Bill English MP
National Party Deputy Leader

11 September 2007

Campaign extension 'dangerous for democracy'

National Party Deputy Leader Bill English says Mark Burton has "utterly failed to offer up any coherent reason" why the election campaign period should be stretched to cover all of election year.

Asked in Parliament for an example of why Labour wanted to extend the campaign period to January 1, Mr Burton could offer up only one letter which sought advice about campaigning before the regulated three month period.

"Labour has been utterly unable to provide any examples of any inappropriate behaviour outside the existing three-month campaign period.

"So, under the Minister's new definition, it would appear that even a letter seeking advice about how to run a campaign would be caught by this anti-democratic drift net.

"Labour wants to shut down its critics by requiring them to register and severely limiting the amount they can spend on campaigning for the whole of election year. "This would be a longer election period than almost all other developed countries, and represents the deep-seated paranoia which is now engulfing the Clark administration."

Mr English says that in tandem to the Electoral Reform Bill, Labour is promoting changes to parliamentary rules which would legitimise things like the tax-funded pledge card, and would force National to dip in to the taxpayer purse to pay for things like billboards - which, in 2005, were paid for by supporters.

"This tilts the scales in favour of parties that are already represented in Parliament, particularly the party which occupies the Treasury benches. Democracy will be the loser if Labour gets its way."

ENDS

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