Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: The Internet Party, whatever happens

Ian Dalziel

Sun, 08 Jun 2014 12:34:32 +1200

Strange Bedfellows?

Joseph Cook

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 05:11:15 +1200

"There will be lots of member inputs, more so than any other political party. But final decisions will be made by the Executive Council. That’s what the rules (and, by the way, the law) says."

Which law says that?

Joseph Cook

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 05:09:53 +1200

So which version of democracy is that? It makes no sense, and will certainly will not stand up to test in a court of law.

Joseph Cook

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 05:08:20 +1200

Exactly my point... Thank you Keir Leslie

Andrew Geddis

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 08:29:16 +1300

In the case of the Internet Party, any member can put up their hand to be a candidate. Members will express their views about the potential candidates and rank those on an “indicative list”. Then the Executive Committee will finalise the list.

Two issues:

(1) The "Executive Committee" doesn't just…

Vikram Kumar

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:57:52 +1300

The law I referred to requires political parties to have democratic selection of their candidates. That's the minimum bar, with the details of the democratic involvement not prescribed by law.

In the case of the Internet Party, any member can put up their hand to be a candidate. Members will…

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:36:35 +1300

They have 1000 members now.

I think people are missing the point on the Internet Party's commonality with Mana. Both Dotcom and Harawira have been flung in jail by the government. They aren't on the side of "authority". That's enough for a lot of people to side with them, oddly…

Sofie Bribiesca

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:30:14 +1300

Gordon Campbell over at Scoop on Mana and Internet Party

Keir Leslie

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:30:31 +1300

But unlike Labour or the Greens, party members will have no direct voting ability on the Leader, no? Which is surely less membership input?

And whereas the Greens elect the party list via delegate conferences and a party wide vote, the Internet Party executive will have the sole discretion to…

Vikram Kumar

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:06:12 +1300

There will be lots of member inputs, more so than any other political party. But final decisions will be made by the Executive Council. That's what the rules (and, by the way, the law) says.

Keir Leslie

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:59:31 +1300

Certainly the separate property arm is usual and the fact the informant quibbled it reveals a lack of familiarity with the arcana of political party constitutions.

But, Vikram, wouldn't you say that the lack of member input into list, electorate, and leader election is both unusual for New Zealand political…

Vikram Kumar

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:41:12 +1300

Thanks for linking and commentary on the rules. It would've been good for your anonymous commentator to comment against each of the points as to how they compare with other parties to point out what's 'usual' and what's not.

As to Internet Party Assets Incorporated, it hasn't been incorporated yet.…

Russell Brown

Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:37:14 +1300

A commentary from someone who'd prefer not to be named on the Internet party's Constitution:

1. There is a special role called 'party visionary.' This is defined as Kim Dotcom, or a person selected by Kim Dotcom. THis visionary has the automatic right to sit and vote on the party's…

Russell Brown

Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:56:57 +1300

I'm not sure who this tedious, unfunny video on the new Internet Party website is meant to attract:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO07KTU3jEU

Sacha

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:23:06 +1300

I'm sure the Greens / and/or Labour could come up with some internet related policies that would be more likely to get traction.

they already have some, though I'd note traction takes more than having a policy

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:06:15 +1300

(By the way this isn’t just meant as a rant against KDC I am genuinely curious to find out what sort of person the party could possibly appeal to.)

The Internet Party is interested in Mana
Why Not? Both Parties have representation of people who feel they have been treated…

Sofie Bribiesca

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:49:58 +1300

Unless the internet party is mostly a flag waving exercise

Ha! I got confused, thought you were talking about John Key and his flag waving party for a minute there.

Jason Kemp

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:34:17 +1300

I hope they close the internet party down before it starts. OK some people have fees to bill and so they are working on a set of policies but it seems to be very much the wrong way around to have a party with no announced policies.

I'm sure the…

Pete George

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:13:34 +1300

Curran was quick to categorically rule herself out.

Horan says he has had no communication with Dotcom. He's not an electorate MP anyway and I don't see him being any use to the IP.

Harawira is probably the only one, and he seems to have backed off, or been backed…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 02:57:20 +1300

all those young well off liberals with their right wing leanings that an internet issue focused party party is supposed to appeal to.

