New Zealand First Post Election Position Offers Only Chance of Stability and Moderation in NZ Politics

The Rt Hon Winston Peters MP, Leader of New Zealand First, today said that rather than creating instability New Zealand First’s decision to stay on the Cross Benches after the Election offered New Zealanders the only chance of government stability and keeping politics in the centre of the political spectrum.

“An ability for a party to govern in their own right without being burdened by the extremist policies of those minor parties currently propping them up must surely be an admirable objective for any party wishing to govern.

“National are portraying themselves as centre right and Labour are portraying themselves as centre left but how can that be if they are being pulled to the left or right by extremist parties for which extremes there is little support?

“Stable government does not involve extremes – to the left or right. And having a party like New Zealand First – firmly in the centre of the political spectrum keeping the Government honest – presents the greatest opportunity for moderation in New Zealand Politics, overwhelming public support, and, thus, stability of government,” said Mr Peters.

Mr Peters said that while there was an appalling amount of misinformation about MMP being promoted by those who should know better, he remained confident that the public would realise that those promoting scare tactics are the same people, in the words of political scientist Barry Gustafson, who have shown an inability to move beyond an elected dictatorship which was the First Past the Post System.

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>>