Overkill Bill

The Electoral Finance Bill makes a dog's breakfast look like fine cuisine. Even dog tucker has more meat in it than this Bill. I can't refer to this Bill as vomit because even puke has a few carrots in it. This Bill is sicker than sick. All this time behind closed doors wrangling a majority with the minors for this? THIS??

The preamble admits that this Bill "significantly amends the Electoral Act 1993 and also amends the Broadcasting Act 1989." Dr Helena Catt, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, pointed out at the Electoral Symposium that there were twice that many Acts affecting electoral funding (buggered if I can remember them all). This Bill is not a holistic makeover of how elections are funded.

The policy objectives in this Bill include "promote participation in parliamentary democracy". This is the nub of it. Parliamentary democracy, not representative democracy. Parliament is supreme, not the people. If you're not in a professional party, then you won't be able to have your say. This is a power play.

I doubted my faculties when I read that third parties have to register with the Chief Electoral Officer, that they must appoint a financial agent to act as martyr. But the one that really whammed home was the part where third parties had to HAND OVER to the Chief Electoral Officer any anonymous donations over $500 for the WHOLE YEAR.

This one hit home. I have an AP of $10 weekly that goes to NORML. According to this Bill, if I didn't disclose my identity to the authorities, my donations would have to be handed over to the government. Lucky for me I don't give a flying mallard whether people know I give money to an organisation that seeks to legalise the prohibited, thereby possibly incurring the wrath of arrest and detainment at any moment by warrantless search under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It's OK, I've desensitised.

The intent of this Bill is clear. Knee-capped by fundraising to pay off last election, Labour, NZ First and Untied Future will knee cap everyone else to even the score for the next one. Better yet, don't give your meagre disposable income to a pressure group, give it to a party. Pity the poor bastard who wants to support an idea not an ideology.

But what really pisses me off is the Greens' support for the Bill. The Green Party started out as a coalescence of pressure groups, fused together in the Alliance and spat out before it went supernova. This Bill will kill any chance of that happening again. In spite of the very essence of the spirit of MMP, to encourage and foster more than two voices in the House, the Greens would throw that all away to be popular with Labour.

The next chink is Mark Burton.

Lookalikes

Im in yr Facebook, getting in yr face

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Nice weather for the alcoholics

It's raining cats and dogs outside. It's raining monkeys and elephants, muppets and tigers, antelopes and zebras. Those who can find funds or reasons are buggering off overseas for a break. Those without the cash are hibernating and sedating themselves any way they can. The speedsters are stocking up on BZPs, the lushes with booze and DUI convictions.

Parliament's having a break and they've let the young ones loose in parliament. While BZPs are high on their mind, there's not much support for lowering the voting age. Advice to the Greens: Forget the sweet sixteen suffrage and concentrate your energies on Met Turei's Medpot Bill and the upcoming select committee on the BZP ban. You'll gain a crapload more votes by doing so.

John Key continues to bewilder. Wanting to revisit the Standing Orders a mere week after the party votes them in begs that immortal question. Is he real or isn't he? Whether it is the election campaign later or someone bloods him sooner, time will tell, eh. At the moment, he's still a hologram.

Oh how I wish Rodney Hide were a hologram; some mis-programmed facsimile on show while the real one is gathering evidence to play Devil's Advocate once again. Alas, the Rodney of yore is no more. We are stuck with Lovable Hugable Rodney forever, or at least 2008. I can sympathise with how the former perkbuster rose to grace. The consensus on the Beltway grapevine after Rod Donald's death was Rodney was more likely to cark it than organic Donald. So much for the balance of probabilities, eh.

Yet it is a shame to see such skills go to pasture and five laps of the pool. Chris Trotter tried to snap him out of it, pointing to the vast reasonable-sized field on the far right John Key has opened up for Act. Colin Espiner has made a similar point. It seems, however, that Rodney has confused reason for purpose. Little wonder Act has evaporated off the polls.

At least Rodney did plug the Regulatory Responsibility Bill on Agenda, which is an important piece of legislation. Unlike most of the bad law that Labour V keep passing, this is a classical piece of law. Drawn up by a genius called Dr Bryce Wilkinson, the RRB is a piece of constitutional beauty. Its importance is up there with Geoff Palmer's Bill of Rights and Ruth's Fiscal Responsibility Bill. NZ would be better off for it.

Farewell, Lisa Owen. Je t'aime.

It is still not too late for Helen Clark to pull a big fluffy bunny out for the election and win 2008. It is increasingly likely that the bunny will be accompanied with a ministerial re-shuffle. Here's hoping Hodgson loses Health to someone more competent. Shane Jones is ambitious enough, and Health would certainly keep him busy. I recant my support for TM4FM and put money on Phil Goff as Finance Minister by year's end. If Labour don't have personal tax cuts in next year's budget, they deserve to lose.

There's still no sign of the legislation on party funding, which is supposedly coming into effect at the end of the year. Judging from the absence of policy, as well as increased public funding going down like a cup of cold sick, there is no clear marker on what's/not going to be in it. The Coalition for Open Government and the Vic Uni symposium were the only opportunities for the parties to get a thermometer on the issue. I fear they got the wrong temperature. While the numbers game may be being played behind the scenes, the longer the support parties leave to put it on the table, the more damage they'll receive in 2008. I'll maybe blog more on the subject later this week, depending on how hard it rains.

Bastards I have known

Well, well... Neil Foord is dead. I was one of the schmucks down on my luck back in 1995 who signed on to Real Kiwis for 150 bucks. No doubt he was a dodgy bastard, offering jobs which paid nothing, "because you have to build your reputation up first". Not long afterwards, he was done for rape. It seems fitting that he should die friendless in Christchurch. The Great Leveller strikes again.

