Why form another party in New Zealand?

Aren't there enough small parties in parliament?

The main motivating forces behind the E-Party are to create a political party that:

• Is situated at the centre of the political spectrum, creating a sense of balance between traditional left and right wing ideologies, and helping reduce the ideological swinging that tends to occur from one government to the next. In addition there needs to be a balance between government and the community and the power that governments have when they enact legislation.
  E is for 'even-handed'.
• Is able to produce effective social policy based on a good understanding of human social and individual development. Human society is an organism that is constantly changing and evolving and government should be able to tap into and implement the best new knowledge and skills as they are discovered.
  E is for 'evolutionary'.
• Is committed to using electronic media as a foundation for a strong economy and to radically change the way democracy operates to improve democratic representation.
  E is for 'electronic'.
• Has a Global perspective on all issues common to all nations that contribute to planetary sustainability and survival.
  E is for 'Earth'.

'E' for Even-handed.

The E-Party aims to offer itself as a centre voice in government, providing balance and stability and helping to reduce the ideological swinging from left to right or right to left that tends to occur between one government and the next. For a background on this argument click here to read an analysis of the 2005 election.

The E-Party is offering itself up to be a truly effective force in reducing the excesses of extreme left and right wing policies. The E-Party would endeavour to do this by:

• Only accepting coalition agreements with major parties that include a number of cabinet positions in any of the areas of education, health, justice, foreign affairs and youth, proportional to the number of party votes.
• By having a post-ideological philosophy, which means having no unconditional ideological foundation, and being able to see the merits of different ideas at different times in different situations.

Post-ideological

Skills and experience are more important than ideology. The E-Party is being set up to cater for the post-ideological age. In the post-ideological age focus can be put on skills, experience, personal attributes and characteristics of individuals in parliament. Post-ideological politicians should be able to exhibit flexibility and use their full intelligence and experience when dealing with events as they are thrown up before them, rather than sticking dogmatically to a chosen ideology (traditionally represented by 'left' and 'right'). By diffusing the traditional focus on ideology and the confrontational right or wrong political posturing that goes with it, politicians can be encouraged to more constructively discuss issues through to the most balanced conclusions before turning them into legislation. Legislation is costly, especially when the following government immediately undoes it. The more that politicians can conduct themselves in an intelligent manner in parliament and save taxpayer money, energy and patience by only putting through legislation with the greatest relevance, utility, efficiency and durability, the more respect they can expect to get. The more respect, the better the calibre of person parliament will attract, and so on, until we have one of the best governments in the world.

The E-Party endeavours to achieve this by the development of a brand that is associated with robust selection of candidates. Candidates will only be accepted if they have demonstrable skills and experience and an area in which they have an ambition to apply themselves. Also the E-Party would endeavour to be a small party that is not based on the personality of its leader but on an organisation and vision that is durable and far reaching.

'E' for Evolution.

The E-Party aims to promote the best solutions to new problems posed by social change.

Policy development will tap into a rich source of ideas based on understanding of human evolution and individual and social development. New Zealand with its bicultural makeup, welfare system, economic diversity and relative youth as a nation, has a unique opportunity to lead the world in social and policitical affairs. In terms of policy, the E-Party will have a strong focus on Education, Health, Justice, Welfare and Youth, encouraging innovation, discussion and community involvement in those areas. Social services such as these are the main business of government, services it provides in exchange for taxation.

The E-Party would look at developing public-private relationships for the delivery of some social services.

'E' for Electronic.

Knowledge Economy 

Development of a fast, efficient telecommunication system is essential for a knowledge based economy that is at such a remote distance from most traditional markets and cultural centres.  Establishment of fast, cheap broadband is essential and the government should be doing all in its power to make it come about.

Democracy

The internet and other telecommunication systems have the potential to revolutionize how democracy is conducted. 

Government systems tend to be more focused on the creation of laws than on the needs of the people for whom the laws are intended. Consider the following. In very general terms there are two main processes in democratic representation:

• Election time, when voters make their individual choices about which political party best represents their views. This is the BOTTOM UP process, where the electorate represents its wishes to the government. (It is supplemented now by regular opinion polls.)
• Legislation time, when government passes legislation which is then enforced. This is the TOP DOWN process, where the government tells the electorate what it has decided.

The ‘bottom up’ part of the process is a very blunt instrument. Voters can only represent themselves in the crudest of fashions, with a tick in each of two boxes. In contrast the ‘top down’ part of the process is becoming exceedingly complicated with government interfering and passing legislation on every aspect of our lives.

