Who will win the 2011 election?

[mashman]

I see the Pirate Party has won 8.9 percent of the vote & got all its candidates elected in the Berlin State elections.....
I'd link ya if I could
Surely Mashman has seen this & could link the New York Times article?
Shows you what even a few organised folk with enough conviction can achieve....

heh... nope, hadn't seen it. But here it is

[Maha]

Has the Election date been decided yet?

Edit: Saturday 26th Nov'...

[oldrider]

Has the Election date been decided yet?

It's not really an election, just a poll to give the politicians "permission" to form a government among themselves!

The leader of the dominant permission holders becomes the prime minister? What a joke!

And they have the affront to claim they are "elected" .... Tui anyone!

Democracy ... New Zealand style!

[mashman]

Has the Election date been decided yet?

Here's a calendar of events

It's not really an election, just a poll to give the politicians "permission" to form a government among themselves!

The leader of the dominant permission holders becomes the prime minister? What a joke!

And they have the affront to claim they are "elected" .... Tui anyone!

Democracy ... New Zealand style!

Praps they should follow the Lotto/World Cup draw models, followed by cage fighting for the top spot. T'would certainly make it more interesting. Maybe the Miss World model... at the thought of budgy smugglers and swimsuits... and we know that they'd mean it when they say that they'd wish for world peace, after all that's why they're there in the first place.

[Oscar]

It's not really an election, just a poll to give the politicians "permission" to form a government among themselves!

The leader of the dominant permission holders becomes the prime minister? What a joke!

And they have the affront to claim they are "elected" .... Tui anyone!

Democracy ... New Zealand style!

Get a better system?

[mashman]

Get a better system?

Now we're talkin... what did you have in mind?

[oldrider]

Get a better system?

Well, something where the politicians are accountable to the electorate, rather than to each other!

I thought STV was preferable to MMP, for that reason but I am not sure whether they have tinkered that to become too complicated now!

Anything but FPP and MMP has got to be worth a look as long as they "don't" go back to FPP.

[rainman]

Well, something where the politicians are accountable to the electorate, rather than to each other!

When has this ever really been the case?

[Oscar]

Well, something where the politicians are accountable to the electorate, rather than to each other!

I thought STV was preferable to MMP, for that reason but I am not sure whether they have tinkered that to become too complicated now!

Anything but FPP and MMP has got to be worth a look as long as they "don't" go back to FPP.

You're contradicting yourself now - you complained about the ability for politicians to form a Govt. amongst themselves and STV does just that.

If that's your complaint, then the only thing that's going to satisfy you is Direct Democracy, which is somewhat unwieldy - you'll be complaining about how long takes to get anything done.

I think you might just have to accept that a representative system is just that - you vote for someone to represent you and that in a democracy the fact that your side doesn't win, doesn't make it a bad system.

[oldrider]

When has this ever really been the case?

I really don't know but we can live in hope ... can't we?

You're contradicting yourself now - you complained about the ability for politicians to form a Govt. amongst themselves and STV does just that.

If that's your complaint, then the only thing that's going to satisfy you is Direct Democracy, which is somewhat unwieldy - you'll be complaining about how long takes to get anything done.

I think you might just have to accept that a representative system is just that - you vote for someone to represent you and that in a democracy the fact that your side doesn't win, doesn't make it a bad system.

I think STV is more likely to make the politician keep his eyes and ears more focussed on what their voters want, in order to get their support.

Why do you think otherwise?

Actually it is the party vote that is probably the most impersonal and collectively boring!

"My side"? ... heavens above, you know more than I do!

[rainman]

I really don't know but we can live in hope ... can't we?

Goodness me, idealism's the last thing I expected from a cynical old bugger like you.

[oldrider]

Goodness me, idealism's the last thing I expected from a cynical old bugger like you.

True but I am in a good mood tonight!

[Swoop]

With the election "graffiti collection boards" going up around town, it is nice to see that a bunch of idiots have objected to this advertising sign.

[mashman]

sooo today, what's on the political menu:

Some form of sense from Mana if the figures he quotes are correct

Labour believing that they can entice more people into Kiwisaver with better incentives because we can all afford to pay more.

Aaaaaaand JK saying he may not have the votes for his surveillance bill changes, but they've been working on it all weekend (what a fuckin waste of time and money) but he's confident he'll be able to change peoples minds (how, I can only guess)

[mashman]

National ignoring what those affected by their changes want, again

Aaaaaaaaaand yet more sense from Mana