If you mean liberal in the Hayek/von Mises classical liberal sense, maybe – these days they're more popularly known as 'libertarian'. In modern times, 'liberal' now refers…

nzlemming

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 23:58:13 +1300

You’re confused about what a liberal is.

Tories usually are.

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 20:44:08 +1300

So not only is it ok to bring a somewhat trumped up case against him at the behest of foreign multinationals (whose wealth dwarfs Dotcoms), but he should be disenfranchised from political involvement as part of his pre-conviction punishment?

Keir Leslie

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:34:47 +1300

KDC is using his huge personal wealth to bankroll a political party with a pretty clear subtextual goal of influencing a minister's use of discretion in a matter in which he a huge personal interest. It's not pretty.

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:14:23 +1300

KDC is clearly trying to use the political system to achieve a legal outcome

Isn't that what it's for:

– New Zealanders vote for a parliament that decides what our laws are to be
– Nobody can be extradited for something that isn't a crime in New Zealand
– It's…

Matthew Poole

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:48:31 +1300

liberals with their right wing leanings

You're confused about what a liberal is.

haines@lowndeslaw.com

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:49:23 +1300

I can see why some people may want to keep KDC in NZ for amusement value or because they sort of admire his outrageous entrepreneurialism. However, I cannot begin to fathom the kind of person who would actually vote for the Internet Party. The alliance with the left, the random…

Grant McDougall

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:09:25 +1300

Curran's also in a relationship with Trevor Mallard, so presumably Cunliffe thinks it's less hassle to keep both of them within caucus. She is also, her IT snafus aside, a very good, highly-respected locally, electorate MP.

BenWilson

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:12:25 +1300

Any ship with Horan aboard is destined for troubled waters. We're talking a guy who always thinks he's the captain.

Sacha

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 08:17:57 +1300

nah, there's an app for that

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 04:15:02 +1300

It’s hard to see the use of Horan to IP
Ya have to have a weatherman
to know which way the wind blows...

Rich Lock

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 23:14:43 +1300

I immediately imagined them:Sub-gluteal fleshy folds spreading sideways at right angles to the perpendicular;or the one that bisects you allvertically down and back…None straight forward,all curved dark spacesthat can suck us in…… I now need strong liquorto burn that dreadful moonfrom my ‘retainers’…

He talked of his dreams in a…

william blake

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 20:45:03 +1300

David Clendon, Green. tech. 19th list. Waitakere, wanted leadership....

nzlemming

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:58:34 +1300

3. Clare Curran – fallen out with David Cunliffe who has taken over ICT from her, she is pissed.

Yeah, nah. Curran is pure red, always has been. She's more interested in Hillside and jobs in her electorate (as she should be, and as any electorate MP should be). Not…

BenWilson

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:50:33 +1300

It's a bit too early to say what their natural demographic is. I bet there's a lot of kids who yell "Gay!" every time they get fragged in there.

Emma Hart

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:40:59 +1300

Colin King

Colin King’s screaming homophobia would make him an extremely unattractive proposition for the well-off youngish urban liberals who would seem to be the Internet Party’s natural demographic. And then there’s his negative charisma…

But then

Dotcom says the party is post-ideological

so… no policies, then?

BenWilson

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:39:00 +1300

It's hard to see the use of Horan to IP, unless he can win an electorate. The same goes for pretty much all the sitting MPs. This makes it hard to see how a National or Labour candidate would be any use, unless they were in themselves extremely popular. Otherwise…

Alec Morgan

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:20:42 +1300

Te Mana is a hybrid left social democratic/Māori nationalist party and as such perhaps more open to division and diversion than your average NZ party. The key achievement of Mana Movement has been the engagement of the young politically alienated, on all sorts of issues as I saw as a…

lotech

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:16:37 +1300

I'm still confused to exactly what an "Internets" Party stands for outside of ICT policy.
What's their standing on Fish Quota's? On the National Flag? Treaty Settlements?
This is all going to start unravelling quite quickly I think.

Kumara Republic

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:12:36 +1300

More likely, it’s because the rents are cheaper in the Hutt. I seriously can’t see Trevor jumping wakas…

Which in turn seems to be because of quake-proofing costs in central Wellington.

nzlemming

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:59:34 +1300

If the office is in Lower Hutt, and they really have a sitting MP... maybe it's Trevor Mallard?

