Unbiased info on who to vote for?

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#1078039 1-Jul-2014 16:09

DaveDog:
I'm not the member of or loyal to any party - and I'd disagree with most of your descriptions above of all parties...

I think it would be more prudent in this thread to allow the OP to find and make up his own mind about the parties without slanted views being portrayed...

Thanks Dave I was trying to think of something to say in response to that but decided to leave it.
The OP is wanting to make an educated vote, comments like the above are unhelpful.

sen8or

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#1078050 1-Jul-2014 16:20

I don't think either of the major parties are " anti" anything as this would draw a line in the sand and make it difficult to appeal to the masses (the centrist voters who make up the bulk of the population).

The smaller parties (which I include the greens) have to draw lines in the sand as they will never appeal to the masses, so need to be clearly different from the others. It's these policies / statements high will always limit their potential (thankfully, left or right swinging, all the minors have some fairly negative baggage to bring to the table).

Lurch

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#1078204 1-Jul-2014 20:29

This is something you need to do on your own. Do some research on the internet or local publications.

At the end of the day there is no such thing as unbiased advice when it comes to voting as the name of the game is to get you to vote their way.

Find out who is in your area and look into their background/beliefs etc and see if they align with your own. Then make up your own mind from there.

JimmyH

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#1078249 1-Jul-2014 21:23

Kudos to the OP for taking the choice of picking a government seriously.

For the party vote, I would recommending ignoring the leaders debates on telly (which are mostly a three ring circus of platitudes, carefully scripted one-liners and sound-bites scripted by the spin doctors) and the increasing blizzard of opinion pieces that appear in the media (and even more so the inevitable ranting comments posted in reply). Instead, read the policy announcements and manifestos of the parties you are considering voting for and try and objectively decide:
- do they make sense?
- are they likely to work?
- will they be good for the country?
- do you have confidence that they will, more or less, be implemented if that party wins?
- do you have confidence in the party to govern wisely (economic policy, social policy, respond to a civil catastrophe etc)?

It's not necessarily about picking who you like, or who is "nicest", it's about picking the party you consider will be best for the country if they govern. You pick an investment advisor based on their skill at managing money, and a surgeon based on their qualifications and skill at operating. You don't necessarily pick either because you like them or would want to invite them over for a BBQ. Try to cast your party vote the same way - try not to focus on individual "flagship" policies or the personalities of one or two individuals, and decide which party you have most confidence in overall.

For the electorate vote, you can/should be a bit more tactical. It's more about the personality, capability and integrity of the person in question than their party. You also don't want to waste your vote - eg if you love Smith (who is polling 20%), Don't mind Jones (who is polling 34%) and loathe Bloggs (who is polling 36%), then it might make more sense to vote for Jones. This is because Smith has no chance of winning, and if you waste a vote on them Bloggs might win.

It can be perfectly rational to cast your party vote one way, and your electorate vote for another outfit.

Above all, don't be swayed by who your parents and friends etc are likely to vote for. Voting is a serious responsibility and you should make up your own mind.

alasta

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#1078256 1-Jul-2014 21:26

Go to parliament or watch parliament TV during question time. That's a very good way to get an unbiased view of where parties and MPs stand.

jnimmo

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#1078270 1-Jul-2014 21:30

I came across this today (after reading this post)
http://www.politicalcompass.org/nz2011

Hasn't been updated for 2014, but it lets you do a quiz on there to come up with your own political compass.
Looks a bit easier than the onthefence one

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MikeB4

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#1078271 1-Jul-2014 21:32

alasta: Go to parliament or watch parliament TV during question time. That's a very good way to get an unbiased view of where parties and MPs stand.

And one of the best comedy shows on TV

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

alasta

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#1078273 1-Jul-2014 21:35

KiwiNZ:
alasta: Go to parliament or watch parliament TV during question time. That's a very good way to get an unbiased view of where parties and MPs stand.

