Simon Power caves into Labour demands for spending limits on electoral advertising. Why oh why do we elect such unprincipled people to office. The whole idea of limiting election spending is a gross restriction on freedom of political expression anyway. Who the hell are Simon Power or Phil Goff to tell anyone what they might be permitted to spend on publicizing an issue or a POV they feel strongly about?
Whereas one accepts that such draconian legislation is the province of the left, we expect better from those members of a party that claims to stand for small government and personal freedom. Yet Simon Power and others in National seem addicted to heavy handed legislation that pays scant regard to these concerns.
Claire Trevett reports in the NZ Herald-
That compromise saw National cave in to Labour’s requests for a $300,000 spending cap on lobby groups for three months before an election, in return for a $5000 increase to the current $10,000 threshold at which donations must be disclosed.
What this means that if you feel strongly about an election issue and want to publicise and draw support for that issue, $300,000 is all you can spend. How does this fit in with National’s professed aspirations in respect of personal freedoms? They are just cowardly liars who do not care about such things and have not cared about them for some time.
There should in fact be no restrictions on election spending at all ever. That is true freedom of political expression. That National jump into bed with the left on this and are now promoting a slightly softer version of the legislation that brought many in this country into the streets shows how far they have drifted from their roots under leaders like John Key, Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley. This is just one more betrayal by National of its supporters, following on from similar betrayals on the Maori Party and Climate Change issues.
One thing that has to change before we can start dragging this country out of the gutter is that charlatans in National like Simon Power and Nick Smith and their ineffectual leader need to be replaced. Cancel your support for these Benedict Arnolds until they start showing support themselves for the principles of the party they belong to. Don’t vote for them. If bottoming out is the only solution, better to have a fast train to that destination than a slow one.
TrueblueNZ 
15 responses to “Simon Power- Another Prime Turncoat Among a Collection of Turncoats”
Red the problem I have with National is that their Vision & Values page is almost entirely false advertising. Looking back at their list of leaders on wikipedia, I reckon the only Conservatives who have ever held the position are Holyoake and Brash. The rest have at best been a rest-stop on the Liarbore-led highway to socialist utopia, or at worst (a la Key) have taken over for a spell as relief-driver of the bus driving NZ to that utopia.
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Yes, its so bad today you never even hear them try to sincerely articulate those values. Except in their meaningless waffling in speeches to parliament where they totally lack credibility. They do not even understand what those values mean.
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There should in fact be no restrictions on election spending at all ever.
….and there should be no public money given to polticians to fund their campaign for election.
Any group who wants to have representation should be funding the election of those they choose to represent them, and any person who wants to become a politician should be seeking support, financial and electoral, from those who wish to have him represent them in parliament. I guarantee that no group would want to keep on funding the election campaign for someone who has failed to represent their interests fairly and vigorously.
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National’s Vision For New Zealand
The National Party seeks a safe, prosperous and successful New Zealand that creates opportunities for all New Zealanders to reach their personal goals and dreams.
We believe this will be achieved by building a society based on the following values:
• Loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our Sovereign as Head of State
• National and personal security
• Equal citizenship and equal opportunity
• Individual freedom and choice
• Personal responsibility
• Competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement
• Limited government
• Strong families and caring communities
• Sustainable development of our environment
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“….and there should be no public money given to polticians to fund their campaign for election. ”
Damn right..!!!
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Actually, that last value, obviously tacked on there by Neo-communist Nick Smith, contradicts a number of the other values.
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The thing that grates me is that election funding has NO bearing on result, as shown quite clearly by the UoChicago study of over 10,000 US elections that found no correlation between result and spending – just ask candidate Whitman in Kalifornia…
Surprise, surprise people vote for those who share (or pretend to share) their dreams and ideals…
So it’s a freedom restricting policy based on imaginary socialist bogeymen (or is that bogeyperson comrades?)…
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Out of all the spineless totalitarian jellyfish in the National Party Power takes the cake IMO. I mean the government will use its 51% majority to overturn provocation, a large part of our criminal justice system, because someone TRIED to use it and FAILED MISERABLY.
Are you fucking kidding me? Of everything National has done, as a lawyer this fucks me off the most. Truly sickening populism. Winston Peter would be proud.
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“If bottoming out is the only solution, better to have a fast train to that destination than a slow one.”
Yes indeed. To quote Bill, “if it were to be done, best it be done quickly”
Great artwork, by the way!
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Simon Power: For he to have principles he’d also need brains to know when to defend them. Enough said.
The best line regarding principles was from Grouch Marx: “Those are my principles, if you don’t like them I can make some more!” This may not be verbatim but it aptly applies to Power and many others in his trough.
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Are the Exclusive Brethren after the Liarbore scum this time? So who’s put the wind up the National Socialists, something is rotten in the state of NZ, again, it will all come out in the wash.
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Clark’s baleful headless-chicken legacy lives on…and on…and on
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Another National disappointment.
Was that great pic your handiwork, Red?
Don’t you think Clark would look better with a hairy chest?
She’s more of a man than her lapdog!
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Figjam Power is one more of the many, many cowards that inhabit the National Party.
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Where is the media on this, they did a great job when Labour tried this shit, but have been silent when it comes to the Nats. Go figure.
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