I certainly don't hate all politicians, nor am I advocating kicking over the sandcastle for amusement. I tend to agree with your unscientific and anecdotal evidence, but can't see any reason not to put it on a much more formal basis with evidence actually gleaned from the people, after…

"Should keeping electoral promises, even silly ones, be a criminal offence as part of good governance?"

Heh... but no. Pointing and laughing should be sufficient punishment. :)

I think it is. I tend to think it's always time, but for practical reasons questions of such huge impact should probably be decided once per generation...which I guess is something like every 20 years.

Oh, balls... Sorry for the whorish self-promotion, but my PAS piece this week (Sunday, 7pm,…

On "Is it time?":
I think it is. I tend to think it's always time, but for practical reasons questions of such huge impact should probably be decided once per generation...which I guess is something like every 20 years.

On "is MMP better than FPP?":…

I'll be posting more on the issue when I've a bit of time...

Isn't the point that in a democracy the party with more votes should have the first…

A Bi-Caramel system sounds sweet ;-)

Not only that, we'd get to keep our existing stash of Flakes, Jafas, Oddfellows, Allsorts and Bounty bars. :-D

:-)

As others said, the Maori party would die a quick death in an FPP system, as a Brash/Key National government would have been in power the last three years and already done away with the Maori seats, most of treaty, the tribunal, and other things they…

I think it's a reasonable question if it comes with a "If New Zealand were to adopt a new electoral system, which would your prefer?" as well. ... if someone wants to search for the original 1992 question I wouldn't be surprised if it looked something like that (Tim?).

Sorry…

We had an upper house aeons ago – the Legislative Council. By the time Sid Holland mothballed it in 1951, it had become little more than a rubber stamp for the Parliament.

I know, hence my suggestion that it would need to be properly structured (to avoid that happening again).…

Perhaps a bi-cameral system could be debated. Structured properly, it might offer a very useful check / balance on the current system to restrict the ability of one arm of government running off in directions for which it never gained a mandate.

We had an upper house aeons ago -…

And if National managed to secure enough votes – much easier to do under FPP – they could implement their stated policy of consigning the Māori seats to oblivion.

By the same token, it could equally be possible for the Maori seats to be abolished under MMP. All it takes…

It's not time. It's far too early. Really, to see how good MMP is or is not, whether it needs tweaking or should be replaced, we'll need to get rid…

I realise that the Māori Party considers itself among the "MMP Parties", but it really shouldn't. Its lifeblood is the Māori electorate system. It relies in absolutely no way on the party vote. Whatever Atareta Poananga's hopes, it may never earn a list seat.

And it would thrive under a…

"Are you satisfied with MMP as a system or would you prefer a change?"

That is self-evidently not a referendum question. It is a customer feedback survey. Graeme is right (in the first reply) to point to this. A referendum is worth discussing. National's proposal is not. It is a…

That was just what I was gearing up to type, and she's put it much more clearly than I would.

The electoral system should be of the people and it is right that every so often, the people should have their say, alone in the four walls of the voting booth. Three or four times a century – once a…

and I kinda like the idea of open lists

What do you mean by an 'open list' Graeme?

For example: within the Tauranga electorate not enough people might want Winston to represent them, but across the country lots of people might vote Winston in.

This is why they shouldn't put…

By the way, what is National's current proposal for the wording?

Here it is:

"Are you satisfied with MMP as a system or would you prefer a change?"

That is self-evidently not a referendum question. It is a customer feedback survey. Graeme is right (in the first reply) to point…

Imperfect and still evolving, devolution of power from central to regional, district, & Iwi (or other) have provisions in law (RMA specifically – not sure on the rest).

That Maori & the Maori Party have had a greater voice under…

At our last election a number of MPs were thrown out by the electorate but returned to Parliament – is that 'democracy'?

.

YES!!

I get utterly frustrated by people claiming that it isn't democratic or fair when an MP is "thrown out" by their electorate and gets back in…

I can't really fault them for bringing self-interest into the calculus – political parties are, well, political. But that self-interest is exactly why questions around the voting system must be taken away from the politicians. That is why answering such questions belongs with the people.

It's a good point and…

Just seen your column for PA come up on my news reader, you many need to alter the headline...

I'm not sure I can (in system anyway), but it was deliberate. I don't think it's time for a change, but it is time for people who think there should be…

I wanted to see if that ballot paper was as absurd as I remembered it: one question with five choices, one of which was FPP. Of course, it wasn't.

That's my fear over National's current proposal. It appears to be that the second question (if enough people say yes to…

I think the Maori Party support the Maori seats more than any electoral system, but you maintain that the Maori party supports MMP – or any PR system, -…

If we're to have (the possibility of) two referendums then they should follow the same process used last time.

The first should ask whether we want…