Sue

Your wish is my command ... consider it done

Charismatic

Hey, doesn't she get 3 wishes?

Sue

Of course .. but who says she hasn't had two already??

crap coffee

who give a damn. I don't like this thread.

Dumb politicians - never trust them.

I haven't even enrolled. (probably won't time time) don't think its worth. (enough)

Why bother. Nothing is gonna change anyway.

Key is going to be a winner again most definitely. not a big fan of him.

I don't like politics & the greedy ppl.

Am Loolah

I best find and join the queue for refunds then coz they haven't come true ...

Charismatic

What kind of a loser attitude is “not voting if my preferred party don’t win”? Just wait an election cycle or two and you favourites will be back in (first term is easy after all, you can just blame everything on the previous government whereas by the second term that excuse sounds very used).

I’ve always been a strategic voter and would vote for any party if I felt it represented a good deal for the country.

Actually I think government now is better and more balanced than it ever has been in the past. Some little reporter with a degree in meeja studies trying to find leverage for or against an argument, elected officials and civil servants much make many decisions and many of them you never even hear about because they are on such arbitrary matters. After all who cares about the quality of drinking water or if road signs needs to meet newly agreed international standards? No one but it still needs doing.

luvwelly

Now it's gone confidential - all the National voters have come out to play but I am not one of them.

Crapcoffee - as an educated lady you would do well to remember what a recent hard- won freedom the right to vote is, especially for women.
At least in the NZ system your actual vote counts for something and is not a postcode lottery like in the UK.

lardyl

can you make it so annonymous that I can say I prefer SM.........

oops

lardyl

mmmmm......
debateable as those with an Epsom postcode almost certainly held a teensy weensy bit more power than anyone else last time around.

down with MMP sorry but the NZ agenda can be hi-jacked by small parties, as ACT was last time around and we end up with power-weiliding list MPs that are put there by parties and are not being voted for per se.

up with STV or SM perhaps with STV having some national constituencies for the second of the votes, problem with SM is that it also will bring list MPs with no control over who they are.

personally I think that there are two few local councillors, etc and too much emphasis on the MPs, plus there is no upper house to control their work. not sure what we can do about that.

luvwelly

OK except in Epsom. But most of the UK is a postcode lottery and it really isn't worth voting in many places. That is not true here.

Based on polls, it seems unusually it is safe to stay home this time if you are happy with a working majority for John Key which will allow him to implement all those things they had to promise they wouldn't do in the first term to get elected last time (privatisation etc).

Definitely don't want more local councillors, if someone who is fairly interested in politics like me gets bored and frustrated reading all the manifestos from candidates who apparently have no overt party allegiance - how can anyone else be expected to trawl through it? You don't really have a clue who or what you are voting for locally in Wellington even if you do read all the blurbs.

You don't need an Upper House for a population of 4 million.

chocolate cake

120 MPs for a popn the size of NZ, seems more than a tad too many.

Sure a vote counts in the current NZ system MMP, but there's 50 list MPs that effectively nobody votes for and are answerable only to the party.

Charismatic

Well in the UK they have 650 MPs, 750 Peers in Lords and 72 MEPs.

Inefficient so I will be your leader instead and rule on all issues .

lardyl

yeah the reason we have so many eggs (smelly ones) in the one basket is because there is limited local representation and no upper house.
personally I think that the whole list system combined with the excessive power in the hands of the MPs is an undesirable combination

dorrick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGillicuddy_Serious_Party

luvwelly

I don't think the NZ system is that bad in the way it operates based on what I have seen in 4 years here with no vote myself. Although I am not a National supporter they have changed some things which were minor expat bugbears such as making it illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, eventually changing the 'give way to the right rule' etc etc ., putting up the minim um driving age ....Labour probably wanted to do these as well but didn't dare to because of losing votes.
This often happens in politics it is easier for the Party you would least expect to do something to effect change, as people think if they want to do it, it must be necessary.