[imc-auckland-video] FW: Voters Voice book launch speech

[Geraldene Peters]

> 
> A number of people have asked for a copy of my speech at the People Power book
> launch. It follows below.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Steve Baron
> Votersvoice.org.nz
> Ph 09 537-3935
> 
> Thank you Jon.
> 
> My personal concerns for the injustice and lack of real democracy in our
> political system have compelled me to speak out and work with Jon to publish
> this book.  
> 
> For years now,  unaccountable governments have enacted their ideologically
> driven  economic and social policies that the vast majority of New Zealanders
> have not wantedŠ. and we¹ve been denied the right to make these governments
> accountable,  and have a say on issues that affect each and every one of us,
> apart from once every three years when it¹s far too late. This has happened
> because governments will not allow us real democracy to be able to vote on
> single policy issues in Binding Citizens Initiated ReferendumsŠ. as happens in
> truly Democratic countries like Switzerland for example. Consequently we¹re
> witnessing a high rate of  social deterioration.
> 
> Just recently I was having a drink in a bar in downtown Auckland and I got
> talking to this really attractive, really pleasant woman in her early 30¹s.
> She was a single Mum with five kids holding down a day job, paying off a
> mortgage and she was sick and tired of not being able to afford to give her
> kids the things in life she¹d like to be able to give them.
> 
> Now that the government had legalised it, she¹d decided it was ok for her to
> get a part time job working as a prostitute on a Friday and Saturday night
> while her 15 yro looked after the other kidsŠ.. Is this the sort of society we
> want? 
> 
> Did the majority of New Zealanders agree with the governments decisions onŠ.
> 
> Lowering the drinking age, Prison Sentences, Immigration, GE Foods,
> Euthanasia, the Privy Council, Smoking,  Rural School Closures,  Nutritional
> Supplement Law Changes or even sending troops to Vietnam all those years ago?
> 
> Well this is the sort of society our governments have been allowed to create!
> Now don¹t think for a minute I¹m saying these issues are right or wrong. I¹m
> not giving my personal opinion here. All I¹m saying is that I don¹t think
> governments have been in harmony with what the majority of New Zealanders
> wanted on many,  if not all of these issues.
> 
> There¹s things I personally like about all of our political parties but the
> trouble is when you elect a government, any government, it¹s all or nothingŠ.
> and when you elect a government there is no recourse, there is no
> accountability, there are no checks and balances. Once you elect these
> governments they break their promises, they don¹t do what they say they¹ll do,
> they have their own agendas and they¹re hell bent on forcing their own
> ideological political and moral beliefs upon you without a mandate and without
> the majority support of New Zealanders.
> 
> You might think you live in a democracy but you don¹t! We have one day of
> democracy and three years of an elected dictatorship in this country! That has
> to change!  and each and every one of you in this room is responsible to make
> sure you get your democratic right to have a say when Parliament isn¹t
> listening! Don¹t leave it up to the person sitting next to you!
> 
> We know Binding Citizens Initiated Referendums work. They¹ve been successful
> for over 130 years in Switzerland and a number of other countries around the
> world. You¹d think that would be enough of a testimonial in itself wouldn¹t
> you! Yet almost every day of the week I¹m expected to justify it. People look
> at me with a gleam in their eyes and say.... ³ah yes, but what about
> Proposition 13 in California².... or that¹s just Mobocracy or Tyranny of the
> Majority! Š. they¹re too expensiveŠ. how can the People be expected to fully
> understand the complexities and the ramifications of their decisions?!
> 
> Yet there is NO historical evidence to prove Binding Citizens Initiated
> Referendums will only turn out to be Mobocracy or Tyranny of the Majority. In
> fact at the height of Communism, Australia had a Binding Referendum to outlaw
> the Communist Party. Australians voted against it! There was an American
> Senator who sponsored a referendum to stop homosexuals teaching in schools. It
> failed.
> 
> And Proposition 13 in California.... only after years and years of rising
> property taxes and a massive surplus at the time of 5 Billion dollars, did
> Californians say enough was enough. But the opponents of Binding Citizens
> Initiated Referendums also forget to tell you about Proposition 9 which would
> have reduced State taxes by 50%.... it failed by a vote of two to one.
> 
> Some complain that referendums are too expensiveŠ. yet we can afford to give a
> bunch of yachties 50 million dollars for a yacht race! Would each of you be
> prepared to pay $10 a year to cover the cost of referendums and have your say?
> I certainly would and that¹s all they¹d cost!!
> 
> And could the People be informed enough to understand the complexities and the
> ramifications of their decisionsŠ.. Well I would trust the collective wisdom
> of 3 million New Zealand voters over the collective wisdom of 120 Members of
> Parliament any day of the week Š. and history has already proven the people of
> Switzerland have made them work and they will work here too!!!
> 
> As time goes by ladies and gentlemen, it¹s become more and more obvious to me
> that this is no more than an education process. When you separate the fact
> from the fiction,  people soon realise there really isn¹t any reason at all
> not to have Binding Citizens Initiated Referendums.
> 
> So when you leave here today I don¹t want you to buy one of these books, in
> fact I insist you don¹t buy one of these books! I¹d like to suggest you buy
> ten of them and give the other nine away so you can help that education
> process.
> 
> I¹d now like to ask Winston to accept the 20,209 signatures we¹ve  collected
> and take them to Wellington and tell the rest of Parliament that New
> Zealanders have had a gutful of being ignored. Tell them that we want a say
> more than once every three years Winston!
> 
> Tell them that this is an idea whose time has come!
> 
> 

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