democratic participation

Categories under democratic participation

Left voting guide to DCC elections

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, September 25th, 2010 - 57 comments

A reader has sent us a Lefty’s guide to voting in the Dunedin City Council elections. With the huge numbers of candidates and the relatively small amount of information we get on them, this kind of guide is really useful. If anyone else wants to put together a voting guide for their local bodies we’ll (almost certainly) publish it.

An indelible stain on parliamentary lawmaking

Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, September 20th, 2010 - 11 comments

Andrew Geddis (Associate Professor of Law at Otago and writer at Pundit) is an expert on democratic theory.  He has become required reading for politics junkies.  His latest piece — a brutally honest analysis of the recent work of the Law and Order select committee — should be required reading for everybody.

Democratic Social Economy Part 1

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, September 3rd, 2010 - 40 comments

Due to the discrepancies in the spread of knowledge the free-market is irrational but there is no doubt that we, collectively, have the needed information to make more rational decisions. The problem that occurs is that neither the knowledge nor the tools to help make rational decisions on that information are readily available. Is there a tech solution?

Thousands protest Nats’ attack on our work rights

Written By: - Date published: 5:27 pm, August 21st, 2010 - 26 comments

Thousands of Kiwis turned out to protest National’s new labour legislation, a unjustified, spiteful attack on our work rights, which is simply designed to lower labour costs. The CTU has announced a campaign leading to national day of action on Oct 20th. Kiwi workers won’t take this lying down. We are fighting back.

A four year term?

Written By: - Date published: 12:09 pm, August 9th, 2010 - 46 comments

According to the Herald (which, helpfully, doesn’t provide any details) a new survey from the Business Council for Sustainable Development shows “strong support for extending the period between general elections.” Referenda in 1967 and 1990 strongly rejected a four-year term, has public opinion mysteriously shifted? Do you think four years is a good idea?

The Carter question

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, August 8th, 2010 - 75 comments

Many in the media seem to want a nice quick expulsion of Chris Carter from the Labour party.

But it doesn’t work like that in a democratic organisation – if it did, it wouldn’t be democratic for long.

John Banks: Knucklescraper

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, August 6th, 2010 - 17 comments

A story in the Heralds Sideswipe offers and interesting insight into veteran professional politician John Banks, and his priorities and social evolution. I’d suggest that women and any males who aren’t still living in the 19th century take note – and vote against the knuckle scraper.

National = Ideological Stupidity.

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, July 25th, 2010 - 8 comments

National have been undemocratically shutting down the avenues to amend their ideologically stupid legislation. They ignore submissions to select committees and abuse the parliamentary process of urgency. The only effective means of diverting them from pushing through unworkable legislation is proving to be protests and direct action. Consequently you can expect to see a lot more of it.

Fixing the election date

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, July 17th, 2010 - 10 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.

Crowdsourcing the deficit

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, July 13th, 2010 - 11 comments

Why let politicians have all the fun? Now the British public can get in on the service slashing action too – via Facebook. The government there has launched a Facebook group to support the Treasury’s “Spending Challenge” – where the public is invited to share their ideas for cutting spending. With the possible exception of […]

Yet more abuse of Urgency

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, June 26th, 2010 - 20 comments

This week, the Government slammed through the Policing (Involvement in Local Authority Elections) Amendment Bill. It lets Police stand for local elections under the same rules as other public servants. It’s an issue that deserves to be debated. Instead, it was rushed through by this government in yet another shameful act of disregard for transparent government and active democracy.

I’m not sorry

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, June 22nd, 2010 - 48 comments

I’m not sorry about Russel Norman standing up to Chinese imperialism, I’m proud that he did. While I don’t personally have a lot of time for Norman, I very much respect his willingness to behave like an actual representative of the New Zealand people and voice his opposition to the immoral Chinese occupation and subjugation of […]

Nats’ smear machine steps up attack on Len Brown

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, June 13th, 2010 - 77 comments

The National Party smear machine is stepping up its attack on soon-to-be Auckland mayor Len Brown. Worried that Key’s handpicked candidate John Banks is falling behind, the right is resorting to smearing his left-wing rival. The National Party’s David Farrar is even suggesting a “cover-up” and “fraud” at the Manukau Council. Is panic setting in at the thought of losing Auckland?

Restoring ‘one person, one vote’ to local government

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, June 9th, 2010 - 107 comments

Each person gets the same right to vote, regardless of wealth. That’s a fundamental principle of our democracy. But it’s not true. Those who own land across local government districts can vote in all areas under a ratepayer franchise. It’s time to restore “one person, one vote”.

Referendum vote count undemocratic

Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, June 8th, 2010 - 34 comments

The way the votes will be counted in the Government’s MMP Referendum Bill is highly unusual and in my view undemocratic. There will not be any independent scrutiny on election day of the votes cast or spoiled in the referendum. Independent scrutiny of the ballot in my view is essential part to retaining confidence in the democratic process.

