Even a party with just two people can write a Private Members Bill that can be drawn from the ballot and have some chance of success. All it takes is one MP with one good idea and sufficient lobbying to get half the MPs in Parliament to vote for it -- and even an unsuccessful Private Members Bill has the ability to achieve results on your own favourite issue, as Rodney's Rates Capping Bill has done.
So I have a question for all you political junkies whose enthusiasm is for ideas rather than personalities: If you were an MP -- Galt help us all! -- then on what topic would your Private Members Bill be? What would you most want to achieve with a new law?Post your answers below, and I'll post mine on Monday. (And I'll give you a clue about mine: it would include the words 'Codification' and 'Abolition.')
UPDATE 1: As usual, Idiot/Savant provides the service for political junkies of keeping an eye on what Members Bills have recently popped out of the hopper.
UPDATE 2: Idiot/Savant also suggests: "people check out my 'In the ballot' series. There have been 58 bills put in the ballot this year (about 30 in at any one time), and I've covered 46 of them."
RELATED: Politics-NZ, Law, Politics
4 comments:
Decriminalisation of Abortion Bill. Not the church, not the state (definitely not the state, or the bully pulpit either), women should control their bodies.
Craig Y.
I'd also suggest people check out my In the ballot series. There have been 58 bills put in the ballot this year (about 30 in at any one time), and I've covered 46 of them.
This is reminding me that I should do another legislative thinktank post as well.
The difficult bit is getting people to front for you. In your case, the natural front is ACT - but it seems they have a pile of legislation already waiting to go (seriously, Rodney gets a bill drawn, and he's got another one for the ballot the next week. I don't like him or his bills, but he's making sure he advocates his agenda...)
OTOH, you can always regard it as developing bills to use inthe unlikely event the LibertariaNZ are ever elected to Parliament (damn the 5% threshhold).
How about my Constitution (Executive Powers) Bill?
I would go with Bill of Rights (Insertion of Meaningful Property Rights) Amendment Bill.
Then I would have Restriction on Public Databases Bill. If you really knew what the Government knows about you - you would be terrified.
Post a Comment