ACT to allow free votes on most issues

The Herald reports:

Act’s MPs will be allowed to vote according to their consciences on all pieces of legislation rather than being obliged to stick to the agreed position of their five-member caucus.

The only parliamentary votes where an Act MP will be obliged to follow the party line is on confidence and supply measures where National is guaranteed Act’s total backing by virtue of the support agreement between the two parties.

Less party whipping is a good thing in my opinion.

The decision to allow a free vote could potentially block some pieces of Government legislation if the Act caucus is split.

National has 58 seats in the 122-seat Parliament and needs four votes from other parties to pass measures.

Assuming a “no” vote from Opposition parties, Government legislation would fail if two Act MPs were opposed, along with the Government’s other support partners, the Maori Party and United Future MP Peter Dunne.

It may pose some problems, but it can also work the other way. There could be issues where most ACT MPs are oppossed, but this will allow some ACT MPs to vote in favour.

In a reference to Winston Peters and NZ First, and Jim Anderton and the Alliance, he said: “We do it that way because we have seen what happens to third parties with leaders who just dictate their party’s vote. Those leaders end up thinking they are the party, and those parties don’t last.”

Indeed they don’t. Some people probably don’t recall that outraegous day when Jim Anderton declared the Alliance must hand him absolute power or he will leave. And well in NZ First, they don’t even get to know abotu the bank accounts.