One of the issues that dented the Government’s image most this year was its decision to upgrade the ministerial fleet of BMW limos. Although a fairly trivial and almost apolitical issue, the Labour opposition was able to impugn the Government’s reputation for austerity and fairness by throwing mud about the alleged bad decision to purchase the new limos. Today the issue is revived with the news that the ‘old’ BMWs are about to be auctioned off – see: Crown limos to be auctioned off. Other issues of political finance and scandal are also raised by the Electoral Commission’s Referral of alleged breaches of the Electoral Act 1993 in which Charles Chauvel, the Act Party, and Labour are being investigated by the police.
As I mentioned yesterday, allegations about political finance, corruption and scandal are now the key electoral weapon of modern New Zealand politics. The political rhetoric about corruption, political funding, misuse of taxpayer funds, and personal political behavior are now one of the most salient forms of electioneering in what is now a permanent campaign. As with rhetoric around more perennial issues such as law and order, parties and politicians now trade heavily on claims, accusations and complaints relating to these issues. Yet New Zealand politics has not traditionally been characterised by political finance, corruption and scandals. So why has this type of negative campaigning suddenly become so central to New Zealand politics? Quite simply, problematic issues of political finance and political corruption have actually existed for a long time in New Zealand politics but have only recently become visible due to a variety of factors relating to the shift to a proportion representation electoral system, the breakdown of the party system and ‘cartel’, and ideological convergence in the party system. Most significantly, the increasing visibility of apparent political finance and political corruption is due to the sudden propensity of political parties to use such allegations as a rhetorical weapon against opponents, creating an escalating battle over political integrity in which words such as ‘corrupt’ and ‘corruption’ are increasingly used. I’ll be explaining all of this in a paper I’m giving at the Political Rhetoric conference being held at Parliament over the next couple of days (and blogging it in the near future). And, note, because I'll be at the conference all day tomorrow there will be no NZ Politics Daily sent out on Thursday.
Other items of special note today include the following: Brian Rudman’s Fishing scandals Maori owners must fix, NZ Herald’s Mammoth task to counter Cup power, Andrea Vance’s The overuse of urgency, Whaleoil’s The Maori Party’s Election Chances, and Matthew Hooton’s Poor Phil Twyford in trouble.
Below are the internet links to all the NZ politics material from the last 24 hours that are either informative, insightful, interesting or influential. This list and the links are taken from a fuller document, NZ Politics Daily, which is emailed out, Monday to Friday, to various researchers, academics, journalists, MPs and so forth. The document is purely for research purposes only, and if you would like to be on the subscription list, please email: bryce.edwards@otago.ac.nz
Youth unemployment/welfare reforms
Rebecca Wright (TV3): Bennett flustered by unemployment figures
Ally Mullord (TV3): Training solution to youth unemployment – Goff
Kate Chapman (Dom Post): Concern at funding cuts for youth job training
Derek Cheng (NZH): Key disputes youth jobless rate
RNZ: Employment growth seen as slowing
The Standard: Nats refuse to face their record on youth
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): No boot camps under Labour-led Government
Editorial (Southland Times): Define that nanny
Editorial (ODT): Politics, pragmatism and welfare
Simon Collins (NZH): Teenage parents say PM's plan treats them like kids
Colin Williscroft (NBR): NZ heading towards two-tier society - Peters
Election
NZH: Mammoth task to counter Cup power
Whaleoil: The Maori Party’s Election Chances
Matthew Hooton (electionresults.co.nz): Poor Phil Twyford in trouble
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): A little testy
Chris Ford (Voxy): Why National Is Going To Win - But Will It Win Big?
Crown limo sale and political finance
Adam Bennett (NZH): Roll like PM in ex-Govt BMW
John Hartevelt (Dom Post): Governor's Jag or PM's BMW: yours at a price
TVNZ: Crown limos to be auctioned off
Electoral Commission: Referral of alleged breaches of the Electoral Act 1993
No Right Turn: A failure of political competence
Urgency
Andrea Vance (Stuff): The overuse of urgency
Frogblog: National’s secret bill
No Right Turn: Urgency
No Right Turn: More on secret legislation
Parliament Today: Urgency Motion
RNZ: Parliament has gone into urgency to progress a number of government bills.
Education sector
Elizabeth Binning (NZH): Quarter of schools fail to comply on standards
Editorial (NZH): Quality before quantity at universities
John Hartevelt (Stuff): Expat student loan repayments soar
Cost of living issues
Andrea Vance (Stuff): MPs to hold milk price inquiry
RNZ: Terms of reference announced for milk inquiry
John Pagani (Stuff): What people want is the GST off our food
John Pagani: The arguments for taking gst off fruit and veg
Legal aid reform
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Contentious legal aid law passes reading
RNZ: Minister rejects criticism of legal aid changes
Other
Brian Rudman (NZH): Fishing scandals Maori owners must fix
Juanita Copeland (TV3): Snow could leave workers unpaid
Michael Dickison (NZH): Milne: Cash jobs not fair go
No Right Turn: Time for a campaign against tax cheats
Fran O’Sullivan (NZH): Fay playing 'local' card with Crafar bid
John Penno (Press): Why Chinese backing is good for NZ
Dave Crampton (NZH): Students losing control over university services they fund
RNZ: Morgan admits discontent over his leadership
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Political Report: August 17
NZPA: Sir Paul's funeral to be screened live
Stuff: Outgoing Governor-General farewelled
Stuff: Former PM Helen Clark's mother dies
TV3: Greens warn Shell drilling is too risky
RNZ: Shell buys share in off-shore oil exploration