Ryan Bridge: Parliament's backlog is becoming a problem

This past week is proof a four-year Parliamentary term is probably a good idea.

Elections disrupt the housing market. People get scared off buying for fear of the unknown. Who knows what government will get in and what they'll do to price of a house.

Same goes for business decisions. Should I buy that extra tractor if a pro-regulation party gets round the cabinet table?

But the bigger problem, and we've seen it with this frankly farcical social media ban announcing this week, is legislation.

The Nats called Labour's bluff and announced it. Then Labour called the Nats bluff and said they'd support a first reading before the election.

Only for the Nats to turn around and say... oh no, we actually don't have time this term.

There's a 100-bill log jam of bills - potential new law waiting to get debated - sitting in Parliament.

It's like the Southern motorway on, well, pretty much any day of the week and any time.

She's backed up like a dump truck.

RMA reform is a priority. But outside that, she's a pretty ropey agenda.

Politics at election time actually gets in the way of what Parliament is supposed to do, which is pass laws.

City deals get ripped up on the fly. Mayors across the country get butt hurt.

Of course elections are not the enemy of democracy. They're the basis of it.

But too many, too often, is probably doing more harm than good.

Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.