Blast from the Past V - The More Things Change...
More from M-W, although, re-reading it now, I could just about have written it yesterday.
So, how about those politicians then?
What's their hourly rate again? Multiply that by 110 and that's how much money they're wasting with their petty bickering and back-biting in the house. These people (to analogise) are the board of directors of our country. Can anyone imagine the BOD of Telecom or Brierleys carrying on like that in a board meeting? No wonder the country seems to be run less like a blue-chip company and more like a cowboy outfit operating out of the back room of a pub.
The main cause of this silliness, as far as I can tell, lies in the adversarial nature of the political system. MMP or no, its still a two party system and generally speaking, when the Government proposes something, the Opposition takes their name too literally and opposes it. Not necessarily because its a bad idea, but because they're the Opposition, its their reason to exist.
I suppose potentially over the next few elections we will see the two main parties fracture to the point where there will be no way to have one ruling bloc of pollies, and the various small parties can vote on issues on a case by case basis, regardless of their position. As far as I'm concerned they should abandon the concept of 'Government vs Opposition' and just have 110 MPs in there, each free to propose legislation and to vote on it in the way that best represents their constituency's wishes. That way ideology based legislation like the employment relations bill being 'debated' at the moment can only go through if the voters agree with it, not just because the party with the majority wants it to go through.
The internet offers the opportunity for MPs to get much more immediate feedback from their voters. If they each had a web site where their constituents could voice their opinions on the various matters currently before the house, they could form a much better idea of what the people they represent actually want. I'm not talking referenda, or making MPs run polls before they vote, after all we did vote them in to make decisions on ourbehalf. But wouldn't it be nice if everyone in NZ who really doesn't give a toss about Dover Samuels' sordid (or not) past could just whisper in their MP's ear "give it a rest, mate" and encourage them to get on with someuseful stuff like actually doing something about the 'Knowledge Economy' or the exchange rate, or petrol prices (don't get me started!).
Next column, I'll probably announce my platform for when I run for parliament, bet you can't wait.
So, how about those politicians then?
What's their hourly rate again? Multiply that by 110 and that's how much money they're wasting with their petty bickering and back-biting in the house. These people (to analogise) are the board of directors of our country. Can anyone imagine the BOD of Telecom or Brierleys carrying on like that in a board meeting? No wonder the country seems to be run less like a blue-chip company and more like a cowboy outfit operating out of the back room of a pub.
The main cause of this silliness, as far as I can tell, lies in the adversarial nature of the political system. MMP or no, its still a two party system and generally speaking, when the Government proposes something, the Opposition takes their name too literally and opposes it. Not necessarily because its a bad idea, but because they're the Opposition, its their reason to exist.
I suppose potentially over the next few elections we will see the two main parties fracture to the point where there will be no way to have one ruling bloc of pollies, and the various small parties can vote on issues on a case by case basis, regardless of their position. As far as I'm concerned they should abandon the concept of 'Government vs Opposition' and just have 110 MPs in there, each free to propose legislation and to vote on it in the way that best represents their constituency's wishes. That way ideology based legislation like the employment relations bill being 'debated' at the moment can only go through if the voters agree with it, not just because the party with the majority wants it to go through.
The internet offers the opportunity for MPs to get much more immediate feedback from their voters. If they each had a web site where their constituents could voice their opinions on the various matters currently before the house, they could form a much better idea of what the people they represent actually want. I'm not talking referenda, or making MPs run polls before they vote, after all we did vote them in to make decisions on ourbehalf. But wouldn't it be nice if everyone in NZ who really doesn't give a toss about Dover Samuels' sordid (or not) past could just whisper in their MP's ear "give it a rest, mate" and encourage them to get on with someuseful stuff like actually doing something about the 'Knowledge Economy' or the exchange rate, or petrol prices (don't get me started!).
Next column, I'll probably announce my platform for when I run for parliament, bet you can't wait.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home