Greens vote to outlaw anonymous advocacy on the Internet

The Electoral Finance Bill defines an election advertisement as pretty much anything in written (and electronic) form which advocates for or against a party.  There is an exemption in Clause 5(2)(g) for blogs which reads:

The publication by an individual, on a non-commercial basis, on the Internet of his or her personal political
views (being the kind of publication commonly known as a blog).

The problem is, it only excludes blogs.  If they had said “(for example the kind of …) then it wouldn’t.  Anyway Chris Finlayson put up an amendment to change the exemption to simply say: 

The publication by an individual, on a non-commercial basis, on the Internet of his or her personal political views.

Surely no one would object to that?  Do we really want personal political views on the Internet made into election advertisements which need a name and address attached to them.

But alas, the amendment was defeated.  Those great champions of human rights overseas – the Greens and United Future, voted against the amendment.