Mike's Minute: The trouble with revisiting MMP

Is Luxon's MMP vote a stroke of genius to avoid an otherwise problematic week? 

His apology for Rotorua was a cluster, the Māorification issues that haven't been resolved despite all the talk, the Corrections massages, MBIE, Treasury love-ins, the Justice Department cock-up on the Harrison bloke, and the unemployment rate to the upside – it's all looked like very bad news. 

But then out of nowhere, "let's have a look at the entire way we elect Governments". 

It makes sense to the extent we are going to vote on four-year terms anyway. 

But here is your trouble with revisiting MMP; it's been too long between drinks. 

There is an entire generation of voters, and I include my kids, who have never known anything else. 

Constitutional change needs to be debated when an obvious issue has arisen i.e. Governments keep falling over and we lack stability, or we have recently had the debate and the ideas are still fresh in our minds. 

Neither scenario is in play here. 

Making it also problematic for the first-past-the-posters is Labour 2020-2023. They were an FPP Government and an example of why you would not in a million years let a single party near anything. 

Good parties take you good places. Ardern and Hipkins blew the place up. Is that a result of FPP or a singular example of incompetence? And do you want to run that risk? 

Obviously the counter is, on balance, our small players have not proved to be wonderful representatives of the broad idea that MMP brings wider representation. The representation they have brought is more calamity and chaos, than insight and brain power. 

The Māori Party have imploded, again, the Greens are insane and quite possibly dangerous, and not really "green", and New Zealand First are racists and stirrers. 

Having said that, if we insist on MMP overall, this current Government is the first full example of the art i.e. three parties in a full arrangement. It's been executed pretty well so Luxon comes off a strange run-up, given he's conducted it professionally and successfully. 

If you want to run a book it was 58% for MMP last time. I reckon it would be even more this time. 

And that’s from a person who, push comes to shove, would probably vote FPP.   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As Luckson's MMP voter stroke of genius to avoid an

(00:02):
otherwise problematic we can mean as apology for rote a
rule as a cluster, the moarification issues that haven't been
resolved despite all the talk, the corrections massages, the NB,
the Treasury lubbins, the justice cock up on the Harrison Bloke,
the unemployment rate to the upside. It all looked very
bad news this week, didn't it. But then out of nowhere,
let's have a look at the entire way we elect governments.

(00:22):
So it makes sense to the extent we're going to
vote for a four year term anyway. But here's your
trouble with revisiting MMP. It's been too long between drinks.
There's entire generation of voters, and I include our kids
who've never known anything else. Constitutional change needs to be
debated when an obvious issue has arisen, ie governments keep
falling over and we lack stability, or we've recently had

(00:45):
the debate and the ideas are still fresh in our minds.
Neither scenario is in play here, making it also problematic.
For the first part of the posters is the Labour
government of twenty twenty three twenty twenty three. They were
an FPP government if you think about it, and an
example of why us you will not in a million
years let a single party ever run anything ever Again,
good parties take your good places. Adern and Hipkins blew

(01:08):
the place up. Is that result a result of FPP
or a singular example of incompetence? And do you want
to run that risk? Obviously? The counter is on the
balance side of the equation. Our small players have not
provided to be well, not proved to be wonderful representatives
of the broad idea that MMP brings wider representation. The
representation they've brought is more calamity and chaos than insight

(01:31):
and brain par I mean, the Marray parties imploded again.
The Greens are insane, quite possibly dangerous and not really green.
Our New Zealand first are racists and stiris. Having said that,
if we insist on MMP overall this current government, the
first full example of the art ie three parties in
a full arrangement has been executed pretty well. Sir Luxton

(01:51):
comes off a strange run up, given he's conducted it
professionally and successfully. If you want to run a book,
let's run a book. It was fifty eight percent for
MMP last time, if you remember, I reckon it to
be even more this time. And that's from a person
who you know what. If push came to shove, I'd
probably just vote FPP. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,

(02:13):
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