Throughout history democratic countries have sometimes faced an administrative situation seen as untenable and unworkable. At such moment usually the President, Prime Minister, the Governor General will dissolve the Parliament or organisation concerned and call for new elections. Those who know their history will know of the Jack Lang Government in NSW in the 1930s, or the Gough Whitlam Government dismissal in Australia in the 1970s, or for that matter the fall of many coalition Governments unable to function effectively in Italy and elsewhere.
Such dissolution of an elected body is an extreme case for scenario for democracy. The next step beyond that is one where one party seizes power and throws out or imprisons existing elected members and puts in its own non-elected ruling aparatus.
The failure of the Labour Party, the Progressive Party, NZ First, the Maori Party and the Greens (etc) to respond instantly and adequately to the unbridled and savage attack on the voters of Canterbury is appalling. To say that Environment Canterbury was performing badly, or that the councils of all sub-districts of Canterbury could not work with Environment Canterbury is irrelevant. Many governments and city councils perform poorly or poorly in some aspects but they are not in the New Zealand tradition thrown out of office and replaced by Russian style Commisars given unchallenged power. Those who recognise and criticise what they perceive as inadequate performance campaign to have it addressed and have the governance replaced by their own alternative at an election - that is the nature of democracy.
There is only one place in system of democratic governance to challenge incompetence, address structural weaknesses in a situation and offer solutions - the polling place.
Our democracy is the single biggest quality of life aspect of New Zealand, more fundamental even that National Parks or water quality. Once it is gone, all else can go, and will go, because those who would rob a nation of democracy will surely have little compunction about using their unrestrained powers to further their own sectional interests at the expense of the nation as a whole.
There can only be one banner raised, uniting ever decent New Zealander against this sleezy outrage so belittling our countries greatest asset and freedom "New Elections for E-Can Now!"
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