by Cimino | 14 Aug 2017 | Climate mobilisation, MMP, Parliament
It’s 30 years since David Lange belatedly called taihoawait; do not hurry. Lange, in fact, said it was ‘time for a cup of tea’. His Labour Party caucus cohorts had unleashed the neoliberal onslaught that, amongst other tragedies, precipitated New Zealand’s ongoing...
by Cimino | 22 Apr 2017 | Māori representation, Online, STV
The first requirement of a voting system is to reflect voters’ preferences. First-past-the-postfirst-past-the-post is probably better described as single-round-winner-takes-all, given that the ‘post’ is the close of voting, and not a majority of votes cast does one...
by Cimino | 7 Jan 2017 | Democracy index, Direct democracy, Global democracy, MMP, STV
Make direct democracy smart democracy Professor David Altman wrote the book on it. Academics know it as direct democracy; Australians, bless ’em, mostly as plebiscites; New Zealanders as referendumsor New Zealanders, when confronted by a microphone: referenda....
by Cimino | 29 Dec 2016 | Campaign Finance Reform, Corruption, Term of office
The sixth point of the Chartist’s six-point plan is sublimely simple. To counter parliamentary corruption and bought elections, simply hold far more frequent elections, so that, with the many times more votersif, of course, rather than call for ‘A vote for every...
by Cimino | 24 Dec 2016 | Democracy index, Election turnout, Representation, Term of office, Youth voting
Four-year term terminal for turnout long-term The need for Aotearoa to have a codified constitution is self-evident. Despite that, the initiative of constitutional lawyer Dr Andrew Butler and former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, launched in August, has failed to...
by Cimino | 11 Dec 2016 | Agricultural emissions, Climate mobilisation, Coalition democratisation, MMP
Loyal opposition reaches oblivious conclusion It was a stroke of unintended brilliance, which has blighted democracy ever since. When John Cam Hobhouse coined the term loyal opposition, in jest, he could’ve had no inkling he would help dignify 190 years of two-party...
