Remember the anti-smacking referendum? Remember the
governments response? Larry Baldock a former MP, organiser of
the anti-smacking referendum and now the leader of Kiwi Party
will be in town for a public meeting to promote the Campaign
for Democracy.
The aim is to launch another Citizens Initiated Referendum on
whether referendums should be binding on the Government.
The question to be asked on the petition form is: “Should
Parliament be required to pass legislation that implements
the majority result of a citizens initiated referendum where
that result supports a law change?”.
The exact wording of the question came as a result of many
submissions to the clerk of the house including from the
legislative advisory committee to try and avoid the
criticisms surrounding the anti-smacking referendum wording.
When asked what the public's response to this will be Mr
Baldock said “The first reaction of some to this news may be,
oh no. Not another one. I want to say that I completely
understand that reaction. I felt the same way when the idea
first popped into my head. However, because of the Prime
Minister’s refusal to change the new law I really think we
have no choice. We must continue the campaign to get the
anti-smacking law changed, but now also to change the way our
democracy functions so that this sort of travesty never
happens again.”
The public meeting will be held at the Leith Valley Bowling
Club on Monday the 8th February at 7:30pm. Additional
information is available on the website www.4democracy.co.nz.
Referendums should be binding
Referendums should indeed be binding. However, referendums with wording as unclear as Baldock's should not even pass the threshold of what is a fair and sensible question.
Baldock himself seems to believe that his referendum was asking for the law to be repealed, when if fact it didn't. What it did ask is already perfectly legal within the law. The government was right to change nothing as a result of Baldock's poorly-worded referendum.