A government is seldom, if ever, voted in. Usually they get in because the previous government was voted out. Traditionally this has meant that the incoming government believed that they were voted in on the strength of their policies and that the electorate had given them the mandate to govern without the need for any further representation. They then created a three year schedule of policy enactment that reflected their ideological orientation and proceeded to put it into legislation. In the past this was done without further reference to the electorate, but recently regular opinion polls have necessitated equally regular policy u-turns. It is also a practice that led to popular support for MMP.

Governments and opposition MPs are obliged to spend a great part of their time sitting in parliament debating with other MPs on the merits of legislation as it is put before them. Their focus is largely upon the people who sit around them rather than the populace they represent. Without some constant form of ‘bottom up’ process by which they are kept informed of changes in societal attitudes, they risk making complicated social institutions, government departments and laws, which don’t necessarily respond well to the needs of the electorate. The E-Party will explore systems and activities that improve the ‘bottom up’ part of the democratic process, keep governments more in tune with the electorate, and reduce the tendency for governments to follow pre-determined ideologies or mandates.

The E-Party would endeavour to take advantage of the benefits of electronic media, especially the internet, in developing more democratic means of representation, and more efficient government, which is more grounded in the needs of the people rather than the institution of parliament. Some examples of the use of electronic media include the following:

• Internet Polling: where reliable internet polling systems are set up to test public response to political initiatives on a regular basis, supplementing current telephone polls. Eventually elections will be conducted on-line such as the system being tested in the US.
• Virtual Parliament: where politicians conduct discussions via internet or live multi-media without having to gather physically in Parliament buildings, enabling them to remain within the community with their finger closer to the pulse.
• Internet Forums: where politicians expose themselves to the needs and wishes of the electorate by regular participation in internet forums.

'E' for Earth.

The E-Party would attempt to create policies that can be universally applied and that take into consideration global factors. Within the democratic European and American nations many policies are copied from one nation to the next. Liberal democracies the world over are moving in very similar directions and take leads of each other.

Universal Man

The western society to which we belong is essentially inclusive, tolerant and plural, which means that we accept all peoples regardless of race or belief. The aim is to develop a society in which all people can live and which is relatively free of conflict. In order to do that policies have to be developed that are inclusive, tolerant and plural.

Global Factors

Many domestic policies have global conseqences, such as environment and immigration. It is important in these areas to have policy that takes into consideration global effects.

The E-Party would be a centrist party, recognizing the value of both the traditional left and right wing views in government, and the need to debate and work out strengths and weaknesses of policy exhaustively to create balanced legislation, rather than sailing ahead with it for ideological reasons. Industrial progress and environmental protection can move forward together in harmony. One does not have to exclude the other.

The E-Party aims to be a minority party offering a stable government option by providing a centrist coalition partner for any party given the mandate at election time to form government. In that capacity, the E-Party will provide personnel to the government who focus on areas of particular importance to the E-Party such as the Education, Health, Justice, Youth and Foreign Affairs. In any coalition agreement there would be the expectation of holding ministerial positions in any of these areas proportional to the size of the party vote.

Policy Umbrellas

Following is a draft of the general vision for the party. This is a constantly changing document. Ideas are likely to change with the inclusion of other people and the development of a party organisation, but many of them are already instituted in NZ law, and represent the general direction the country has been going for a long time. The E-Party is not a party based on any particular ideology. All ideas are potentially useful, and selection of the best ideas is based on practical implications, and varies with time. Ideas and systems themselves are not important but whether or not people are in a position to, want to or need to carry them out.

• Adequate controls on resources, pollution, use of land and sea, to ensure preservation of abundant variety of habitats and environments.
• Protection of critical habitats and environments.
• Retention of current stands of native bush, maintenance of parks and reserves, and protection from over use. Increase national parks and reserves in order to preserve more areas from development. Commit some reserves to remain free from human visitation, except from people responsible for their upkeep or to film them for other people to experience them via media.
• Recycling of used products. Promoting practices that enable optimum amount of recycling for further industry and for the sake of the environment. Recycling is not immediately cost effective. Its efficacy will become evident over time through the depletion of readily available raw materials and the reduction in pollution that will result. On a planet of finite resources we have to learn to maximize recycling.
• Use of renewable energy resources, including pursuing more efficient means of harnessing solar energy. The future for energy production lies with energy from the sun. NZ is in a unique position with strengths in small technologies, especially electronics, to develop new solar devices. Control of greenhouse gases and other threats to the biosphere is more likely to happen through development and use of non-polluting energy sources such as the sun than by cutting back on use of fossil fuel based sources.

