There's an interesting editorial in this morning's NZ Herald. Under the headline National should rise to challenge on coat-tailing the editorial begins thus:
Labour has made a worthy, and now selfless, proposal to abolish the provision in the Electoral Act that can give parties two or more MPs for the price of one electorate. It is a worthy intention because the "coat-tailing" rule can give those MPs influence out of all proportion to their tiny fraction of public support. And it is selfless because if Labour is in a position to carry out its policy after the coming election, it could owe its power to the electoral provision it wants to abolish.
The merger of Kim Dotcom's money with Hone Harawira's lone seat gives Labour a possible ally with two or three seats, which could change the Government. If that happens, it is hard to see Internet-Mana supporting legislation to abolish the very mechanism that has given it pivotal power.
By that time, Internet and Mana have said, they will be separate entities. They plan to dissolve their marriage of convenience six weeks after the election.
That would make their arrangement the most cynical use of the coat-tailing rule to date. Having entered Parliament on the basis of Hone Harawira's electorate, Laila Harre would become an independent. In that event she would have less moral right to be in Parliament than MPs who fall out with their party after entering on its list. They at least enter in good faith.
We disagree with the leader writer that Labour's position is "selfless". If anything, it smacks of self-interest. Labour will have polled internally over the weekend, and just as last night's Roy Morgan poll was an indictment on MegaMana, Labour's War Room boffins will have read the tea leaves, hence the policy being released on the hoof.
The irony here of course is that for Labour to be able to make good its promise, it will almost certainly need anyone elected under the MegaMana banner in order to be able to form a coalition and pass its promised anti-coat-tailing legislation. The voting public will see that, even if the Herald's editorial writer cannot.
There is a second irony to this. The 50th Parliament does not have any coat-tailers, when you consider:
- The Maori Party won three electorates, but not a big enough share of the party vote to bring in additional MP's
- Act (John Banks) won Epsom, but not a big enough share of the party vote to bring in additional MP's
- United Future (Peter Dunne) won Ohariu, but not a big enough share of the party vote to bring in additional MP's
- Mana (Hone Harawira) won Te Tai Tokerau, but not a big enough share of the party vote to bring in additional MP's
On that basis, David Cunliffe is using a sledgehammer to smash a problem that doesn't currently exist. And even worse, he is likely to form some kind of post-election deal with MP's who enter Parliament by a means he so opposes that he will introduce legislation to outlaw within 100 days of being elected.
That is anything but selfless in our ever-humble opinion.
