Stupid Greens. Stupid NZ First.

[Finn]

I laughed at the political stupidity of the Green and NZ First parties at blocking leave to introduce a bill to allow National to pay broadcasters for the GST portion of their election broadcasting.

By blocking the bill, they have effectively just made a donation of $112,500 to National. From a purely partisan point of view I'm laughing at how hard they are working to give National more money.

The bill should be introduced and passed so the broadcasters can be legally paid. But if they don't get paid, the broadcasters are now pissed at NZ First and the Greens, not National who has made its best endeavours to legally pay the money owing.

Oh yeah and still waiting for either NZ First or the Greens to say a single word about Labour's $445,000 deliberate over-spending. Fucking hypocrites.

[WRT]

I think that this idea of passing a bill to allow them to pay this account and this account only is wrong. What should happen is that any party caught over spending on any election should then be forced to pay that amount from the NEXT elections budget.

National, Labour, any of the buggers that spent more than they should have.

[SARGE]

freakin beatnik hippy tree hugging drones..

[Finn]

I think that this idea of passing a bill to allow them to pay this account and this account only is wrong. What should happen is that any party caught over spending on any election should then be forced to pay that amount from the NEXT elections budget.

National, Labour, any of the buggers that spent more than they should have.

Yes but my reasons are so the broadcasters can get paid.

[WRT]

I quite agree - they did the work in good faith and should get their money. I just dont see that National (even tho I voted them last election) should get away with the additional "propaganda" anymore than Labour did. They (and any other parties that overspent) should pay the money out of next elections budget - its the only fair way to do it.

[Phurrball]

Like WRT's idea.

I don't think that the Green's/NZF's oposition to the bill is intended the way you protray it Finn, although I see why you could see it that way. For once, I agree with Winston Peters (*Choking sounds*) - are we really going to pass a bill every time an exception needs to be made??

I think that believing National's assertion that the GST thing was a 'mistake' is stretching credulity a little far.

What remedies are in the contract between National and the media folks?? Look to the contract people - that's how people in the commercial world sort out disputes - not by getting a law passed...

[Squeak the Rat]

Next election will see TV advertising like all those scabby pus nut service stations that put up a pre-pay sign at 3 in the afternoon because their customers are all thieves.

It's all irrelevant anyway. Labour will get in again next election, with the greens and probably NZ Last, and we'll all be sitting here saying "How in the name of Gurtrude the Ginga did that happen?".

[MacD]

National still owes the broadcasters the money. It's up to the broadcasters to decide how they attempt to recover the money owed if National chooses not to pay them. Just like any other unpaid debt.

National has two choices; pay the bill and see what consequences they face under the electoral act, or not pay the bill and face civil consequences. Given that Labour wasn't charged over its Pledge Card spending, I'd suggest paying the bill.

There's no need for a special "get out of jail free" card.

[Lou Girardin]

Notice how Labour abstained, because they are as guilty of overspending as the Nats. So they get their lap dogs to can the bill.

[Milky]

You should find that the reason the greens blocked the motion was not because they didn't want the bill paid, but had issues with how it would be paid. They wanted the value to be docked from the party's next election budget, just as WRT suggested. NZ First wanted the party to pay the money and then get investigated for overspending by the police, and it seems the maori party were too disorganised to peruse the bill to make an informed judgement on it.