CoveragePost
February 19, 2020
A very concerning element of the current NZ First donations scandal is the role of lobbying and lobbyists close to the Government. The most recent story from RNZ’s Guyon Espiner and Kate Newton, revealed that lobbyist Doug Woolerton, who is also a trustee of the NZ First Foundation, had been advocating for law changes on ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: NZ’s latest political lobbying problems" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/02/19/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-nzs-latest-political-lobbying-problems/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: NZ’s latest political lobbying problems">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 15, 2020
Does money buy policy in New Zealand politics and government? Based on the ongoing political finance scandal involving New Zealand First, which comes hot on the heels of the Serious Fraud Office charging four people in relation to donations to the National Party, New Zealanders have every reason to doubt the integrity of the electoral ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Is Government policy for sale in New Zealand?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/02/15/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-is-government-policy-for-sale-in-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Is Government policy for sale in New Zealand?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
December 5, 2019
What is it about reforming laws around money and politics that makes politicians so inclined to stuff it up and act undemocratically? From Helen Clark’s notorious Electoral Finance Act (2007) – which the party eventually voted to repeal, given it was so anti-democratic and unworkable – through to yesterday’s announcement of a so-called ban on ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: What’s driving the urgent clamp down on foreign donations?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/12/05/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-whats-driving-the-urgent-clamp-down-on-foreign-donations/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: What’s driving the urgent clamp down on foreign donations?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
November 29, 2019
There has been little real debate on an important Government announcement made last weekend. Justice Minister Andrew Little said the Government had decided to give the right to vote back to prisoners with sentences of three years or less. Perhaps it’s appropriate that there was no great reaction. After all, the change affects so few ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Should we care about prisoners voting?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/11/29/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-should-we-care-about-prisoners-voting/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Should we care about prisoners voting?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
November 25, 2019
A consensus is building around the need for reform of New Zealand’s rules governing political party donations and spending. Many commentators are asking whether our electoral laws are fundamentally broken and, if so, how they should be changed. Currently the leading ideas appear to be to clamp down further on donations, better regulate loans to ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Fixing the problems of money in politics" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/11/25/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-fixing-the-problems-of-money-in-politics/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Fixing the problems of money in politics">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 28, 2019
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – It’s the prerogative of Cabinet ministers and politicians to be friends with wealthy individuals, and then to accept their generous donations of money, travel, and accommodation. But those relationships and gifts do come at a cost. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, as politicians of the political ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The costs of politicians being friends with generous foreigners" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/08/28/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-the-costs-of-politicians-being-friends-with-generous-foreigners/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The costs of politicians being friends with generous foreigners">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 23, 2019
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The nature of New Zealand general election campaigns could be significantly changed with the proposed establishment of an “umpire” to adjudicate over political party manifesto policies. A suggestion has been put forward by the Government for the establishment of a parliamentary watchdog to make rulings on the economics of ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Playing politics with proposals for an election policy watchdog" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/08/23/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-playing-politics-with-proposals-for-an-election-policy-watchdog/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Playing politics with proposals for an election policy watchdog">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 19, 2019
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The election race is on. The nominations process for local government positions has now closed, and the political campaign is officially underway. But does the public care? Will many of us even vote for any of the various mayoral or council candidates? Going on recent experience, we shouldn’t expect ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Will more than a third vote in the local government elections?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/08/19/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-will-more-than-a-third-vote-in-the-local-government-elections/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Will more than a third vote in the local government elections?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 14, 2019
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – This week the Minister of Justice, Andrew Little, declared that stripping all prisoners of their right to vote had occurred as part of a “fascist” political climate during the last National-led Government. Speaking on the AM Show about whether prisoners should be allowed to vote, Little explained that the ... <a title="Bryce Edwards Political Roundup: Will the Government reverse the “fascist” ban on prisoner voting?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/08/14/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-will-the-government-reverse-the-fascist-ban-on-prisoner-voting/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards Political Roundup: Will the Government reverse the “fascist” ban on prisoner voting?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 26, 2019
I was in Ontario for a week in May. The premier of Ontario is Doug Ford, leader of the ‘Progressive Conservative’ party; brother of the late (and somewhat notorious) Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford. Ford is indeed the leading right wing personality in Canadian politics. The chart shows what we in New Zealand would call the ... <a title="Keith Rankin’s Chart of the Month – First-Past-the-Post in Action: Ontario 2018" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/06/26/keith-rankins-chart-of-the-month-first-past-the-post-in-action-ontario-2018/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin’s Chart of the Month – First-Past-the-Post in Action: Ontario 2018">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 6, 2019
Political Roundup: How low should the MMP threshold go? The five percent MMP threshold is regarded by many as the biggest problem in our electoral system. Every couple of years there are calls to fix what many see as an undemocratic and excessive barrier to proper proportional representation. However, these debates normally end in a ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: How low should the MMP threshold go?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/03/06/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-how-low-should-the-mmp-threshold-go/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: How low should the MMP threshold go?">Read more</a>
