Friday, July 04, 2008



Election funding: what the CAFCA postcard actually says

So, what does the CAFCA postcard which the National Party is objecting to actually say? Read it yourself [PDF]:

Dear [insert name] MP,

I don’t want my school run by a private equity corporation.
I don’t want my airport owned by a foreign pension fund.
I don’t want my hospital managed by an insurance company.
I don’t want my port or railways owned by a transnational corporation.
I don’t want my roads operated by an investment bank.
I believe that continued full public New Zealand ownership and control of New Zealand public assets and infrastructure is extremely important.
I will not be voting for any candidate or party who supports full or partial privatisation of our public assets and infrastructure.

[Fields for signature, date, name and address]

This is not an election advertisement, it is a communication from a constituent - the basic tactic of any lobby group. And that is something National ought to be encouraging and defending, not trying to shut down.