United Future

The passage of the Electoral Finance Bill represents a failure of the political process. It is disappointing that one of the world's oldest parliamentary democracies is unable to develop such important legislation in a non-partisan way. The health of our democracy is in proportion to the credibility of the procedures and processes by which elections are conducted.

I commend the Fourth Estate and am greatly encouraged by them. They, led by the NZ Herald, have shown just how important it is for a democracy to have a watchdog. They have focussed on exposing the self-interest inherent in this legislation that, under certain circumstances, could quite conceivably skew the result of the 2008 General Election. I look forward to seeing how they conduct themselves in their opposition to this act over the next 11 months.

There is an ironic aspect to the Electoral Finance Act. The Labour Party appear to have inflicted it upon us because of the campaign conducted against them by the exclusive brethren in 2005. However, the brethren probably did more harm to the National Party and, in the end, contributed significantly to the demise of Dr Brash.

Crocodile tears Peter, at the committee stage your vote would have made a difference at the house voting stage it was irrelevant so you effectively did enable the evil bill to pass. Your duplicity deserves retribution I trust you will receive at the next election - law of unintended consequences!

nice going Mr. Rumpole. It seems that you can never please some people. How strange that an MP can vote precisely the way you would want them to and it is still not good enough. Give credit where its due ...UF has fronted up to the fact that it changed its mind on the topic. Perhaps you should change your mind on what constitutes a final vote in parliament.