Date Printed: 04/22/2009 JTS Box Number: lFES 67 Tab Number: 128 Document Title: Listener Document Date: Oct-93 Document Country: New Zealand Document Language: English lFES 10: CE01226 .. • '" '- VIEWPOI:\T , • Listener Volume 140 No 27921SSN 0110 5787 Edilori(ll Editor. Te"" Snow Assistant Editor. Paul Linle MMP: THE WAY TO GO Arts and Books Editor. Chns Bourke he decision to put the conformisl party votes in Chle1 Subeditor. Tom ~cWiliiams case for ~IMP. which Parliament. on the grounds Art DIrector: ~1ichacl McHugh Production Manager. Roger Spragg this issue of the maga­ that Ihe public "find it less Photographic libra,." Tordis Mackey Tzine does, was nol and less credible that Ihe Business Manager. Karen ~orath taken lightly. It coincides members of a political pany Adverlising with the conclusion of can somehow agree on their AUCKWD (09)623 1DD2 t~e 1986 Report of the approach to absolutely fa< 1091623 1011 Royal Commission on Ihe everYlhing". When Ihe Address: PO Bo~ 7. Auckland I National Advertising Manager. Trish Tumey Electoral System - subtitled broad department-slOre Deputy Manager. Suzanne Johnston importantly "Towards a approach 10 retailing or the Co-ordinator: Ena Cashmore Better Democracy". The catch-all cOf]lorate business TERRY SNOW WEWNGTON (04) 385 3310 opening words state; "This are both giving way to mOre f'" 1041382 8003 Edi.or Account Executive: Eileen Thompson report is about our demo­ focused. specialist stores Ot'erseas Adl'ertising .. tgenu cracy. It is about the way New Zealanders and business functions. and to more choice Mclean Media. PO Box. 5+1.. Newtown. NSW. give their consent to the ex.ercise by for the public. there is no reason why sever­ 2042. Australia Parliament and the Government of great al. more focused. smaller polilical parties (street address: 64 Slation SU'eet) public power." This declaration should be shouldn't offer a similar variety in Ihe -' (ph 0061 25196455: flU 006125571614) remembered as the cont ..t in which the marketplace of universal suffrage. It·s Universal Media Corporation. CPO Box. 46. commission ultimately recommended Mixed called competition in a free-enterprise Tokyo. Japan Iph 0081 3 3666 3036: Member Proponional (MMP) as the most society. Nobody has declared the free mar- fax 0081 3 3666 3(94). desirable electoral system. It was concerned · ket in pOlitical choice. ideas and philoso­ Subscripliom with "our" dem"!'racy. not the democracy of phies closed. And just as varied businesses Save 15 percent on the cover price. 12 mOnlhs. $95; 6 monlhs. $48.50. a panicular lobby group or political persua­ can co-exist profitably and even find a Overseas rates on request. sion and it was concerned about the way · community of interest within industry or SubSCription Service "New Zealanders" in general give their con­ · retail groupings. modern political parties F",epost 3310 PO Bo. 100-741 sent. not some or a few, and not simply the : should be able to find similarly productive Nonh Shore Mail Centre Auckland to ph 109) 443 0238 powerful or those close to them. : coalitions of interest. f.. I09) 443 0249 Recently a newspaper columnist assened Nor should there be any fears that a bet­ Circulation and Promotions Manager. that "a vote for MMP is a vote for irrespon­ ter democracy is worse for business. The Nigel Whyte ph (09) 638 8105 sible government". That's not only a slur more the politicians keep their tingers Out Submissions on the depth of considerations undenaken of business. the more business will be able Contributed anicles and letters should be addressed to the Editor. For rerum of by the Royal Commission. but it is illo­ to prosper according 10 the well- manuscripts JOOI leners) please include a gical. People vote. The responsible or irre­ · founded principles that are commercial swnped addressed envelope. PO 80. 7, Auckland 1 sponsible nature of government is then in rather than political. The problem is rather the hands of the elected politicians. Stable that some businesses wan I 10 keep Iheir Head office or unstable government. similarly, is in the fingers in politics. 360 Dominion Road. Mt Eden. Auckland 3 hands of those who are in government. This The details of the vinues of ~IMP and its Auckland 109) 623 1002 kind of damning statement is like a lot of workings are covered in the anicles in this f.. : 109) 623 1011 magazine. For those who ta\'our the e;~ist­ Address: PO Box 7. AuckJand the electoral bullying and victim blaming W.IIinBlon .di.oriol office that goes on ( ... if you go walking at night. ing system. or who preierred Ihe Single Commercial Union House. 