Public submissions for changes to the MMP system are now open until the 31st May but the MacDoctor will not be bothering to make one. Besides my general laziness, there are two other reasons for this. The first is that the two most worthwhile changes – altering the number of seats in parliament and the [...]

The MacDoctor has made it clear on a number of occasions that he prefers the Supplementary Member system of voting. He likes the way it preserves the cut and thrust of the FPP-style electoral vote instead of the rather insipid take-it-or-leave-it attitude prevalent in MMP. While the electorate vote is still important for individuals and [...]

In part one of this series I discussed how the problem of the tyranny of the masses is mitigated by providing a parliamentary structure and allowing direct democracy only at certain intervals. In part two I discussed the downside to this, governments that do not listen to the people but indulge in their own ideologies. [...]

John Key has promised a referendum on MPP at the same time as the 2011 election. He is currently in favour of the system known as Supplementary Member. There is an interesting discussion on the issue running over at Jafapete’s.  For those who are interested, Supplementary Member has the same system of electorate and list [...]