Impeach the Chimp

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann unleashes a savage and articulate special comment on Bush's decision to pardon Scooter Libby from jail.

Ban Ze Pills

I've just settled into the office after attending a press conference in Jim Anderton's office where he advised that BZP will be banned. BZP products are to classified as a Class C1 substance, putting it in the same league as other moderately harmful drugs such as cannabis, coca and khat. Around the country, organised crime must be rejoicing that Jim Anderton has thrown them a new revenue stream to play in.

Jim Anderton thought he was being magnanimous that he wasn't using the Order in Council process to illegalise BZP, a process which involves gazetting the policy for 28 days before ordaining it as law. Instead, an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act will be put through the select committee which should allow for public submissions on the matter.

More worrying is the prospect of a re-write of the Misuse of Drugs Act. I've been hassling for this for a while, but with the illogical rationale to ban BZP as an example, a re-write at this stage bodes ill for the harm minimisation strategy. For example, the reversal of the burden of proof on supplement manufacturers:

"It is likely that new products with an unknown chemical composition will be introduced to replace BZP. As part of the MODA review, a legislative framework will be considered that places the onus of proof on the sponsor of a new substance that is to be marketed as inducing a psychoactive response, to establish the safety of the substance before it can be sold in New Zealand."

The upshot of this reversal of proof will be that more substances will go straight to the black market without passing any quality control standards whatsoever. That, or more substances will pass through as foods, such as poppy seeds, to avoid such a throttling policy.

Do Not Feed the Animals

There's a veritable media frenzy in the MSM and blogosphere about the new rules to cover how the press cover the Parliamentary zoo. The MSM have declared war with the DomPost showing Tariana Turia with a headache next to Heather Roy. The Herald has a photo gallery dedicated to politician self-ridicule.

Although the new rules loosen the press gallery's leash in some respects, the contempt of parliament charge for depicting MPs in "satire, ridicule or denigration" was a step way over the line. It is a well known constitutional convention that we reserve the right to take the piss. I thought the Speaker had nodded to this ideal by pushing for MPs to be more accountable to the Official Information Act. It was fun while it lasted. Jeremy Wells could be jailed for doing what he does under the new rules.

Colin Espiner's new blog had a go at the story last night. I posted a comment about the Jeremy Wells factor, then refreshed the page to check whether comments were posted automatically or held for approval a la Cactus. It was there. Now it's not. In fact, it disappeared within an hour of posting it last night. And there you have it. Truth is a three-edged sword.

Long before Parliament upped the heavies and installed X-Ray machines, Press House in Boulcott St has been locked up like a nunnery. Unlike Question Time at Parliament, you couldn't just walk in off the street into the typing pool. TVNZ is likewise securitised. Try to satirise, ridicule or denigrate an MSM and they will sic lawyers on you. Don't mistake this for a David and Goliath story. This is fight between Goliaths for the monopoly on truth.

Spread the Pink

Fitz Bunny: Lust for Glory. Go see it. Funny, witty, horny, Welly-ocentric, Anti-American. It's all good.

New Jew Ban

According to guidelines by the UK's leading fostering charity, Fostering Network, smokers will not be able to adopt children under 5:

No children under five years old should be placed with non-related foster carers who smoke - this is because of the particularly high health risks for very young children and toddlers who spend most of their day physically close to their carers."

In addition, the network, which has more than 40,000 members, is to recommend that disabled children who are physically unable to play outside, or youngsters with respiratory diseases such as asthma should never be placed with smokers, regardless of their age.

Obviously, discrimination is in the eye of the beholder.

Two men saying they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong

Associate Finance Minister Trevor Mallard has hinted at tax cuts next budget:

"There is quite a strong view building in New Zealand that at some stage we want to do an income tax reduction," Mr Mallard said. "I've got no doubt that it will be addressed in the next budget."

In the comments - published last week - he said he favoured changes to tax thresholds as the best way to cut personal taxes rather than dropping rates.

But Finance Minister Michael Cullen today said the comments were Mr Mallard's personal opinion.

Adjusting the tax thresholds is not a tax cut, it is an admission of reality. When you have the Reserve Bank buying $USD as a favourable policy as opposed to reducing government spending, you know you have a problem. Get real and cut taxes across the board. Dagg knows, we've earned it.

Let them dangle

You can't fault Jane Diplock and the Securities Commission for giving Fay Richwhite a blat on their malicious damage to the country through insider trading on Tranz Rail. When you've got Russell Brown, Winston Peters and Shane Jones agreeing on something, well, something is up. On the assumption that there is more than one way to skin this kitty, I have set up a pledge:

"I will write to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Rick Barker, to request Michael Fay and David Richwhite have their New Zealand citizenship revoked under Section 16(b) of the Citizenship Act 1977 but only if 23 other New Zealanders will do the same."

Please sign up to the pledge here.

Why OSH thinking is counterproductive

In the midst of hygiene upselling, we are bullied into buying antibacterial agents to ensure everything is clean. Who could take the ad with the hippy sneezing on the shopping trolley seriously? Soccer Mums, that's who.

Dave Allen once commented on fly spray: " 'Kills 99 percent of household bugs!', they say. What effect does it have on the 1 percent it doesn't kill? Feeds them? Makes them stronger? We're going to end up with superflies, invulnerable superbugs with the strength of a thousand ordinary bugs." Or something like that. Only now are scientists being able to demonstrate what comedians have observed for years. (Hat Tip BB)

548,000 tinnies on the wall

40 down, only 547,960 to go.

Goldilocks govenment

The left wing have come a long way. The First Labour Government instituted policies to ensure schoolkids weren't so thin. The Fifth Labour Government are now instituting policies to ensure schoolkids aren't so fat. What we really need is a government that is just Right. They'd stay out of the tuck shop and concentrate on EDUCATION.