police have bested their own impressive record for insane and stupid anti-terrorism posters with a new range of signs advising Londoners to go through each others’ trash-bins looking for “suspicious” chemical bottles, and to report on one another for “studying CCTV cameras.” It’s hard to imagine a worse, more …
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