Electoral Reform Needs Fixing

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 […]

A Couple of Privates

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, June 2nd, 2010 - 7 comments

John Carter was willing to help out a local business man late last year, however dodgy his desire to run his private business on public land against local wishes might have been. But when the people of Rodney are desperately calling out for a local MP to support their bill to be excluded from the SuperShitty, John has gone deaf. As have his fellow Rodney MPs John Key and Lockwood Smith.

Shed some sunlight on a limp response

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, May 15th, 2010 - 33 comments

David Farrar has finally made a comment on my “Hey Chubby…” post. It raises more questions than it answers. So I ask some of the obvious questions, and conclude that he has forsaken the principles of “free speech” that he so enthusiastically espoused only a few years ago.

Shirtcliffe can’t tell his electoral systems apart

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, May 14th, 2010 - 13 comments

No Right Turn on the ignorance of the main campaigner wanting a change to our electoral system. You’d think that if you’re campaigning for something that you’d at least know what you are campaigning for. But apparently not.

Nats attack public service neutrality

Written By: - Date published: 12:55 am, May 13th, 2010 - 25 comments

I’ve been having a look at the new advice on the civil service code of conduct. It is a clear attempt by the Nats to make sure the civil service is ‘politically correct’ for their purposes. Perhaps they’re tired of getting official advice that says ‘don’t cut that, it’s good value for money’, ‘don’t fund that, it’s stupid’, and ‘don’t pass that law, it might cause more murders’.

Help the Campaign for MMP, they’re Internet illiterates

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 9th, 2010 - 53 comments

One thing that the election in Britain brought home to me, was how much I’m grateful for having Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation here. I didn’t start that way. Over time, I’ve grown to appreciate the gradual progress and stability offered by MMP. However the people at the Campaign for MMP could do with a little help in the Internet age. They’re operating like it was 1993.

Massive public outrage in North & South

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, May 1st, 2010 - 124 comments

Wow! An incredible 50,000 people have turned out in Auckland this May Day to protest the Government’s plan to open protected land to mining. I can’t think of another demonstration in New Zealand on this scale. If this isn’t the final nail in the coffin of the mining plan, then the Key Government has a serious death wish.

Open government – Open Labour

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, April 30th, 2010 - 25 comments

It’s fantastic to see Labour working on an Open Government policy as a major plank for the next election. And taking an open approach to the policy development is a stroke of genius. Politically, Labour has an incredible opportunity to position itself in contrast to the secretive and undemocratic National party. More than that, this stuff matters.

Labour to restore democracy in Canterbury

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, April 28th, 2010 - 78 comments

Last month, the Government abolished the democratically-elected Canterbury Regional Council known as Environment Canterbury. Not only were the current elected officials booted out, Cantabarians were denied their right to elect the next council in the upcoming local body elections. Now, Labour has pledged to restore democracy to Canterbury.

Goff stands up for democracy in Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, April 27th, 2010 - 70 comments

Fresh from promising to restore the top tax rate that National is set to abolish and give the revenue to the poor, Phil Goff has outlined his vision for fixing National’s undemocratic Supercity. National and Act have ridden roughshod over Auckland democracy in the interests of their corporate allies. Phil Goff has made it clear that Labour will restore local democracy.

Send a JAFA to Wellington….

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 pm, April 26th, 2010 - 12 comments

To paraphrase Muldoon – send a JAFA to Wellington, and we can only increase the average intelligence of both parts of the country. Needless to say, TV news chose to focus on a minor story in Goffs speech. If a future mayor of Auckland, Brown, can sit at the cabinet table on decisions related to […]

John Carter: sleeper-agent for the Left?

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 pm, April 12th, 2010 - 20 comments

How dumb was John Carter to use his speech at the Grey Power National Conference to have a cry because Grey Power’s participating in an inquiry into aged care by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives? You don’t try to bully Grey Power with its 100,000 members. The grey voters will be leaving National in droves.

The Canterbury dictatorship bill

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, March 31st, 2010 - 39 comments

There are significant risks associated with the Review Group’s recommendation to temporarily suspend planned triennial elections for regional councillors (scheduled for October 2010) and to transfer the functions and responsibilities of Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) elected councillors to government-appointed commissioners until elections in 2013 at the latest. Elections are a right and privilege of any citizen in New Zealand. The suspension of such a right should only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

One person one vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 24th, 2010 - 14 comments

Pita Sharples’ speech on race relations day, and his comments that followed, certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons. Did Sharples really mean to suggest that we should do away with “one person one vote”? I don’t think so…

A Power grab?

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 pm, February 25th, 2010 - 11 comments

The Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill would allow Simon Power to appoint a new Chief Electoral Officer and new Electoral Commissioners for the 2011 election. This is wrong. These officials must be completely independent, they must not be or be seen to be political appointees.

Boag on way, Farrar to follow?

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 20th, 2010 - 14 comments

Former National Party President Michelle Boag has been told to remove herself from the consultancy charged with selecting executive staff for the Auckland Supershity, because of her conflict of interest as an advisor to John Banks’ campaign