O'Connor GregGREG O'CONNOR (Labour—Ōhāriu): It is Madam Assistant Speaker. It does give me great pleasure—for those that are listening at home I think there's been so much emotion and different things spoken about this bill but I think really we need to go back to what we're talking about. The new section 55A of the Electoral Act provides that the seat of a member of Parliament either electorate or list will become vacant when the member ceases to be a parliamentary member of a political party for which he or she was elected. That's what we're discussing here. It's pretty basic democracy.I have to say I just heard the speech from the Hon James Shaw. I've sat through many deliberations on this bill. I don't think I've missed any of the Justice Committee deliberations or any of the readings of this bill. I've heard a lot about it but actually what the Hon James Shaw just said really should be the pivotal part of this whole debate. That was actually a man speaking who understands democracy. Democracy is—I think we often talk about it; it's something that's often thrown around as a when it suits people". But the one thing that Winston Churchill—and often it's quoted what he said about democracy: "Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." I think we just need to remember that and reflect on the Hon James Shaw's speech because what we're about is making sure democracy works. It is the most important thing we have.This bill is actually going to be something that is going to improve on democracy. We are a country that is on the world stage at the moment and I think we're all proud—even those with the blue ties and shirts over there. We're quietly proud of what our Prime Minister is actually achieving on that world stage. I'm someone who's actually had an international chairmanship myself as many New Zealanders have and the thing that we're actually able to do in the world—the reason we New Zealanders do bat above our weight—is that we are nimble as a country. We're a country that's able to move. We're a country that has common sense. We're not hidebound by traditions which so many other countries are and that's what the strength of our country is and that's what our current democratic system is. We've gone to MMP and this piece of legislation is something that will improve MMP. This is the first real MMP Government. We've mucked around with it in the past but it's evolving and the nimbleness of New Zealand and the nimbleness of our system are on display here. That's why this will be an improvement.In my last position I often came here and had occasion to speak to MPs and as I went through this system some names came to me: Kopu Kirton Awatere Huata Horan. And do you know what? Those people when they left their parties became useless to democracy. I saw them. I visited them here. They were easy to get to because they were sitting in broom cupboards out of the way here—sitting waiting and dreading the next election because they knew it was all over at the next election. They were actually useless to democracy and that is why all four of them when they did—for whatever reason and there's plenty of others who fell out for different reasons—fall out they needed to go because they were no use to man nor beast and they were certainly no use to democracy any of them.I am happy and for those who are listening at home I am more than happy; I am relaxed about this bill because I don't think despite the doom and gloom we're hearing from the opposite benches particularly from Dr Nick Smith—and Dr Smith I admire his passion. I don't admire the way he treated officials during this I might say and I demanded that he apologise at one stage and I will have that—I do not think you should treat officials who can't answer back the way he did.But anyway I'll move on from that. I'll just say that I am actually very happy to stand here. I'm more than happy; I'm relaxed to say that this is a piece of legislation that despite the rhetoric around it will improve our democratic system. It will once again show that New Zealand is a nimble country a country that moves forward and can take any idea and make it better. I commend this bill."