Last election the Conservative Party polled fifth, behind NZ First but ahead of United Future, Act, Maori and Mana parties. Strangely, unlike United Future, Act, Maori and Mana the Conservative party failed to secure a seat in Parliament. This should not happen in a system which claims to be proportional. Lowering the threshold to 2% is one answer. In any case the total party vote for each party should be considered when allocating list seats.
IT is very regretable that the review of MMP has such narrow terms of reference. It would be useful to know how many support electronic voting or the abolition of the Maori electorates, but neither question is to be considered by the committee.
Make anyone elected on the Party List move to Wellington as that is where their job is situated.They have no electorate so don't need to live anywhere other than where Parliament is based.Everyone else in the general workforce is expected to relocate to where their work is.The should not receive living allowances / expenses etc paid by the tax payer. Pay their own living costs, rent etc.Only receive costs such as travel etc if they are actually working. Not to go home to where they would prefer to live.Can't be on both an Electorate and Party List.. Choose one!
Just that lists should be opened to their voters, if you give your party vote to a party, you should also be able to give binding preference to those list candidates that you prefer. I think this would quell many of diss-disillusionment with the current system :)
Get rid of it.
Seems many of the commentators above have forgotten that the most important vote is the party vote - most of us will vote principally for blue, red, green - whatever - and the electorate candidate is secondary. If they weren't why aren't there a bunch of independents in Parliament - cos there is no way that all the best people are in the National or Labour party who hold almost all the electorate seats. Doesn't matter if somebody is on both the list and stands in an electorate - half the time they have no show of winning the electorate because it's a safe seat for the other side - so it isn't a rejection of them as an individual. What I would like to see is 'open lists' where voters can rank the list of the party they vote for rather than have to accept the party's chosen order.
Just increase the definition of a majority rule coalition to 80%
Anyone enlisted as an MP should be capable of filling that role for the benefit of the nation.I suggest that members should debate this issue and set minimum standards. Impaired persons with special knowledge or skills can always be engaged by the parties as consultants. Speeches are made by members using inflections and stresses to get their point over. It is impossible to convey all this in writing. Also any long lapse before a reply would kill the debate.
To enter parliament your electorate must vote you in. Two seats per electorate with the second seat being consigned to the opposition. One party candidate per electorate. Or any system that removes radicles and bludgers as we have in todays system.
Throw out MMP and all the dreg Politicians with it. We can't get rid of the half dead, half witted lot we have that have been sticking around for years. Scrap special seats and bring back first past the post. It may not have been the best but it is better than the dead wood and blabbering, blundering lot we have now, that think our money grows on trees. Not to mention NZ is being run by racist minority parties, with the Leading Party pandering to them just to stay in power. I didn't vote for MMP in the first place and I am now absolutely convinced this decision was the right one.
Chuck it! To be ruled by the wishes of some minor party is not democratic but it is MMP!
