Letters: MMP may need a tweak but forget the referendum
A tweak, maybe, but no MMP referendum, please
MMP may need a tweak to reduce list numbers but no referendum, please.
In 1981, Social Credit won 20.7% of the vote but, under first past the post, won only two seats and sat with the Opposition.
Under MMP, it may have gained the “finance” role. As the party’s major plank was taxation reform, we may have adopted a “transaction tax” which could have effectively dealt with today’s dilemma of just how to get the likes of Google and Microsoft to pay a reasonable share of taxation on their enormous revenues and profit.
Murray Reid, Matamata.
Coalition chaos
Why is everyone so obsessed with coalitions? It brings out the worst aspects of MMP.
I have always regarded MMP as the opportunity for different parties to stand by their electoral promises and principles, and introduce legislation, gaining support to pass it into law from other party/parties from either side of Parliament as appropriate.
Currently, we are witnessing the trashing of democracy as legislation is passed under urgency or passed without select committee hearings, and good existing legislation is repealed without recourse, all without the scrutiny of an Upper House.
MMP works by allowing new groups into Parliament to bring fresh ideas to modern problems. Use MMP as it was intended – an MP who will work for your electorate, and a party that will work for your country.
Fiona Downes, Hobsonville.
Time for change
Our MMP in its current form needs changing to eliminate the 50 or so parliamentarians appointed undemocratically by back-room party members.
That doesn’t mean that we need to revert to first past the post. Many other proportional representation systems around the world retain electorate accountability.
Unfortunately, the New Zealand public as a whole has come to accept our current MMP rules.
But very few individual voters would agree with a system that has almost half our MPs being appointed without any direct voter mandate.
B. Anderson, St Heliers.
Define responsibility
National is demanding all parties sign on to its version of fiscal responsibility. What is not responsible is a lack of resources and funding such that ambulance services are overwhelmed, hospital emergency departments are unable to cope, the cost of living is skyrocketing, ordinary workers are not able to afford power to heat their homes, and child poverty is on the increase.
Fiscal responsibility to National is no increase in taxes, but a decrease in the things we need taxes to pay for. Irresponsibility in my book.
Neil Anderson, Algies Bay.
Non-aligned future?
The headline of the United States think-tank piece “Why distance no longer protects New Zealand” (August 10) advocates all-but-nuclear “collaboration” between our two countries.
The author calls New Zealand principled, perhaps an acknowledgement of our long-standing non-nuclear policy. Do we ”principled” people really wish to join more closely with a country whose lamentable track record of foreign policy failures in the past 60 years, and beyond-belief treatment of friends and allies in the immediate past, would undoubtedly pin large target signs on Wellington, Auckland , and possibly Māhia Peninsula, threatening our instant oblivion in a future conflict?
We are indeed not protected by distance, and have not been for the past 50 years. Given the continuing threat of nuclear and other forms of destruction (think digital disruption, biological weapons, etc), it seems to me that only a non-aligned posture can give us any chance of survival in the increasingly disrupted future that Messrs Trump, Putin, Netanyahu and their ilk have bequeathed our suffering world.
Peter Black, Newton.
Poorly named company
So Contact Energy records a $423 million profit. How about spending some of that on improving customer service? To try to contact them (pun intended!) – it’s nigh on impossible.
Today the wait time to speak to someone (necessary for a temporary disconnection) was up to two hours – the callback option was not working – so frustrating!
Contact is definitely a misnomer!
Robyn Ryff, Northcote Point.
Check out the human
I hear you, Anne Martin (August 8), you are not the only one to refuse to use the self-service checkouts on principle. No more jobs for the young.
On Sunday at the local supermarket, the line grew at the only human-operated checkout as people – like me and you – refused to use the self-checkout. And no action was taken by the supermarket!
Selam Raoof, Unsworth Heights.
Reset needed
I would like to thoroughly agree with Gary Carter (Aug 8). I deplore the disgraceful behaviour of many MPs but agree that the minor parties are the main culprits.
We are over it and I agree a reset is needed.
Jillian Holland, Manukau.
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