Waitaki New Zealand First candidate and broadcaster Michael Laws has hit back at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s “rant” about MMP. Mr Luxon said in an interview with Newstalk ZB yesterday morning that he supported having another referendum on the MMP voting system if he was re-elected as he encouraged greater support for National so the party can avoid working with “some yahoo and numpty” in Cabinet. Asked if he’d prefer Police Minister Mark Mitchell around the Cabinet table over former National MP and current NZ First candidate Michael Laws, Mr Luxon replied: “You said it.” Mr Laws was quick to respond about what he called a “rant”. He pointed out he was on the Electoral Reform Coalition executive that successfully campaigned for the advent of MMP in the 1992 and 1993 referenda, when he was a National MP. “A decision endorsed by New Zealanders, again by a referendum, in 2011.” In 2011, 58% of voters supported MMP in the referendum on the electoral system. “The truth is that the National and Labour parties have always disliked MMP. “It broke up their cosy club. It also stopped them introducing radical economic policies with minority popular support.” Mr Laws said Mr Luxon’s desire was “to return to a first-past-the-post electoral system [FPP]”. “This at a time when public opinion polls show more New Zealanders than ever want alternative choices to the National/Labour straitjacket.” Mr Laws said whatever the flaws in MMP, it produced a “fairer outcome with political groupings that reflect the real New Zealand”. He described former Air New Zealand chief executive Mr Luxon’s previous job as “the corporate CEO of an effective monopoly carrier”. “Having to compromise is not his strong suit. Neither is the English language, it appears.” Mr Laws is also an Otago Regional Councillor. He is also a host for The Platform.
