Today is a Members Day, though unfortunately it looks like it will be mostly taken up with private and local business. The big drawcard will be the third reading of Chester Borrows' authoritarian Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill, which allows local government to regulate what people wear in public and arrest them if they fail to comply. It's a gross violation of the freedom of expression, and the sort of thing our Bill of Rights Act is supposed to protect us against. But once again, our MPs look likely to ignore a clear s7 report [PDF] and pass it anyway. Are they trying to provide a case for entrenchment...?
The rest of th day's business is uncontroversial - two private bills which should fly through unless someone deliberately wants to talk them out. If we're lucky, they'll wrap up the committee stage of Darien Fenton's Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill. Which means we're still looking at at least a month before the next ballot...