That was my first thought too.

More likely, it's because the rents are cheaper in the Hutt. I seriously can't see Trevor jumping wakas...

bmk

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:49:19 +1300

3. Clare Curran – fallen out with David Cunliffe who has taken over ICT from her, she is pissed.

She's just been announced as an electorate candidate unfortunately (though I guess that doesn't mean it's not possible). Labour would do so well to get rid of her. She proved to…

netcoach

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:43:16 +1300

My picks for MP waka jumpers

1. Brendan Horan – this is the only way he can remotely stay in Parliament to continue to annoy Winston Peters

2. Colin King – missed out on being re-selected in his electorate seat and is unlikely to rank high on the list, so…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:15:46 +1300

Which are both righteous, of course, but I expect KDC has more in mind.

Like better latency for Call of Duty tournaments?

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:13:13 +1300

I imagine Mr .com’s bottom lines will be fairly straightforward:
Damn you!

I immediately imagined them:
Sub-gluteal fleshy folds spreading sideways
at right angles to the perpendicular;
or the one that bisects you all
vertically down and back...
None straight forward,
all curved dark spaces
that can suck us in...…

BenWilson

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:25:52 +1300

It's hard to see any common ground, that's for sure. Harawira alone with the IP, maybe. But Bradford and Minto with KDC? Only if the brief of the IP were basically limited to "free internet infrastructure and opposed to abuse of state power with respect to internet use". Which are…

Grant McDougall

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 13:45:27 +1300

I pretty much agree with Sue Bradford, which is something I don't do too often. Kim Dotcom is anathema to Mana; their constituency and key members, John Minto, et al, are left-wing with a focus on things like the minimum wage, etc, etc – joining up with a multi-millionaire that…

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 13:16:15 +1300

in Jonathan Milne's very useful feature

Can we confirm whether the guy in the pub had a sickness beneficiary neighbour painting the roof of his house?

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 13:09:41 +1300

I imagine Mr .com's bottom lines will be fairly straightforward:
1. Copyright Act amended to make clear that indirect copyright infringement in plain view of plaintiff cannot be a criminal matter
2. Electoral Act amended to allow permanent residents to become MPs
and to allow parties to change their lists…

Matthew Poole

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 13:01:18 +1300

If the office is in Lower Hutt, and they really have a sitting MP... maybe it's Trevor Mallard?

That was my first thought too.

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:59:31 +1300

Lorde knows?
Dotcom doesn't strike me as a Team player...

Christopher Nimmo

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:33:03 +1300

If the office is in Lower Hutt, and they really have a sitting MP... maybe it's Trevor Mallard?

It would at least be hilarious!

richard

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:26:23 +1300

It's ironic, although the legal case against Dotcom has grown thinner with time, the enthusiasm with which I would greet his deportation (to anywhere, I'm not fussy) grows stronger with each passing day.

Moz

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:21:12 +1300

perhaps an Alliance-style structure encompassing two parties with a shared disdain for John Key. Lord knows.

Lorde knows?

I love the way Dotcom so frequently brings out the contradictions and nonsense in whatever legal environment he operates in,

Damian Christie

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:11:20 +1300

I can see why the public enthusiasm might be waning. Dotcom's tweet about not being stressed over problems with his "minions" might be some sort of ironic Despicable Me reference, but I'm surprised the Mana Party didn't run a hundred miles at such an arrogant phrasing.

Maybe together they can…

Andre Alessi

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:05:54 +1300

Then there’s the matter of the currently sitting MP who is apparently lined up to stand for the Internet Party.

If this was a MP in the current government, that'd be huge news, which is why I don't believe it is. I saw references to this being "an electorate MP",…

Ana Simkiss

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:31:05 +1300

Well. Kim has a great legal team but its a tough job. Right now he is tweeting about the security guard situation in a way I'd be surprised is not a breach of the suppression order and/or privilege.

Hamish

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:11:53 +1300

A launch party scotched for fear of “treating”, while a PR expert advises the Nats to brighten up their youth recruitment “goodie bags”. So it’s not treating when you are literally giving out treats.

The Mana proposal is interesting though. Both sides must see it as a deal with the devil,…

Public Address

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:11:53 +1300

Discussion from blog post.