Blue Jackie: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee 
Blue Jackie: Electoral Finance Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:644;Page:13665] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I am proud—absolutely proud—to oppose this Draconian Electoral Finance Bill. This is a dark day for democracy; it is a black day. I attended those marches the two in Auckland and the one in Wellington and I can assure the Committee that the people in the marches were very concerned about the implications of this bill. There were many banners. There was a big banner saying “Democracy under threat”. Other banners said things like “I live in New Zealand not Zimbabwe” “New Zealanders should not be gagged” and “Labour—thieves of democracy”. Banners were held by war veterans that said “Our soldiers did not die for this”. 
I read the  
Hansard 
 record where the Rt Hon Winston Peters had made belittling remarks about members who stood up and affirmed those banners that said “Our soldiers did not die for this”. He has no regard for our soldiers and what they fought for. I say he insults their memory quite frankly. I am wearing my father’s medals from World War II during which he fought in the Middle East. I am really proud to wear them today. He was the first person to sign up in the South Island town he grew up in. He did not hesitate to fight for his country and for human rights. He would be insulted by and appalled at this bill if he were alive today. 
The Prime Minister and the small parties who support this bill have badly underestimated the depth of feeling out there in New Zealand. I say to those parties they have got it wrong—they have read the people wrongly. They have been blind and they cannot see how the bill has impacted on people. This bill has gone beyond the Wellington beltway; it is an issue all over New Zealand. With regard to the first march in Auckland when there were 2000 people the Prime Minister said that they were just ACT and National supporters. Two weeks later there was a march of 5000 people. What did the Prime Minister say about that? She said it was a relatively small number of troops. That was a patronising arrogant comment from the Prime Minister. Those 5000 people were not dragged out of their homes to come to the march. They were not coerced in any way; they got there under their own steam. There were children mums and dads. There were ordinary New Zealanders from all walks of life. Those people had never marched before. At the end of the protest involving 5000 people the marchers were asked to put up their hands if they had never protested before. Members should have seen the hands go up; they shot up in the air. Those people were not protesters; they were ordinary New Zealanders. 
This Government has been arrogant and dismissive of ordinary New Zealanders and it will pay the price for that at the election in 2008 mark my words. I say shame on Helen Clark and this arrogant Government which is so desperate to get a fourth term that it has come to this. The Government has spurned the advice of such organisations as the Law Society and the Human Rights Commission. It is ignoring the sentiment feeling and passion of New Zealanders. It is arrogant and dismissive of the depth of feeling against this bill. I will give Government members one piece of advice: this issue is registering way beyond the beltway. Those members will get the message loud and clear come election day in 2008. 
This is an anti-democratic bill. In a democracy people should be free to voice their opinions. They should be free to criticise the Government they should be free to criticise the Opposition and they should be free to put their point of view—that is a sign of a healthy democracy. This legislation will not allow them to do that. The media which is the traditional watchdog of public opinion distilling information and reporting it has come out in an unprecedented move. Editorials up and down the country are slamming this bill for what it is. If that does not give members on the other side a clear message I do not know what will. The people the press—everyone is against this bill. And all that the Prime Minister can do is to criticise the media—as she did recently at a journalism conference. There was a particular editorial in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 that said that if this bill is passed it will become Labour’s epitaph. That is true; come 2008 that will be the epitaph on Labour’s coffin. The Government will be out on its ear. The people will vote—they will vote with their feet their minds and their hearts and the Labour Government will be out. 
It is crazy that nobody understands this bill. Even the Minister of Justice does not understand it. She says the law of common sense will prevail. 
Jacqui Dean 
: What? 
Dr JACKIE BLUE 
: The law of common sense. We are told we need to talk to lawyers but I tell members that the only winners will be the lawyers. The loser will be democracy in New Zealand which will die. National has had very grave concerns right from day one about the process.