Seymour strikes back
Seymour in wide-ranging attack mode at annual conference in Auckland yesterday
Act has unveiled a plan to slash the number of MPs to 100 — and erase the Ma¯ori seats. Leader David Seymour yesterday announced a “Smaller Government Bill” which proposes to cap the number of MPs at 100, restrict the size of Cabinet’s executive to 20 and scrap the seven Ma¯ori seats. The current Parliament has 120 MPs.
Seymour said he thought Ma¯ori seats had outlived their use-by date and Ma¯ori were being overrepresented in Parliament — calling the seven Ma¯ori MPs “hopeless”.
“Where have they been on charter schools? The whole Ma¯ori community wants charter schools.”
Seymour also used his speech to attack the Government, singling out Jacinda Ardern as a “show Prime Minister”, criticising Finance Minister Grant Robertson as “weak” and calling Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis “totally incompetent” and an “embarrassment”.
He called Ardern out for not being able to scare anyone and not understanding anything about the economy. “The economy could go straight over the cliff and Jacinda will go on smiling as it all crashes around her,” Seymour told party faithful at Act’s annual conference in Auckland yesterday.
Seymour also called Forestry Minister Shane Jones out for attacking business and pouring millions of dollars not just into Northland but his own neighbourhood — “calling it pork barrel would be unfair to pigs”.
“The growth in Government over the past two decades has not delivered better outcomes for New Zealand. We need smaller, smarter government”.
Reducing the size of New Zealand’s Parliament is not a new idea — a referendum at the 1999 general election calling to downsize to 99 MPs won 81.5 per cent support of voters. MPs ignored the result.
Seymour also wants to cap the size of the executive at 20, noting that the current Government was “far too big” and had 31 people in roles.
“Almost half of the Government MPs hold a position in the executive. We have too many pointless ministerial portfolios. They are not improving the lives of New Zealanders and this bill will do away with them.”
“Our plan would also require all parliamentary candidates to stand in an electorate, and all elected list MPs would be required to open an office in the electorate in which they stood.”
On the topic of changing the party’s name, Seymour said “Reform” and “Liberal” were being considered.
“I think people like the Liberal name. There is some question around what it means and one thing about a party name is that it has to be very clear.
“Some people have criticised Act in that regard while other people say well at least you’ve got a name that is well known.” In last year’s election Act received just 13,075 party votes, 0.5 per cent of the vote. Seymour returned to Parliament alone, after winning his Epsom seat. Since then Seymour’s foray in Dancing with the
Stars has made him a household name and there is no question of him not contesting Epsom again.
Formed in 1994, under the leadership of Richard Prebble, the party had nine MPs after each of the 1999 and 2002 elections.