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.
7 comments:
If they didn't waste time with personal attacks and stupid questions they would achieve more.
A referendum might show we don't trust them with 4 years. They made promises last time they haven't even started on. Which shows lack of intent rather than lack of time.
The whole system needs to be overhauled as it's not working and more time won't fix it.
MC
The system is broken Ryan. Democracy is a sham as you well know. Can you imagine a 4 year Labour govt, say? There are far better systems possible, giving us a Parliament fit for purpose. Why don’t you give it some thought?
I will never support a 4 year term for parliament. Full stop.
A huge NO to a four year term. Every election we hear politicians tells how inportant it is to vote yet they want us to vote less often.
You can't have it both ways without being a hypocrite.
If a first term govt performs they are likely to be gifted the privilege of a 2nd term. If not, 3 years is more than enough.
I think the parliamentary gridlock is more the lack of effort by national as they sit uncomfortably on the fence rather than Standing for something.
Liebour don't seem to have any problem getting legislation through in 3 years, heck Mahuta snapped her fingers and wham, it was so, but National struggle to even think about unpicking the damage done such that here we are nearly 3 years on and they have gained a Masters in procrastination on the key issues we put them in place to deal with. In fact they still struggle to spell co-governance or Maorification, let alone address it all. Give the left 4 years and we might as well all bend over and kiss our butts goodbye.
"RMA reform is a priority".
Oh sure, but the RMA reforms the government wants to ram through will see your children's environment trashed just so the business sector can make bigger profits.
Why else is Luxon amending the Conservation Act to give priority to economic growth?
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