Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand discussion

[Danyl Strype <strypey AT disintermedia.net.nz>]

Tēnā koutou

Apologies for sending out unsolicited "political" email but I believe
this is important information for everyone who shares life in these
islands, and especially champions of new ideas like free culture, CC,
OER, free code software etc.

The Electoral Commission has released its Proposals Paper, in response
to the comments it received as part of the MMP Review. They are now
inviting comments on those proposals. I don't mind what you tell the
Electoral Commission, that will depend entirely on your
personal and political views, but in the interests of a more
democratic Aotearoa, I urge you to tell them *something*.

I sent a response to the Commission today, which can be read here:
http://www.coactivate.org/projects/disintermedia/mmp-review

You are welcome to re-use any of my text if it helps. If you oppose
the setting of thresholds specifically to make it hard for new parties
to get representation in parliament, parties who may be responding to
new challenges, with new ideas, or creating a voice for
under-represented groups in society, I strongly encourage you to tell
the Commission this before the Friday deadline.
http://www.mmpreview.org.nz/node/add/feedback

Here's a potted summary of my presentation. I can comfortably support
all of the Commission's proposals except one; the proposal to retain a
party vote threshold set at 4%. I believe this creates an unfair
barrier to people who support emerging parties getting their view
represented in parliament, and it's clear that most people do not like
this. When you look at Figure 3 in the Proposals Paper, of the clear
majority who told the Commission they supported lowering the
threshold, a clear majority also supported a threshold under 4%, when
the various options below 4% are added together.

Taking into account the Commissioners' view that dropping the
threshold below 3% would substantially change the electoral system,
requiring a referendum, I have asked that the Commissioners make the
following ecommendations to parliament:
* That the party vote threshold be dropped to 3%
* That a referendum be held on whether there needs to be a party vote
threshold higher than that required to elect one list MP

Please make your voices heard.

Kia kaha,
Danyl Strype

--
Danyl Strype
Community Developer
Disintermedia.net.nz/strype

"Geeks are those who partake in our culture."
- .ISOcrates

"Uncomfortable alliances are not just necessary; they reflect and
speak to the tremendous possibility of our political moment."
- Harmony Goldberg and Joshua Kahn Russell
http://www.nationofchange.org/new-radical-alliances-new-era-1337004193

"Both Marxists and Chicago-school libertarian economists can agree
that free software is the best model."
- Keith C Curtis
http://keithcu.com/wordpress/?page_id=407


-- 
Danyl Strype
Community Developer
Disintermedia.net.nz/strype

"Geeks are those who partake in our culture."
- .ISOcrates

"Uncomfortable alliances are not just necessary; they reflect and
speak to the tremendous possibility of our political moment."
- Harmony Goldberg and Joshua Kahn Russell
http://www.nationofchange.org/new-radical-alliances-new-era-1337004193

"Both Marxists and Chicago-school libertarian economists can agree
that free software is the best model."
- Keith C Curtis
http://keithcu.com/wordpress/?page_id=407