Posts by Idiot Savant
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And meanwhile Parliament is in urgency, debating bills that the MPs haven't seen because they haven't even been written yet - just like the 90's. Those bills will be passed through all stages, without the usual select committee phase, so there will be no chance to correct any drafting errors, let alone public input.
If this is what National calls governing from the centre, you have to wonder where that centre is. Mongolia? Baluchistan? Washington?
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All of a sudden, working for a large corporation becomes more attractive.
You mean someone who will care what happens to their reputation if they start imposing probationary periods?
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Oh, James, given that I'm listening to Goff's incandescence at the "consitutional outrage" of legislation being passed under urgency, I'd love some senior political reporter to tote up how much legislation was passed on his watch -- and with his support -- without select committee scrutiny and public submission. How about retrospectively sanitising MP's unlawful electioneering with public money?
been there, done that, and the answer for Labour is "very little". People's milage will vary on specific cases, but the urgency was only used in that way for patchup legislation such as Duynhoven's. Every piece of actual policy got a full SC process, as is required in our democracy.
That's where national is different: they're using urgency not just to get things off to SC before everyone goes on holiday, and not just to pass emergency legal patches (which reliably happen a couple of times a year) or budget stuff, but to enacy policy without public scrutiny. It's authoritarian and undemocratic, and speaks of a party still stuck in the mindset of FPP's elected dictatorship. And I am hoping that the people of New Zealand will not put up with it.
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The Stuff poll on the matter is currently running 66% in favour, which suggests either that two-thirds of the Stuff website's visitors are small-business owners, or a lot of people have absolutely no clue about what's in their economic best interests.
Or that political parties stack these polls for their own advantage, in the same way they flood "letters to the editor" with proxy spam.
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(We should find out this afternoon if those Mana-Enhancing Baubles have worked their charm ...)
Next week. The address in reply will take 19 hours, which means that it will go on till next Tuesday.
Of course, they could go into urgency early for the extra time.
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Guess we'll find out this afternoon whether he intends to keep wearing it.
The wig is gone. Score one for informality!
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I don't remember the 90 days fire at will law ever being mentioned in the same sentence as the first 100 days.
And it notably wasn't mentioned in the speech from the throne. This was a stealth policy, designed to be sprung on us by surprise and rammed through under urgency before anyone could object. The Douglas-Richardson blitzkrieg all over again. It's a very bad start, and it suggests an utterly contemptuous attitude towards democracy.
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Maybe we need some sort of Wikinews type thing for NZ. The problem with Wikinews is that the coverage depends on what people want to write about, so it's a bit random:
And that they've suddenly bureaucratised the whole thing, which slows down the whole process and turns it away from the public participation spirit of a wiki. But a lot of self-appointed gatekeepers get to feel important, and I guess that's what's important.
(If you don't like this, you can oppose it here).
I make occasional submissions to WikiNews (that quick "New Zealand Parliament reconvenes after election" was me) - but the process is now irritating (particularly their attitude towards primary sources. Not Allowed, apparently; its only news if you're reporting thirdhand), and it turns me off the entire thing.
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Well he's brought back the wig.
Full-time, or only for ceremonial occasions?
I think Wilson might have worn one at the last state opening.
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If politicians want column inches and face time, why not give it to MPs who are doing their jobs on matters of import (Select Committees are criminally under-reported, IMNSHO), rather than ego-wanking at Question Time?
Because select committees are boring. Who pays attention to them? Only people like me. Wheras Trevor Mallard getting biffed out, Michael Cullen being a smartarse (which took less than 5 minutes) are much more exciting. But still less exciting than a juicy crime story, or a rumour about this or that hollywood star being drunk, a lesbian, or holding a small furry animal. Or better, if you can combine it all into one sensational story: "Britney murdered over drunk kitten escapade!"