A group of fed-up Wellingtonians were out today, chalking anti-Labour messages around the city center. Sonny Thomas, (vice president of Young Labour) and four other young Labour supporters followed the chalkers round, using little pastry-brushes and buckets of water in an attempt to stifle the protester’s message.

Isn’t it sad to see these misguided youth fighting to suppress the same set of freedoms that they themselves are exercising by doing so.

Paul Le Comte of the http://concernedoflinwood.wordpress.com blog launches an attack on the Don’t Vote Labour website.  First of all, good on him for not just sitting back and saying nothing, but having a darn good go at me.  Sure, I believe he’s wrong, but all the same Paul, good on you mate.  Below is the first bit of his post.  I’ll drop a few comments in, in bold.

———————————–

As left as I am, I will never tell anyone how they can vote, this is not mine nore anyone’s right. I would encourage anyone and everyone to get out and vote, this is our democratic right, and despite what nostalgists like Garth George think, MMP is a good system, your vote does count.  Of course it is my right to tell people how to vote.  I’m not forcing anyone to not vote Labour, but on the other hand, what Candidate stands up and says “I’m not asking you to vote for me”?  Get it right Paul.

However (and here’s the irony and beauty of our democracy) there are some out there, despite their protestations to the contrary, have the freedom of speech and gall to tell you who to vote for, or worse who not to vote for. You will probably have heard the cries of martyrdom from the folks at www.dontvotelabour.org.nz. It seems their quest for martyrdom was only temporary and they are up and running their democratic (if not arrogant) right to tell you why you shouldn’t vote for Labour.  You just said I didn’t have the right to tell people who to (not)  vote for.  As for the martyrdom theory, well, it was a bit of a blast

[Remember folks, I am in no way shape or form connected with the Labour Party (or any party) and haven’t voted for them for years, so this ain’t no ‘protect Helen and Labour’ post].

Despite their funky graphics, (thanks!) their claims are largely false and can be argued against in any manner, so here goes.

Actually no they haven’t invaded your home, well no less than they have passed laws from you accessing Kiddie Porn (pedophiles would say that’s an invasion), or they passed a law stopping you from shooting up most nights at home (addicts would say that’s an invasion), or they have a body which censors the very TV, magazines, books and video games you consume every day at home (what is the line in the sand for censorship, someone’s love of violence is another persons repulsion).  Actually, yes, they have invaded our homes.  Not physically, yet, obviously.  But they’ve taken away the rights of parents to choose how they bring up their own children.  Loving parents will *never* abuse their children.  Bringing up pedophilia is a pretty emotional thing Paul.  Irrelevant and not called for.

Who cares if 83% think that a smacking ban is wrong.  (um, the 83% I believe…) 77% of Kiwis thought that being Homosexual should still be illegal, (wrong again, they weren’t calling for the act itself to be legislated against) despite the Govt passing the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. Over time society was proven wrong, and even The Herald (Labours highest profiled and most public critic) had an editorial to the effect of “it’s here now get over it”. Not sure how many flying squads are screaming around the streets of NZ tonight, ready to bash down your door “invasion” style to stop you smacking, none I would imagine.

The Don’t Vote Labour Facebook group now has over 400 members. You are encouraged to join. It’s Bebo counterpart has done a bit of growing lately, and is now at 65 members, with vibrant debate among the young people there.

A supporter’s photo gallery and a video page have been added to the www.dontvotelabour.org.nz website. People are encouraged to send in photos where the Don’t Vote Labour message is being promoted. The video page will be updated weekly.

Stan Blanch is having a break from updating his Don’t Vote Labour Cartoons Gallery, but will be back soon with new political cartoons.

www.dontvotelabour.net is still running, serving as a backup incase something happens to the original website. And of course, thanks to one of our Facebook members who reserved www.votelabour.org.nz and redirected it

This is just the beginning.

David Farrar looks at some implications of the Electoral Finance Act.

“There are a growing number of very very worried MPs, as the ramifications of the Electoral Finance Act become clearer - specifically the extension of the regulated period from 90 days to all of 2008…

…Causing even more fear, is the fact the Electoral Commission will not pre-approve material (which is not their role).  I am told by a (non National) MP that they will not rule in advance on whether a particular publication will be an election expense or not.  Instead they will keep a file of all complaints about publications, and after the election determine if they are expenses or not.

Now one sees why MPs are starting to panic. Almost every single MP spends more than $20,000 a year on taxpayer funded publications. In fact some MPs have *already* spent more than $20,000.  And if their publications are deemed election expenses, then they are facing either prosecution for over-spending, or much much worse - electoral petitions to over-turn their re-election.”

Read the full article here.  It is a must read.  This is what we’ve been saying from the beginning, the Electoral Finance Act is so convoluted, confusing and vague that people will rather sit back and say nothing rather than have their say and stand to be prosecuted on some small aspect of the new law.

right click to download (14.6mb)

Joe Simmons added this photo to the Don’t Vote Labour Facebook group. This act of civil disobedience (and others similar to it) is a strong indicator that there is a groundswell of New Zealanders becoming increasingly angry with the Labour Government. The passing of the Electoral Finance Act was the last straw for many people.

Liz Gordon at The Socialist Press writes on the start-up of the so-called “anything-but brigade”. I don’t know… she seems to be implying that I’m working together with People Power. That I’m just a front for some “Right-wing faction”. I like Whaleoil’s comment: “Like most sooky journo’s she is puss faced that we get more readership than them and that we can put together more commentary in a day than she can manage in a month of Sundays.” Click here for Scrubone’s response. Below are a couple of excerpts from her article…

…Campaigns like People Power and “Don’t Vote Labour” are not what they seem.

What they are is part of a strategy by various Right-wing factions to use laws that many people don’t like, in order to get votes for their side. That the people might like the next government less is never, of course, discussed…

“With slogans like “Labour is so 2005″ and “It’s not cool to vote Labour”, the spin doctors of the blogs are trying very hard to make it fashionable not to vote for Labour, or indeed the Greens or New Zealand First.

However, of the main people in the People Power and Don’t Vote Labour organisations, we know absolutely nothing.

Found this video on Youtube - was uploaded ten months ago, right around the time when the debate over the Anti-Smacking bill was at its height. Marches opposing the bill were held in Wellington and Christchurch. An average of fourteen polls strongly indicated that 83% of the free citizens of New Zealand did not want this invasive new piece of legislation. The Government went right ahead and passed the bill into law. When asked recently for a statement on the petition asking for a referendum to be held on the Anti-Smacking Law, Sue Bradford and Helen Clark have said that they don’t care what the outcome of the referendum is - a typical “we know better than you parents” attitude. And now what’s this we’re hearing? Police in schools. It’s a tragic downward spiral, disempowering parents leading to uncontrollable youth, leading to unstable adult life. This is the deconstruction of our society as we know it, hat tip to the Labour/Greens government.

I found this in today’s edition of the Christchurch Star…

Ahem, Mr. Northcote, where are you getting that from “If you had a website that looks like it is from a group, then that would not be covered under the law” - I never saw that when I read the relevant section of the Electoral Finance Act.

Oh, and whoops! I forgot to put my name and home address on that election advertisment…