In praise of the mighty filibuster

So what the hell is wrong with filibustering?  What’s wrong with slowing down the machinery of political power?  There a few enough checks on executive power in NZ politics, the time-honoured filibuster being one of the few.

Frankly, the complaints I’ve seen from around the traps about Labour’s slowing down Rodney Hide’s One Auckland bill all seem to be complaints that this new government doesn’t hold absolute power.

But doesn’t it just look like they’re trying to achieve that with their Transitional Auckland Authority? 

So the “centre right” are getting what they’re after anyway. Ein volk, ein neck, ein week to give Auckland’s new rulers absolute power.  You’d wonder why a day or two’s delay in getting that should make them so upset.