Posts by uroskin
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
MMP can definitely be improved on after the experience with it over the last elections.
1. The obvious one is to abolish electorate seats altogether (both general and Maori) and move to a completely proportional system
2. The threshold then would be 1/120th of the votes cast for your party list. Since there would be no electorates there would be no one-man-band parties with limited geographical appeal. Small parties would still exist if tey can appeal to 120th of the total electorate, which in my opinion is preferable to appealing to a minority in a current electorate (since FPP still applies there under MMP)
3. Maori (and pakeha) would be able to choose between more than one Maori party instead of having to rely on the current "Maori Party" pretending to speak for all Maori. The current situation in Maori seats is like the National Party pretending to speak for all New Zealanders in non-Maori seats! I can understand the Maori party prefers the in-effect FPP structure of the Maori seats: it doesn't need an absolute majority to win them, a relative majority will do.
4. The two vote system can be simplified to one list vote, with a published ranking of candidates. You either vote for the total list accepting the party ranking, or you vote for a candidate on the list to push his/her placing higher (those votes would be counted to re-order the seat outcome for list members). There could be more Maori MPs under that system than there are now, so nobody should be fearful of losing the "guaranteed" Maori representation. Even pakeha could vote for a Maori party! -
Regarding Maori cultural events overseas: Tame Iti is in Belgium for their version of Shakespeare's Tempest.
Review (in Dutch) here: http://www.urbanmag.be/artikel/1341/storm-op-de-stille-zuidzeeInterview with Iti (in Dutch): http://www.indymedia.be/nl/node/27545
If you need anything translating, let me know.
-
Maybe Mr Ralston didn't get his cool HD gadget like you did.
-
Howick? V8? Nuff said. Bring on $10/litre petrol!
-
is * the new s at the Herald? Is this breach of free speech another aspect of the EFA?
I quite like "arsed" and "parsed" instead of the American spelling. Can't they cope with the parsimoniousness of their filter, or is that parsimony?
Leave the donkey out of it. -
Race based seats should go: Maori and the general seats. Move to list system only where 1% of the vote gets you 1% of the seats and you can run all kinds of parties to get 1%+. Overhang should be restricted to describing excess foreskin only.
-
Murray McCully always struck me as a failed Village People karaoke contestant peeved he didn't win as he had grown his moustache especially for the occasion.
-
Bill English has always been the MP for Papal States (South Pacific)
http://uroskin.blogspot.com/2003/08/catholic-mps-ordered-to-vote-down-gay.html -
"Bluetoothing the incisors". English is such a damn difficult language to master.
-
I find the Listener a rather dreary read. I would never buy it myself. And when are they going to carry schedules for all public TV stations in New Zealand instead of Sky channels, which have their own publication?