Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (National—North Shore): Thank you Mr Speaker. I've been a member of Parliament since 2011 and in the seven years I've been in this House I have never seen a more appalling piece of legislation than what we have seen this week with the so-called Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill.SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume her seat while I stand. That matter is a matter which is an order of the day. The member cannot anticipate the debate by speaking about it now. Hon MAGGIE BARRY: Can I ask a point of clarification please? So am I not allowed to speak about the bill at all and what it's looking to do?Jami-Lee Ross: Speak about the general principles.Hon MAGGIE BARRY: The general principles I'm allowed to speak on?SPEAKER: Well not even referring to the bill.Hon MAGGIE BARRY: So the general principles that are at risk in this House I think are of democracy itself: the ability for people to stand in this House and to speak freely and fearlessly without having the repercussions that are inherent in a piece of legislation that is seeking to muzzle us is I think a complete travesty. We have a party in this House that is standing against the right thing happening in my opinion. As far as I am concerned when I look at what this House is contemplating over this past week and looking to put through under extended hours I am amazed. I think for my point of view this is a bill that has no place in this House. The principles which it stands for are not principles that I feel underpin what we need to do to safeguard democracy. Breaching the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act breaching the ability for members of Parliament to speak freely and fearlessly is an appalling breach of why we are all here. I was elected as the member of Parliament for North Shore to represent their interests and as a member of the National Party. In the last election I think there was about an 80 percent voter turnout and I got a reasonable majority but the point is that this is a very important part of my voters knowing what they are sending me here for and that is to stick up for them and to belong to a party that will hold this shambolic coalition Government to account.We see a leader of a party in this House who has been here for a number of years and has had a number of challenges to his leadership. I doubt whether they would stop but the point of having any kind of overall ruling that muzzles all members of Parliament from being able to exercise their consciences and being able to exercise what they feel is the right thing to do I think is a profound breach of democracy.I think that incompetency in leadership can be addressed in a number of ways. The leader can stand down. The leader can be told by the members of their caucus that they are not fit for purpose. I think that when I look at the enormous amount of change that has occurred in the Labour Party leadership over the years—a plethora of Davids for example many of whom have gone from our memories. Struggles and disunity—parties can emerge sometimes with a leader that is their salvation. In the case of other parties we are seeing leaders and co-leaders—for example of the Greens—who I believe show no leadership whatsoever.The integrity of purpose of a leader or a co-leader of any party is to represent the philosophies and fundamental values of that party and why it came into being. Any legislation that would ever stifle the ability of individuals to form their own parties to make their own views widely known and to cross the floor where appropriate in their conscience is I think something that most people in this House most members of Parliament elected to this House of Representatives would stand by—not the Greens. The Greens have I feel shown this week their complete absence of values and their shift from the fundamental concerns that the founders of the party stood for. We have heard many members—former members of the Greens—protesting vigorously at the complete reversal of those fundamental values and I think it's deplorable. I feel that the Greens are on a very slippery slope indeed but that's their problem. The difficulty is though if they hold the balance of power which does vote through legislation that is something not the majority of people in this House would want. I believe that this is a travesty.So when it comes to political leaders and political members of Parliament being able to decide what is in their consciences and what they want I feel that this is a pivotal week for New Zealand. I think that when you look at the way that elections turn out I think that when you look at what I would describe as a motley crew holding the balance of power we do have a problem with the way that the perception of voters is being reflected. But that's democracy—we live with it. But to sit in this House this week and listen to the level of debate that is applied and for parties and members of a party to say they would have to swallow a dead rat but they will still vote through something they believe is undemocratic is I think a very very sad day and a sad week for New Zealand Parliament. I would hope that the Greens and New Zealand First might see the error of their ways.