142 Featherston St you will to be blame if an attacker assaults , Transferable Vote (STV) IO Ihe referen­ ph (04) 499 2712; fall (04) 499 2683 you ... ). Whatever happened to the cenain dum. there will be much 10 debate. But Sou.h 1.land .diloriol responsibility Ihat falls on the attacker in , there is an essential underl~ 109 principle 10 Bruce Ansley ph (03) 329 4451: f.. 103) 329 4451 crime. or the politician in power? : consider. New Zealand' s present vOlino Group Advertising Manager. Wendy Blo.ham Simon Upton. a symbolic voice for both system has serious defictenclI:S - as the Publlsller. Gr.tham Billings major panies' desire to retain the present commission found. "The process of choice The Lisltntr is registered as a newspaper and voting system. raised the spectre of frag­ should to the fullest e"ent possible give published by New Zealand Listener t 1990) mented. special-interest panies when he put · each member of the eommun"y an equal Limited. The registered office is at 46 Alben the case for the eXisting broad-spectrum , pan in the choice of the Guvernment and a Street. Auckland. The contents of the Listtntr are copyright and may not be reproduced in any fonn panies in a speech at Canterbury University · fair opportunity to parlt<'pale in Ihe without tlte written permission of the publisher. in Augusl. Yet. with masterly self­ process," In the choice (acing us ne.'~.t Printed by Webprint Colour Ltd. a division of contradiction. he also advocated the rel .. - month. MMP is the one Ihal u ifers mOre Wilson & Honan. ation of the pany whip system that ensures Voters a fair go. • MP~£~ OCTOBER 4 191.)) Lbll"nrr .. to ur current electoral system they put up a has-been. J hack or J drover's the opposition. But II '.'-'ouid ha .... e made ,t prOlects the powerful. There dog in most seats. And that is the end of the impossible for anyone to accuse the ~\~\P are 20 ministers in the cur· voters' role. under FPP. pany lists of being undemocratic. However. rent Cabinet. and five more Under MMP. however. voters have more . even the closed pany list still produces a outside Cabinet. The seats of power. If a pany stacks its list with hacks. : more democratic election result than that every one of those 25 minis­ it can be punished in the pany vote. This , delivered by FPP. The public can. and will. ters lie outside the massive sends a direct message to the pany bosses. , let the parties know if the lists are not up to 6.1 percent nationwide swing It tells them what kind of candidates they , scratch. needs to win this year's elec­ should put on the list if they want to attract • Myth 2: MMP creates bigger alectorates tion. Clearly. our current voting system suppon. Why is this crucial? Under MMP. that will make It harder to hall contact makes it extremely hard to shift the govern­ it is the narionwide pattern of the party with Mh. The simple fact is that the list ing elite. Even in Labours 1990 election vote that decides the election result. MMP MPs will also do electorate work. alongside bloodbath. only a handful of ministers - holds up a mirror to voter sentiment and the colleagues elected in local contests. The Phil Goff. Ralph Maxwell. Annette King adjusts the seats in Parliament to match. pany's image within the electorate demands and Peter Neilson - lost their seats. Under FPP. however. the election hinges that this happen. So why. in the current debate on electoral on the chance outcome that emerges from In fact. under MMP. MPs will need to be reform. is MMP being singled out as the 99 discrete FPP electorate races. That's more responsive to their electorates. Since system open to capture by the pany bosses? how, in 1978 and 1981. National could get everyone's vote - even the vote for the The myths being bandied about in this fewer votes than Labour and still win the opposition in a safe government seat - will year's debate on electoral reform deserve election. now count for the first time in the overall closer scrutiny. MMP is also better for women. The pres­ result. MPs will no longer be able to ignore Myth 1: Under MMP, tile party baaes will sure that the the individuals and pressure groups in their control the party lilts. Party hackl and neck of the woods who suppon opposition has·beens will get on the lists, and will parties. Each has to be wooed now. neyer be able to be remolld. There because their vote will count in the are major safeguards against this pany tallies that decide an elec· happening. The legislation tion. requires that each party use Yes, local electorates will democratic methods to compile be larger - but there will be the party lists. and enables more MPs to work in those them to be sued in the High electorates.