Most Māori MPs serve parties, not hapū. This article exposes the illusion of indigenous (and other) representation under New Zealand’s whipped parliamentary system.
Very well written, and authentic. But it does call for an extraordinary investigative investment by every voter.
Most of us just want to be left alone; for other people's agendas not to crash through ours.
We are living in a time where the number and reach of other people demanding attention, money, and other accommodations for their agendas, within and outside the status quo, seems to be multiplying beyond anything that is consistent with peace of mind.
Voting for a brand rather than an individual does reduce the cognitive burden as you note, with the choice being broadly between nominally less vs more state involvement in our affairs, and offers the safety of mediocrity of outcome whoever wins - whereas an independent with access to the levers of power, without the benefits and constraints of institutional memory and discipline, could prove either brilliant or catastrophic for whatever portfolio they touch.
How effective in dealing with a crisis in a timely way would an entire parliament full of militantly independent thinkers be?
What if those representives being handed political power continue to represent no more than the average IQ, but now get to operate without the current handbrake of party discipline and experiance to curb their wildest excesses?
How much more democratic would the outcome be, if to function, those independents had to operate in a constantly shifting maze of temporary single-issue alliances, without any coherent oversight to ensure joined-up thinking and planning across issues?
These are not a criticism of the idea, but genuine questions.
- genuine questions, indeed. Genuine - and valid. Someone wrote that 'anyone who seeks office ought be disbarred' for which the alternative is sortition, which worked in ancient Greece, and is still trialled here and there, with mixed acceptance. The alpha male leadership syndrome certainly leads to militancy, and sortition reduces to a random few, their count on the floor. When not striving for dominance, we humans quickly pool our ideas and arrive at consensus. Sortition with one from each region, and no 'sides' to the house - think on that!
Great writing again, Zoran! In late 2022, I talked to a lot of idiots on Facebook who wanted to gain an Independent seat for stupid reasons. One guy, based in Dunedin, said he had an 'army' of about 20,000 'bogans' who would vote him into parliament if he ran. Never heard from him again though...
Good luck with your independent campaign for the Selwyn electorate in 2026, and I hope you are able to convince the people of Selwyn to put you in parliament as a genuine Independent representative!
First it cannot happen under MMP as it requires only electorate seats.
Second it begs the question how would an executive government be formed - who would form it?
Third it ignores the sensible reality that, once elected, multiple common interests or worldviews among independents leads inevitably to alignment on policy platforms and ultimately party identities.
Somewhere there’s a median if not a happy one, where votes are free on non-partisan and minor issues but have to be whipped into line on critical votes. MPs can abstain or not vote on party lines but that requires voice & courage that is rare among most politicians, sadly.
Very well written, and authentic. But it does call for an extraordinary investigative investment by every voter.
Most of us just want to be left alone; for other people's agendas not to crash through ours.
We are living in a time where the number and reach of other people demanding attention, money, and other accommodations for their agendas, within and outside the status quo, seems to be multiplying beyond anything that is consistent with peace of mind.
Voting for a brand rather than an individual does reduce the cognitive burden as you note, with the choice being broadly between nominally less vs more state involvement in our affairs, and offers the safety of mediocrity of outcome whoever wins - whereas an independent with access to the levers of power, without the benefits and constraints of institutional memory and discipline, could prove either brilliant or catastrophic for whatever portfolio they touch.
How effective in dealing with a crisis in a timely way would an entire parliament full of militantly independent thinkers be?
What if those representives being handed political power continue to represent no more than the average IQ, but now get to operate without the current handbrake of party discipline and experiance to curb their wildest excesses?
How much more democratic would the outcome be, if to function, those independents had to operate in a constantly shifting maze of temporary single-issue alliances, without any coherent oversight to ensure joined-up thinking and planning across issues?
These are not a criticism of the idea, but genuine questions.
- genuine questions, indeed. Genuine - and valid. Someone wrote that 'anyone who seeks office ought be disbarred' for which the alternative is sortition, which worked in ancient Greece, and is still trialled here and there, with mixed acceptance. The alpha male leadership syndrome certainly leads to militancy, and sortition reduces to a random few, their count on the floor. When not striving for dominance, we humans quickly pool our ideas and arrive at consensus. Sortition with one from each region, and no 'sides' to the house - think on that!
Great writing again, Zoran! In late 2022, I talked to a lot of idiots on Facebook who wanted to gain an Independent seat for stupid reasons. One guy, based in Dunedin, said he had an 'army' of about 20,000 'bogans' who would vote him into parliament if he ran. Never heard from him again though...
Good luck with your independent campaign for the Selwyn electorate in 2026, and I hope you are able to convince the people of Selwyn to put you in parliament as a genuine Independent representative!
It’s an idealistic dream Zoran.
First it cannot happen under MMP as it requires only electorate seats.
Second it begs the question how would an executive government be formed - who would form it?
Third it ignores the sensible reality that, once elected, multiple common interests or worldviews among independents leads inevitably to alignment on policy platforms and ultimately party identities.
Somewhere there’s a median if not a happy one, where votes are free on non-partisan and minor issues but have to be whipped into line on critical votes. MPs can abstain or not vote on party lines but that requires voice & courage that is rare among most politicians, sadly.