I won’t be quite as blunt as Whaleoil nor as comprehensive in my critique as Kiwiblog.
But the suggestion of more public funding for political parties is one I’ll oppose vehemently.
Public funding makes it sound like it’s someone else’s money.
But public money is our money, taken from us in taxes to be used for the public good.
That’s things like health and welfare services, education and roads. It’s not groups of people who voluntarily come together in the hope of changing the world, or a small part of it.
In New Zealand we have a very low hurdle for membership to allow a group to register as a political party – just 500 people.
No other group which is so unrepresentative could justify tax payer funding to make its voice heard and there’s no reason to make a special case for political parties.
Homepaddock 
No thanks. Let politicians and their parties earn their financial support.
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Each time I buy a whisky at the Eketahuna Club, I toss a buck or any small change into my re-election fund. Result: a handsome war-chest come election time. No need for taxpayer support (although some of my mates might have to help prop me up at the bar on occasions, and some malevolent political foes might construe this as public support).
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Alf – you’ll be aware you’re limited to spending $20,000 including GST on an electorate campaign but no doubt any excess goes to the party vote fund.
Unless propping you up persuades people to vote for you and the people doing the propping are paid to do so, there is no need to account for it in your election return.
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Don’t take this personally, homepaddock, but I’m going to put your election financing advice aside for now. I’ll revisit it in the morning and savour your wisdom in the clear light of day. Right now, I have been sitting in the House listening to some feather-brained Labour lassie blatting on about affordable housing and landlords and stuff, and my brain has gone so fuzzy that I’m making much more sense of Avertedd’s contribution to the dialogue than yours. That’s got to be a worry, don’t you think? Maybe I need a medicinal shot of something.
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Whoops – Alf, I sent Avertedd’s contribution to the spam file. Pity you don’t have that option available for those who don’t make sense in the House.
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