ODT on EFA

The ODT Editorial says:

The vote was 112-9 in favour of repeal, with only the Green Party arguing for retention.

A clearer admission by the Labour Party, which controversially and determinedly pushed the legislation through against vociferous opposition inside and outside Parliament, that it got wrong one of the most important pieces of law sponsored during its nine-year parliamentary tenure would be hard to come by.

Yep. I was not planning to get actively involved in politics or campaigning (beyond offering opinions on my blog) but the EFB/EFA motivated me to devote hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on fighting this reprehensible law.

With justification, opponents complained that the EFA stymied political debate and freedom of expression. But equally, it was the Labour-led government’s determination to push ahead, with little consultation and without achieving a greater degree of cross-party consensus, that outraged many.

And to make it worse, the cross-party consensus was ready and waiting. National had agreed in principle to greater donation transparency and some restrictions on third party campaigns. The way Labour blew away any sort of moral high ground on these issues was a near unparalleled act of stupidity.