From Andrew Falloon, who is 37th on the ACT list:
If you could ensure the passage of one act on one issue in the next Parliament, what would it be?School Choice.
What three other electoral candidates or sitting MPs do you think are most similar to you in their political views?
Tetauru Emile- ACT Wigram
Michael Collins- ACT Mana
Rodney Hide- ACT EpsomMMP is about coalitions: What sitting MP who is NOT in your party do you think is most similar to you in their political views?
Don Brash.
He's a Liberal stuck in a conservative Party.Do you support or oppose:
...raising the drinking age?
Oppose.
...legalising marijuana (or pharmaceuticals based on it) for medical use?
Support. If Marijuana is able to help those in pain (particularly those who are terminal) who are we to say they cannot use it??
...decriminalising or legalising marijuana for recreational use?
Support. Police resources are overstretched, they simply don't have time to pick process someone for possession. Decriminalisation would allow Police to issue an on the spot fine (more of a deterrent than we currently have) in minutes and get back to arresting rapists and murderers.
...allowing same-sex couples to adopt children?
Support. If they are able to provide a suitable environment for a child is this not better than having children growing up in an abusive household??
...amending the Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry?
Depends. I support two forms of marriage. One before the state, and one before the Church. A couple may choose which of these they opt for and a Church may choose who they conduct services for.
...allowing voluntary euthanasia or physician assisted suicide?
Support. As long as a living will is left or the person is of sound mind at the time of the decision I have no problem with voluntary euthanasia.
...state funding of integrated schools?
I support a so called "voucher system" in which the funding follows the child, whether they attend a public, private or integrated school. This would allow more choice for parents and for schools.
...the retention of sedition as a crime in the Crimes Act?
Oppose
...the retention of blasphemous libel as a crime in the Crimes Act?
Oppose
...further restrictions on hate speech?
Oppose. Free speech is a natural human right. People must be allowed to speak their mind no matter how wrong/right they are. As Voltaire said "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it.
...the use of indefinite detention without trial for those subject to a security risk certificate?
Oppose. Those under suspicion should have the right of any other accused criminal.
...restoring the death penalty for serious crime?
Oppose. The Judicial system can never be 100% accurate.
...Georgina Beyer's Human Rights (Gender Identity) Amendment Bill?
Oppose
...Gordon Copeland's New Zealand Bill of Rights (Private Property Rights) Amendment Bill?
Support
...entrenching the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act as supreme law?
Oppose. New Zealand need's a written Constitution. Parts of the Bill of Rights Act should not be included in this.
...New Zealand's participation in the International Criminal Court?
Support. My opinion on this is not strong. I do believe though that it does provide a system of checks and balances over our Judicial system without losing our Sovereignty.
...lowering MMP's threshold from the present 5%?
Depends. Lowering the threshold too much would cause large overhangs in Parliament. If it didn't go below 3 or 4% it would be ok.
Finally,
With the benefit of hindsight, how should the government have handled the Ahmed Zaoui case?
Definitely.
As usual, Andrew's opinions are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of ACT.
ACT has around 60 candidates
ReplyDeleteI guess a low list position is a kind of sinecure that recognises someone's contribution to a party, without expecting them to actually become an MP.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Andrew seems to be slightly off-track on MMP. Decreasing thresholds wouldn't cause overhangs - overhangs happen when a party gets more electorate seats than their party vote would merit.
(does a party who gets say 2% of votes and an electorate MP create an overhang? I think not but am prepared to be corrected. A party getting 0.5% of votes and an electorate MP *would* overhang).
a party that wins 3 percent of the party vote currently does not win any seats, if the threshold was lowered they would win three percent of all seats, as would a party who wins an electorate but no party votes. a decreasing of the threshold would mean that parties such as CHP and ALCP would most likely win seats, causing problems with threshold imbalances with parties like the Maori Party. The 5% threshold is somewhat of a countering influence to potential overhangs.
ReplyDeleteAnon(above) is basically right. A (highly unlikely) example of this would be if one party gained all 69 (?) electorates and 42.5% of the party vote. no other party crossed the 5% threshold. That party would hold all 120 seats with no overhang. If a threshold did not exist, there would be a massive overhang and parliament would consist of 189 seats.
ReplyDeleteThus, the 5% threshold ensures a balancing out in regard to overhangs.
p.s- check my math, i could quite possibly be wrong
the 5% threshold does not cause influence overhang much if at all. Overhang only occours when a party wins more electorate seats than it earns from the party vote this is not an issue with parties facing the 5% threshold.
ReplyDelete