Kick The Tyres By Voting To Keep MMP

John Key said we needed 'to kick the tyres of MMP' when he announced the referendum we are having on Saturday. 'But the only chance we will have to kick the tyres of MMP, look under the bonnet and take her in for a tune is if we vote to keep MMP,' says long-time electoral researcher, Dr Philip Temple. 'If we do that then we will get expert mechanics on the job in a review by the Electoral Commission next year. That's the best chance for a new warrant of fitness and many more years of reliability.'

'If you've got a flat tyre, need the brakes relined or a new set of plugs, you don't dump a top marque car with all the bells and whistles, road-tested in Germany and Scotland, and buy a cheap Japanese import,' Dr Temple says. 'The anti-MMP lobbyists would have us do exactly that, importing the half democratic Japanese voting system to replace MMP. They use that system in Kazahkstan and Lithuania as well.'

'What we need is a full tune-up and warrant from the accredited MMP franchise holder, not a second-hand car from a dealer who, according to the Electoral Commission, can't even get the numbers right.'

Dr Philip Temple has been researching and writing about electoral reform issues, both here and overseas, for more than 20 years. He has been given a Wallace Award by the Electoral Commission for his 'significant contribution to public understanding of electoral matters'.

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