Delays On Anti Party Hopping Legislation Far Cry From Promises Labour Made In 1999 Election Campaign

The Rt Hon Winston Peters MP, Leader of New Zealand First, today said that Labour’s delay in agreeing to New Zealand First’s proposed change to the Electoral Integrity Amendment Bill did not reflect the urgency with which Labour treated this issue on the Campaign Trail in 1999 when it was winning them votes – largely at New Zealand First and the Alliance’s expense.

“Those in the Labour Party Caucus, now stalling, cheered Helen Clark all the way and repated the promises themselves. I know, I heard them do it – so did the media.

“The public believed Helen Clark’s assurances that Labour would be introducing anti-party hopping legislation as a top legislative priority, gave them a mandate to do just that and are now questioning Helen Clark and her Caucus as to why they are unnecessarily delaying progress on this Bill,” said Mr Peters.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>