Posts by Rich of Observationz
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
OnPoint: What Andrew Geddis Said, But…, in reply to Tom Semmens,
Tom, none of that works against a determined government. Parliament is sovereign and can override any previous legislation, including the 1689 Bill Of Rights.
To illustrate what our unconstitution allows, you might think that there must be an election in 18 months and that's entrenched? Nah. The government could, in response to a 'crisis', pass a CERA-style measure allowing it to raise taxes and legislate by edict, prorogue the now redundant parliament and continue in office indefinitely. The parliamentary term would end, sure, but the government could just prevent any election from taking place and a new parliament being summoned.
-
OnPoint: What Andrew Geddis Said, But…, in reply to Idiot Savant,
The GG is not a check
Exactly.
Firstly, no monarch or governor-general of an independent Commonwealth realm has vetoed a bill in 300 years.
Secondly, it's quite plausible that vetoing a bill, like most of the other things a G-G does or doesn't do, gets exercised on the advice of ministers, not autonomously.
Thirdly, the G-G is in office at the pleasure of the PM. If they vetoed a bill, we'd have a new G-G tomorrow. The PM could even appoint themselves as G-G and avoid the problem.
Fourthly, (this is a problem with any system that purports to use a person as a constitutional check, including an elected presidency) why would you assume the G-G opposes the measure? He's a retired army officer appointed by the current government.
We should stop pretending that faeries in palaces form a check on overbearing government and get ourselves a written constitution with an entrenched Bill Of Rights. While we're at it, we should also include the Treaty, socio-economic and community rights.
-
OnPoint: Budget 2013: Bringing Down the…, in reply to BenWilson,
IRD books things like Working For Families as costs while Treasury carries the interest on NZ's public debt. The actual costs of running the departments are dwarfed by this (in fact, very little of the governments costs are central administration).
-
OnPoint: Budget 2013: Bringing Down the…, in reply to Moz,
You'd be much better off getting somebody to smuggle you out of the country by boat or whatever. so as to stay booked as resident.
Maybe that'll be the real reason John Key's imaginary boat people come to NZ, to load up with student grant refugees for the return trip.
-
As in, the detail of MMP is not entrenched.
If NACT were smart and evil, as opposed to just evil, they could have dealt with this more cleverly by proposing a referendum on the recommended changes, plus an increase in the parliamentary term to four years. That would be accepted by MPs, who want the extra year, but roundly rejected by voters, who don't trust them with it.
-
Legal Beagle: On Consensus, in reply to Steven Peters,
-
OnPoint: Budget 2013: Bringing Down the…, in reply to BenWilson,
Which means in turn that people with good *science* degrees (not BAs) are working as shop assistants, school leavers are unemployed and former casual workers are sleeping on the street. (The number of street people in downtown Wellington has ballooned in the last few months).
-
Meanwhile, the government is obviously very relaxed about how the dairy sector paid $26mln in tax for the last available year, Google paid $165k in tax and all those people selling their million dollar houses for a substantial profit are paying a big round zero tax bill.
-
OnPoint: Budget 2013: Bringing Down the…, in reply to BenWilson,
Yeah. So a bunch of students hire a mega-lawyer and contest the payment demands in a British or Aussie court, because what was a loan has morphed into a tax on the overseas earnings of non-residents. NZ doesn't have jurisdiction to do that (any more than the UK could suddenly send me a tax bill here).
-
OnPoint: Budget 2013: Bringing Down the…, in reply to Keith Ng,
Right, but that was (or purported to be) a contract, so it was a loan. If the government then starts dicking around with the terms by statute, then it starts to take on more of the nature of a tax.