So an errant MP is found to be in contempt of the House ... and then what?
...
(3) They have to pay a fine to the House (if the House actually has the power to fine, which it probably doesn't)?

I would note that the question of whether the…

Now cue debate as to whether s.55 of the Electoral Act 1993 has overridden Parliament's historical privilege to expel its members ...

I take it you read Pundit...

So an…

Graeme suggests simply making unjustified absence a contempt of Parliament. Its an elegant solution, which recognises that MPs get to regulate themselves, and it doesn't require any law changes. At the same…

Following from that though, if it's a breach of the BORA…

In a democracy, there doesn't need to be legislation around things like MP absences or party-hopping. If it's a big deal for us, we get to kick them out.

To go off on a slight tangent: as someone who at one time voted Alliance with my list vote, only to…

And yes, that applies to the House too. The BORA binds them just as much as it binds every other part of the…

Roger Douglas was reading bad crime-fiction in the house the other day. Yeah, I'm probably in contempt, but some things are simply contemptuous.

I don't mind that, but there's a valid question to be asked of how long an MP can be paid to be an MP but not actually do the work. 2 months? 6 months? a year?

3 years per review. And if they're still getting voted in, then perhaps them…

Surely at some stage the speaker has to say to their party leader "umm, what are we paying this guy for again?"

Perfectly reasonable. The mechanism to allow this is for the House to amend Standing Orders.

Basically their main job is to represent, and they have a lot of leeway in how they do that, and the mechanism for the constituents to reward or punish them is already in place.

I think that's an argument at cross purposes to what is happening with Carter. If he…

Well, I guess while your MP is contemplating legislation while wrapped around a hot water bottle, there might be one or two constituents in Te Atatu hoping someone is covering the constituency clinics.

There's a lot of ways they could spend their days that would be wonderful to people in…

I agree that treating our MPs like schoolchildren or clock-watching factory hands is silly. I don't vote for them to sit around in Parliament.

Um... no, but by the same token I think it was entirely justifiable for eyebrows to raise when the US Senator with the worse attendance record…

Why was I not surprised to find you blogger link going to Kiwiblog? DPF has banged on about this shit for years and years, like enforcing his idea of working hours on MPs is somehow going to make them actually do better jobs.

I actually wrote the sentence first, and…

I'm thinking of solutions that don't require changes to the law – like you I agree that it's not a particularly useful one. Is there the possibility of a statutory body (the SSC?) publishing a register of attendance?

A statutory body? No chance. Parliament doesn't like being told what to…

Excuse me if I'm unusually cynical right now, I live in Australia where the media thinks they're the chorus in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and keep singing "where are the clowns, there ought to be clowns..."

Moz: That would be a Sondheim musical, and rather than 'Send in The…

Or Flybuys – every sitting day gets you closer to that shiny toaster. They could even add the remaining travel perks to the scheme.

To address Ben Wilson's point above, select committees could be worth more points, as would ministerial responsibilities.

This is…

Focussing on attendence is rather pointless, anyone who cares can find out which MP's are doing a decent job by…

Solution: foursquare!

Or Flybuys – every sitting day gets you closer to that shiny toaster. They could even add the remaining travel perks to the scheme.

Solution: foursquare! Who will be the mayor of the Beehive?

Awesome!

Also Graeme, what's up with this whole rational thinking business about how actually we do have control over our MPs? Shouldn't you just be baying for blood?

Ahem: when I worked in woollen mills, you clocked in.
Is this going to be so difficult for hon members in this electronc age?

Solution: foursquare! Who will be the mayor of the Beehive?

Excuse me if I'm unusually cynical right now, I live in Australia where the media thinks they're the chorus in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and keep singing "where are the…