Wonder if other churches will be allowed to become Labour affiliates?

The Herald reports:

Mr Shearer pledged last year to meet regularly with the Ratana movement.

Since then, he has hosted the church elders at Parliament and met them several times.

“So I am going up for the church service on Friday – for me that is the most significant day and it’s the day when people commemorate it.”

He said this week that Labour were also now in discussions with Ratana about whether it would become an affiliate of the party.

That would give it some influence over candidate selections and voting power in future leadership elections.

I think it is abhorrent that external organisations have voting rights in political parties. It makes them a hostage to special interests. Think if Business NZ was allowed to vote on National Party policy, candidates and the leader? It would be called organised corruption. Think if the Destiny Church was allowed to become an affiliate of the Conservative Party and vote on their policies? Think if Greenpeace got 20% of the votes for the Green Party leadership? Why is such an anti-democratic thing as organisational affiliates tolerated in Labour? It isn’t far removed from US style special interests buying politicians.

All voting in political parties should be by individuals who have chosen to join the party in their capacity as an elector.

And encouraging a church to become an affiliate member of a so called secular political party. My God. Anything for votes or money.