RNZ
New Zealand First and the Green Party are back taking swings at each other - this time Winston Peters is saying James Shaw isn t a man of his word.
OPINION: The values of democracy and freedom are globally being eroded and tested after decades of improvement. We see the decline this year in America, where rioters occupied Congress; in the military coup in Myanmar; and in China’s crushing of democracy in Hong Kong. The slippage is occurring worldwide according to measures published for 2020 by Freedom House and the Global Democracy Index. New Zealand’s rating has dropped for the first time in 15 years. We have the opportunity to buck the trend this month and restore New Zealand’s reputation as one of the best democracies in the world.
Legal and political academics from across the political spectrum generally oppose such laws, as they are seen as stifling the freedom of speech of MPs. NZ First has been a consistent advocate for such laws ever since part of the party split off to keep the National-led Government afloat in the late 1990s, against the clear wish of party founder and leader Winston Peters. After the 2017 election, NZ First won a provision in the coalition agreement to revive the law, and got it through Parliament with the votes of Labour and the Greens – despite the Green Party’s long-standing position against such laws.