“Where is the media and public scrutiny of potential List MPs?” asks Belinda Vernon, MP for Maungakiekie.

“Voters are constantly polled on their Party Vote preferences. But how many voters know who will be elected as a result of their Party Vote?

“The Party Vote is the most important vote. It determines the proportions of parties, and their MPs, in Parliament. But who is looking at the make up of the MPs who will come into Parliament as a result of the Party Vote?

“Some parties haven’t even selected their lists, while others have not disclosed the current occupations or biographical notes of their candidates on their websites. How is the thinking voter expected to make a choice? Blind faith in the political parties?”

“Neither the political parties nor the media are doing enough to publicise the credentials of the people who are likely to be MPs as a result of voters exercising their Party Vote in the coming election.

“Voters are effectively being asked to vote blind.

‘Vote for our party’ says the propaganda, ‘but rely on us to decide who your representatives will be’ is the unwritten message.

“Will voters get what they want?

“I challenge the media to publicise and scrutinise independently each party list so that the New Zealand public has a clearer idea of the possible composition of the next Parliament.

“The Party Vote is the most important vote. The media and political parties have a responsibility to ensure New Zealanders know who they will see in Parliament in return for their Party Vote. I hope the media will rise to the challenge,” concluded Ms Vernon.

Ends

© Scoop Media

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>>