NEW ZEALAND: ‘LABOUR F**KS THE CONSTITUTION’ – DAVID FARRAR

 LAST WEEK LABOUR AND GREENS INCLUDED ‘ENTRENCHMENT’ PROVISIONS FOR SOME PARTS OF THE WATER SERVICES UTILITIES BILL (IE. THE PROPOSED ‘THREE WATERS ACT’).

The Daily Telegraph,

28 November, 2022

This means a future government will need a 60% majority to repeal the Act, rather than the usual 51% simple majority.

The use of entrenchment is governed by the Electoral Act and Constitution Act, where the law for its application is outlined in six circumstances. Generally, these circumstances relate to the fundamentals of voting and enfranchisement, and the composition and purview of the Representation Commission – to protect the basic consitutional machinery necessary to ensure New Zealanders have the right to vote in fair elections.

Entrenchment should never be included in legislation concerning ‘mere questions of public policy’ like Three Waters, and certainly never where there is not bipartisan support – both National and Act oppose the Bill.

Labour and the Greens will bind future parliaments to Three Waters, a policy issue, even if those parliaments have been given a clear mandate to repeal it.

To make matters worse, the proposal is being pushed through ‘under urgency’, bypassing normal parliamentary safeguards and processes.

‘Labour have basically f***ed over the established constitutional order, under urgency without notice or consultation’, wrote political commentator David Farrar on Kiwiblog.

‘What Labour and Greens have done is vote for to entrench a clause relating to something which is merely a public policy issue, and have done so without bipartisan support. This is repugnant behaviour.’

Read Farrar’s full article HERE.