NEW ZEALAND QUESTION TIME

[taco]

I've been listening to Question Time as podcasts fairly regularly for the last couple of months.

Question Time happens twice a week, and 12 questions are submitted ahead of time. Members of Parliament (typically the opposition) ask questions of the government, and is a way for the government to be held to account on their activity. It is ostensibly performed with dignity and ceremony but it's often a hot mess of shit-talking, interjections and the speaker of the house playing Schoolteacher to bratty politicians. This does however make listening to it a bit more interesting, and helps laypeople gauge how controversial a statement is. I really appreciate that our MP's aren't above calling bullshit.

Question Time is basically my only perspective on NZ politics, politicians. I understand that this is a caveat, but fuck all of you all. This thread is for Question Time time.

Show Contentsome opinions from question time:

1 David Carter is the shit
Speaker of the House David Carter does a pretty top-notch job. He seems to be basically fair and unbiased, and isn't afraid to call Bill English out if he's being garbage (as a National MP, also being SotH seems a conflict of interest, but that's how Question Time rolls). His patience and ability to maintain order is legit, and he's good natured.

2 Winston Peters
Pretty good at question time. Regularly flirts with the line Carter draws (with questions being out order), talks a lot of shit, pretty entertaining

3 Stephen Joyce: More than just dildo-fodder
Has good stats, seems to both be aware of the nuance of complex issues without hiding behind it. He occasionally represents other MP's to answer their questions, tastefully rude sometimes.

4 The Todd Barclay/Clutha-Southland scandal: Let's all ask the same question for 3 weeks in a row
It's a legit embarrassment for English and National but it's super frustrating to hear the same questions being asked over and over and Bill English answering each time ~I have no ministerial responsibility in regards to that question~ stop wasting your questions! They learned they weren't going to get anything out of him the third time they asked, but I swear they're going to keep asking every question time until the election. Talk shit about this issue in your social media; try ask useful questions instead.

5 Green Party are onto it
Julie-Anne Genter, Jan Logie in particular ask good questions and in general put Labour to shame. I'm basically in favour of them taking all of Labour's voter base and ascending as leader party of the left. Metiria Turei does okay too.

6 Bill English is pretty shit at question time
Every time he gets a questions he doesn't like, he tells the speaker that the question was garbage, then accuses the member that submitted the question of something barely (or not at all) related to the question. His obvious attempts to divert attention are actually pretty embarrassing. Other National MP's of similar stature are more eloquent and talk shit way better. English just shouts and everyone is sad about it.

7 What's a deputy for?
Not question time, I know that much. Jacinda Arden needs to step up her game, the Andrew Little-Grant Robertson tag team is a great time. If this was Bleach, Arden would be... Yachiru? With Grant Robertson being Ikkaku (both 3rd spot in the list...) this comparison relies on Andrew Little being Kenpatchi-like, which is a stretch.

[taco]

Question Time 05/07/17 Question One

to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in his Minister for social housing, given the Hutt housing development announced yesterday would include as few as 60 affordable homes of the 330 to be built?

Give it a listen and give me thoughts

Not sure the difference between the designations of "affordable" and "social" houses, (I really ought to if I want to make any serious comments buuut....) Bill English in his initial answer does a thing typical of National answers, and imply all issues are the result of bad Labour governance! They've been in power for three terms though! Shouldn't they be embarrassed to make that sort of claim so often?

In supplementary answers Bill conflates "affordable" with "whatever the current market price is", which seems... to defeat the concept of affordability? He also reminds Labour that they wrote a list of "Chinese sounding names" and their use of volunteer overseas (unpaid?) workers to campaign for them. Bill doesn't really need to be good at Question Time (and isn't) when Labour is covered in these sorts of scandals. The Chinese-sounding name thing was so outrageous to me at the time that I sort of wrote off the Labour party forever as NZ-First-tier xenophobes. That said, National seems almost entirely unconcerned about first-home buyers, not sure if that's an issue or not (I don't intend to buy a house any time soon, I'm not sure how hard it is...).

[NZs no.3]

Huh, I had no idea we had a podcast like this. I will give it a listen.

[taco]

to the Minister of Justice: Does he agree with the statements by Professor Janet McLean in respect of his Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill that “The foundational principle of New Zealand’s constitution is that the government of the day may continue in office for only as long as it continues to enjoy the support of the House of Representatives” and “This bill gives a Parliamentary leader of a party (including the Prime Minister) the power to sanction MPs who by their actions indicate they intend to cross the floor of the House including in a possible vote of no confidence. This would be a serious change to the New Zealand constitution and undermine one of its central democracy-protecting mechanisms”?

Thoughts on Andrew Little's waka-jumping bill?

It comes across as a cynical way to preserve party strength in the face of unpopular decisions. If this bill had always been in force, Winston Peters could not have been able to break away from National to form New Zealand First, and the Maori Party could not have been able to break away from Labour following the foreshore seabed act. With the intense 5% threshold for electorateless parties to emerge, I'm scared this will put NZ on the path towards drag race politics.

[taco]

Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard very much would like people not to relitigate points of order that he has already ruled on

 I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr SPEAKER: A point of order, David Seymour.

That's surprising. I would like to raise a matter and ask you to reflect on it and perhaps make a ruling, because I think it's quite important. It is in regards to the events of question No. 4 earlier today.

Well, the member will resume his seat. Members are aware that points of order are to be taken at the time. It's a longstanding Speaker's ruling. It is Speaker's ruling 23, I think, and the member should know that. If the member has an issue that he thinks needs to be drawn to my attention—if he wants me to go back and look at something or do something similar to that, he's welcome to take it up with me after question time, in my office.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

I just want to make sure that the member's not going to relitigate that, because if the member is going to relitigate it I will regard that very seriously.

Well, the point I wish to make is that sometimes there are ongoing issues that do require the House's attention, and I think we should be able to raise them in this open forum, not simply in your office.

Well, I'm very pleased that that's what the member thinks.

[NZs no.3]