Evening all from MMP land. :) I’ve been an advocate for PR for local elections for decades and it’s an idea, rather like Land Value Taxation, whose time has surely come. I’m more ambivalent about PR … (View Post)

This old chestnut. AV isn’t proportional so we can ignore that. I suspect the overwhelming majority of voters vote on a party basis and to be clear that means they vote against one or more parties so… (View Post)

Indeed, and as the Conservatives are demonstrating here, parties which are rejected by the electorate rarely find renewed popularity either easily or quickly. Dissatisfaction or disillusionment with … (View Post)

Afternoon all from the stunning west coast of the South Island :) The New Zealand Government is anxiously watching the expansion of protectionism. The USA is the country’s third largest trading partn… (View Post)

Afternoon all from the west coast of New Zealand :) I’ve learnt today about cabbage trees and elephant fish. The bleakness of Greymouth beach speaks volumes of the early pioneers and their struggles … (View Post)