John MacDonald: The one problem I have with MMP

I’ve always been a fan of MMP. And I still am, but there’s one thing about it that I do struggle with – the list MPs.  

I know it took some of us a while to totally understand why we have list MPs. I understand – but I don’t necessarily like it.  

Which is why I thought retiring Labour MP David Parker raised some good points about MMP in his valedictory speech in Parliament.  

He reckons we should replace it with something else. His preference is the single transferable vote system, and he thinks we should have another referendum to see if people want to stick with the MMP voting system. I don’t think we need a referendum because I think most people are happy with it. I am, anyway.  

Where I am with David Parker is list MPs. He didn’t say straight out that he thinks they’re a waste of time. That’s probably because he’s a list MP himself – or he was, anyway.  

But he thinks that, even if you're a list MP, you should be connected to an electorate.  

I know you see some list MPs driving around the place with signage on their vehicle saying “so-and-so, so-and-so, your such-and-such MP in wherever you might be”. Example: Tracey McLellan bills herself as a Labour list MP based in Banks Peninsula.  

But that’s just optics. It’s just done to make us think that a list MP is just as approachable and interested in their local community as someone specifically elected to represent an area.  

And I think list MPs have got a big sell job on their hands to convince us of the value they bring.  

I know they say they work frantically. But how does that stack up when we’ve got the likes of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon dealing with everything that comes with being PM – plus he’s also the MP for Botany.  

So David Parker is right to be saying that list MPs need to do more than just meat in the room at Parliament when it comes to voting in a pack.  

I disagree with him though when he says MMP is to blame for polarising people.  

He says MMP has based politics in New Zealand on identity, but I thought that’s what MMP is all about.  

Because identity politics is when you get a political view based on things like ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, social background, political affiliation, caste, age, education, disability, intelligence and social class.  

My response is: what’s so bad about that?  

It’s not as if we didn’t have special interest political parties before MMP. We had Christian Heritage and the Christian Democrats. And the Values Party was pretty much an environmental political outfit. Even Social Credit had a particular identity –it wasn’t just another mainstream political party.  

Another thing I disagree with is David Parker's view that MMP is bad because it polarises people.  

He says under the first-past-the-post system, New Zealand was one of the best countries in the world and that, with MMP, the place was meant to get even better.  

But he says it hasn’t. He says politicians are more divided than ever and New Zealand society is more divided than ever.  

But I don’t think MMP is to blame. People are polarised all over the world – more so after Covid. And there are many different voting systems all over the world.  

Nevertheless, David Parker thinks MMP has run its course and he reckons it’s time to put it to the people and have another referendum to see if we’re still happy with MMP, or whether we’d like to change to something else.  

Even though I've got issues with list MPs, I'm good with the way things are.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks MB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
You know, I've always been a fan of m MP,
always been a fan of it, and I still am.
But there is one thing about it that I do
struggle with, and that's the list MPs. And I took
a few of us a while to totally understand why
we have list MPs, and I understand it, but I
don't like it, which is why I thought retiring labor MP.

(00:36):
David Parker raised some very good points about MMP in
his valedictory speech in Parliament last night. He reckons we
should replace it, replace it with something else. His preference
is what's called the single transferable vote system. Now I'm
not going to I'm not going to bog down in
that part of it, because Jeep is for a lot
of us. When you start talking about things like single

(00:57):
transferable vote system or the old eyes that glaze over
a bit, don't they. But what he thinks we should
do is he reckons we should have another referendum to
see if people want to stick with the MMP voting system.
Nay is the time for that. I don't think we
need a referend him because I actually think most people
are happy with it. Well I am anyway, where I

(01:20):
am with David Parker, though, was this thing about list MPs. Now,
he didn't say straight out that he thinks they're a
waste of time and space, probably because he is a
list MP himself, or he was anyway, but he thinks
that even if you're a list MP, you should be
connected to an electorate. Now, I know that you see
some list MPs driving around the place with signage on

(01:41):
the vehicles saying you know so and so, so and
so you're such and such MP and wherever you might be.
One about local labor MPs does that? This is Tracy McClellan.
She bills herself as a labor list MP based in
Banks Peninsula. As far as I'm concerned, that is just optics,
as they say, it's just something to make things look good.

(02:03):
It's just done to make us think that a list
MP is just as approachable and just as interested in
their local community as someone specifically elected to represent an
area as the local MP. And I think listingps have
got a big cell job on their hands to convince
us of the value that they actually bring and I
know that any List MP will say that on we

(02:25):
work frantically, But how does that stack up when we've
got the likes of the Prime Minister Christopher Luckxon's in
the top job and he has to deal with everything
that comes with that. But also he's the MP for Botany.
So yes, David Parker, I think you spot on. I
think you're right to be saying that List MPs need
to do more. They need to deliver more value to

(02:48):
the people that they supposedly represent, you know, more than
just be meeting the room at Parliament when it comes
to voting in a pack. I do disagree with David
Parker though on a couple of things. I don't think
we need to have a referendum on MMP. I also
disagree with him when he says that MMP is to
blame for polarizing people. He said this in a speech

(03:11):
last night that we are quote hostages to MMP. He
says MMP has made politics in New Zealand all about
identity politics. But I mean I thought, I mean that's
what mp MP is all about. What's the problem with it?
Because identity politics, that's the name for politics. When you
get a political view based on things such as ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, denomination, gender,

(03:39):
sexual orientation, social background, political affiliation, karste age, education, disability, intelligence,
social class. I mean, in my response is what's so
bad about that? And it's not as if we didn't
have special interest political parties before MMP. We had Christian Heritage,
we had the Christian Democrats and the Values Party that

(04:03):
was pretty much an environmental political out. Even Social Credit
all these names coming back to my memory now were
emerging from my memory. I mean, even Social Credit had
a particular identity. It wasn't just another mainstream political party.
Another thing I disagree with David Parker on I disagree

(04:24):
with with a bit is his view that MMP is
bad because it polarizes people. He said in a speech
last night that under the first past the Post system,
New Zealand was one of the best countries in the
world and that with MMP that was meant to get
even better, but he says it hasn't. He says politicians
are more divided than ever, and because of New Zealand,

(04:47):
society itself is more divided than ever. But I don't
think MMP's to blame. People are polarized all over the world,
especially after COVID, and there are many different voting systems
all over the world. Nevertheless, this is what David Parker thinks.
He thinks MMP has run its course and he reckons

(05:07):
it's time to put it to the people and have
another referendum to see if we're still happy with MMP
or whether we would like to change to something else. Now.
I don't think of referendums needed because even though I've
got issues with list MPs and how useful they really are,
despite that, I am more than happy with the MMP
voting system.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
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