Human continuation is linked with continuation of other species.

• Preservation of abundant variety of species of all kinds of flora and fauna is beneficial to humans not only for food and resources but to make the world a more interesting and exciting place to live in.
• Effective pest reduction programmes. Continue to research and test a greater variety of ways of pest control.
• Tight border protection from introduction of exotic pests and species. Improved technology for detection of living organisms in imported goods, baggage and under clothing worn by travelers. Improved surveillance of shipping. Careful monitoring of fishing and other wildlife stocks to prevent serious depletion.
• Support more research into the possibilities of seafood farming. Suitable controls on genetic engineering. Environmental protection and industrial progress can move ahead together safely.

Maintaining an environment in which people are better able to get work that suits their age, ability, qualifications and family commitments, and in which they are treated fairly and safely.

• Maintain current welfare system with minor changes. The unemployed and DPB beneficiaries are a valued resource. The importance of their roles should be recognized and given positive encouragement.
• Promote cooperation between needs of employers and needs of parents, such as establishment of daytime shifts (9 am to 3 pm) for parents of school age children (see POSACs), parental leave, and availability of child care if needed. Support DPB beneficiaries into getting work through this.
• Encourage availability of apprenticeships and work related training.
• Look at restructuring ACC to reduce the burden on public insurance introducing an element of private insurance for the luxury end of the market, and an element of justice, removing the provision for bulk payments as of right, regardless of the situation.
  a) Retain current system of public insurance for medical, health, rehabilitation treatment and education, and 80% wage if immediately unable to return to work.
  b) If an accident victim remains dependent after a set period following an accident then ACC income payments to be managed by WINZ as a disability benefit
  c) Encourage private accident insurance, enabling accident victims to receive the benefit plus insurance payments if they remain unable to work.
  d) Evaluate all bulk sum compensations for cause. If the accident happened directly as a result of a criminal activity then a lump sum is unlikely, however ACC for medical care would remains as it is. Support ability of OSH to obtain compensation for victims of accidents caused by poor workplace practices from the business or organisation.

Quality of life for all peoples, rich or poor, sick or healthy is important for a modern society to function well. No person should live in squalor or unnecessary pain.

• Support present fundamental welfare system with minor changes. People can be motivated out of benefits by providing positive encouragement through promoting successful role models, job training, and supporting their culture, disabilities, and family commitments. Go here for detailed welfare policy.
  
• Improve health system by encouraging a more holistic approach, providing multiple treatment methods and extending green prescriptions to offer more non-medical forms of treatment. Focus on educating people about behaviours that undermine health, and make it easier for them to change unhealthy habits. Provide more health messages on foods and drinks reminding consumers of the effect of products on health. Totally revamp mental health through a revision of the medical model of mental illness. Go here for detailed health policy.
  
• Continue to support progress in education with a focus on the learner being provided with a safe and fair environment, having the opportunity to learn how to seek their full potential, explore multiple options and find out methods of learning that suit them the best. Focus on computer technology becoming a major source of information and schools being centres for human development. Go here for detailed education policy.
  
• Support multiple technological methods. The most technologically advanced method is not necessarily the best. A mix of high and low technologies is likely to be more effective than using only the latest technology. For instance, in health there are many low tech treatments which are as effective as high tech ones. At the same time there are many advanced technologies, which are vital and irreplaceable.
• Support cultural differences within the one integrated society. Variety is vigor. Existent cultures should be given the opportunity to express their individual culture and technology. Different societies offer vitality and variety. However cultural differences need to be held in balance with mainstream civilisation. Maori grievances need to be settled, and adjustments need to be made for accepting Asian and African immigrants. It is recognised that although these processes take a lot of time the result will be a nation with greater skills and experience in multi-racial unity.
• Improve the accessibility of youth to means of self-improvement and the tools of progress towards a more quality life. Many young adults up to at least the age of 28 require extra support and acknowledgment to adjust from the world of their upbringing to the society that they find themselves in upon leaving school. This includes helping them to make suitable career choices, overcoming the affects of abuse, poor education or any other deficiencies of their childhood, and dealing with suicide and crime prevention. Go here for detailed youth policy.
  

Continue working towards a more user-friendly rehabilitation focused system.

