This is edition 2024/127 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
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1. The Greens need to decide if they want a more conformist Parliament
Bryce Edwards
- 📊 Poll Results: 62% of New Zealanders want the Green Party to use the waka jumping law to remove MP Darleen Tana.
- 🤔 Opposition: 16% opposed, 23% unsure.
- 🚫 Controversial Politician: Tana is seen as self-serving and without a mandate.
- 🗳️ Democratic Concerns: Forcing Tana out might undermine representative democracy.
- 📜 Waka Jumping Law: Allows party leaders to remove MPs, seen as authoritarian and anti-democratic.
- ⚖️ Political Conformity: Law discourages dissent, making politics more conformist.
- 🤐 Suppressing Debate: Leaders can stifle debate, suppressing innovative ideas.
- 🏛️ Historical Context: Past MPs like Jim Anderton wouldn't have survived under such laws.
- ⛔ Greens' Stance: Historically opposed waka jumping laws as anti-democratic.
- 🏴☠️ Principle vs. Pragmatism: Current Green leadership, under Chloe Swarbrick, is now considering using the law.
- 🧩 Electoral Experts: Warn against the law, saying it gives too much power to party leaders.
- 🌐 International Comparison: Other proportional systems protect MPs' freedoms; only authoritarian regimes have similar laws.
- 📉 Public Opinion: Voters frustrated with low-quality MPs, supporting the law to remove Tana.
- 🔄 Swarbrick’s Push: Urges party to evolve, potentially sacrificing principles for power.
- 💬 Broader Debate: Decision impacts the future of dissent and diversity in NZ politics.
- 🚀 Call to Action: Some advocate rejecting the law to maintain democratic ethos and diversity in Parliament.