And one of the best comedy shows on TV

I have to admit I find myself having to restrain myself from roaring with laughter when I'm sitting in the public gallery!

networkn

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#1078313 1-Jul-2014 22:14

Thanks to whomever posted onthefence.co.nz I found that very interesting and confirmed I was voting in the right direction.

tardtasticx

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#1078371 2-Jul-2014 02:33

Wow wow wow thank you all so much, I have read 100% of the comments so far, and liked that the majority of them were very very helpful. Loved the OnTheFence site, mainly because it gave me a bit of an idea on the issues I was concerned about most (prompting me, rather than me sitting here thinking "What do I care about?"). I've sent the link to a lot of mates who are also going to have their first chance at voting this year. I know a lot of them will find it extremely helpful too.

I think I've made my mind up based on researching those chosen topics, but obviously I need to keep my eyes and ears open to see what the parties are saying in the run up to the election (though whether they're telling porkies, we don't know).

Those that recommended Parliament TV, what do you recommend is the best sittings to watch? I watched some today, and only twice before that for the marriage equality debate, and I couldn't really tell who was who. It mostly seemed like playground nonsense to be quite honest, they all seemed as childish as each other. Screaming over each other when talking, personal attacks, hypocritical remarks, it made me wonder what they try to achieve during these sessions if this is all they do.

Once again, thank you all so much, really appreciate it.
And I think this thread hopefully should help a few others out there, not just first time voters.

I'll still keep an eye on this incase you guys have any other marvellous tools that can help haha

jonathan18

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#1078423 2-Jul-2014 08:50

networkn: Thanks to whomever posted onthefence.co.nz I found that very interesting and confirmed I was voting in the right direction.

No probs - I just found it via a quick Google search. I should have a proper look at it myself!

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jonathan18

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#1078429 2-Jul-2014 09:05

tardtasticx: Those that recommended Parliament TV, what do you recommend is the best sittings to watch? I watched some today, and only twice before that for the marriage equality debate, and I couldn't really tell who was who. It mostly seemed like playground nonsense to be quite honest, they all seemed as childish as each other. Screaming over each other when talking, personal attacks, hypocritical remarks, it made me wonder what they try to achieve during these sessions if this is all they do.

While it can be entertaining and occasionally illuminating, more often than not it's more hot air than substance. The reality is the House is a theatre, with MPs being probably some of the highest-paid actors in the land! (Don't take this comment as being aimed at the wider context of Parliament and central Govt., more just what goes on in the House. And theatre in politics isn't inherently a negative) Almost all MPs, from whatever hue, end up behaving in a particular (and not usually very pleasant) manner in the House; it's a bit like needing to follow a school/group/workplace culture if you're going to fit in and get your voice heard

So my personal recommendation would be, sure, have a look at it, but don't take it seriously, and certainly be careful basing your voting decisions on it. You'll get far more of substance from parties' websites and manifestos, and from sites like www.onthefence.co.nz.

Also, while others have discussed some of the workings of MMP, if you're not already clued up on the system, it would be a good idea to do some reading in this area, eg http://www.elections.org.nz/voting-system/mmp-voting-system as a starter. As mentioned, in some electorates your electoral vote can make a real difference (whereas this isn't the case in most places), so in such locations there's always the need to think about tactical voting.

But, as others have said earlier, good on you for finding this stuff out - too many are just disinterested and don't vote or cast a vote in complete ignorance. It's great to see there are those who don't follow these stereotypes!

Dingbatt

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#1078437 2-Jul-2014 09:35

As important as an unbiased information source goes, I also suggest you have a clear idea how MMP works. I am disappointed to that after so many elections people still don't understand the difference between party and electorate votes. Also try to get a handle on coat-tailing, overhang, the 5% threshold and the electorate/list priority.

@Lias: Please put your disclaimer at the top of your analysis next time so I don't have to read through the tripe before discounting it as unhelpful to the question the OP posted.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

NotReally

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#1078440 2-Jul-2014 09:43

My 2c is to look beyond the policies and see what each party has actually done in the last 3 years. What bills have they submitted? What bills have they voted for?

MikeAqua

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#1078605 2-Jul-2014 13:43

Paper scissors rock.

Mike

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