Thursday, September 01, 2011



A double standard

Yesterday we learned that former Labour MP Chris Carter was off to Kabul with the UN. While he hasn't resigned from parliament yet, Phil Goff was certain that he would:

Carter must quit before he leaves, [Goff] said. "It's common sense. No-one accepts two salaries. If you've got a job and it's a paying job, you resign. I imagine that's what he'll do."
I agree with this. At the same time, I can't help but notice that according to the Register of Pecuniary Interests [PDF], 59 of our MPs work as company directors, and 10 run farms. There's clearly a double-standard at play here, where some jobs are accepted, while others are not.

The idea underlying Carter's expected resignation is that any outside employment is a conflict of interest. That idea is sound. No MP should be working outside of Parliament. If you're elected, you work for us. Not yourself, and not anybody else.