• Support simplification of legal language and procedure so that they are easier to follow. Work towards improving the efficiency of delivery of legal proceedings for the sake of clients, lawyers, and juries.
• Fair recognition of the victims of crime, with health, rehabilitation and training opportunities available to those who suffer serious injury from violent crime or misadventure.
• Work towards a prison system based on behavioural change rather than punishment. Propose a two stage system consisting of a cycle breaker stage in which negative behavioural patterns are reduced or eliminated, and a reform stage in which the inmate is re-adjusted, educated and trained to make a meaningful contribution to society.

Creation of a stable environment for business focusing on fair, concise and clear cut regulations reducing confusion, loopholes and unnecessary complexity where possible. Work constantly to make rules clearer and easy to comply to.

• Provide incentives for businesses in the following areas:
  a) exploring renewable and low pollution energy sources. This applies especially to encouraging development of solar energy and associated technology.
  b) exporting products and services or attracting foreign exchange through tourism or investment.
  c) making efficient use of resources (people, products or raw materials) that are already existent in the community and environment. Eg a business that significantly reduces unemployment in a region by training local registered unemployed, or a business that uses the waste by-product of another businesses' operations.
• Create a trade board to sell the product of NZ creativity overseas, including music, art, literature, dance, movies, fashion, and sport, promoting NZ culture and enabling talented people to remain in the country and sell their goods worldwide. The board would have permanent salespeople working overseas attending trade shows, advertising and providing support for NZ work.
• Work to minimize the tax burden on the private sector, by keeping the operations of public departments more efficient.

• Develop a suitably sized force on land, sea and air, for civil duties, land and sea rescue, overseas peace keeping, surveillance of the 200 mile exclusion zone, border control, protecting fish stocks, and processing refugees, with a focus on flexibility, speed, communication and intelligence. The emphasis would be on technology rather than brute force, and a lot of it could be developed in NZ. Some possibilities include:
  a) helicopters that can be used for civil duties (such as rescue), when unarmed and for combat when armed.
  b) remote controlled aircraft either for surveillance or for combat.
  c) small, arm-able navy craft with high tech surveillance and communication equipment to patrol the coastline to detect fishing and biosecurity infringements, refugee boats, and for national security.
• Explore regional defence options with Australia and international defence agreements with other parties. Some possibilities include:
  a) Merging our regional defence operations in with Australia, making a proportional contribution. This agreement would only apply to the physical defence of the geographic area covered by Australasia and its dependencies (not overseas pre-emptive actions such as Iraq).
  b) Supporting the role of United Nations, and the possibility of this organization becoming more important in the multilateral security of individual nations against hostile activity.

Western nations have achieved near zero population growth through natural means so that now immigration is the main means of population increase.

Zero population growth should be considered a desirable target and this involves greater control over immigration.

Population does not have to increase for the economy to continue to grow. In an age of computers and robots, less people can achieve more and developed nations can continue to grow their economies by outsourcing to developing nations, in the process uplifting the economies of the developing nations, which should in turn lead them to a natural reduction in population growth.

Increased population puts stress on cities, motorways, water and power supplies and the environment. Humans cannot carry on populating the earth ad infinitum. It has to stop somewhere. Western societies have already signaled that by reaching a level of zero growth through births vs deaths, and now is the time to make that phenomenon conscious policy, rather than just natural consequence.

See detailed Population Policy here

The E-Party is committed to internationalism. This consists of: recognizing and contributing to a growing compendium of international law and universal principles of humanity, forming alliances with other nations who share common goals and searching for solutions that have beneficial implications to the whole planet, rather than just some inhabitants of it.  The E-Party represents a strident Foreign Policy. The following are likely to stem from that:

• Focus on improvement of international aid to third world countries (notably Africa) to deliver services and technology directly to the people affected by hunger and strife, rather than just money or food. Developed countries have a high level of turnover of technology. Some technology is suited to being recycled in developing nations along with skilled operators who can train locals in their use.
• Focus on improved forums for the settlement of disputes between individual nations, so that they get settled quicker, with less bloodshed, on a multi-lateral basis. This includes strengthening of the United Nations, through increased resources, respect and democratic representation. Encourage cohesion between international groups with common goals of improving the quality of life on the planet such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Scientists, etc.
• Focus on establishment of International Parks, areas of global significance ecologically, such as parts of the Amazon, Indonesia, African wildlife reserves, and the Antarctic. These areas would receive specific attention from the international community with the individual nations within whose borders these areas lie taking on a caretaker role. It is essential that some areas of the globe be kept free of human development. Human beings have to start taking action before rather than after disaster occurs.