Electoral Finance Act Protest: Auckland, 9 March, 2.00 pm, 2008

Email sent to Political Animal 4.00pm today

Silent Protest March against the Electoral Finance Act - This Sunday 9 March, meet outside the Auckland Town Hall from 2.00pm.

To my friends, family, business colleagues and supporters

In a democracy one of our most precious rights should be our right to speak out, criticize and campaign against the government – any government.

In passing the Electoral Finance Act parliament severely restricted our freedom to do so. This sets a dangerous precedent. The Human Rights Commissioner spoke out on behalf of all New Zealanders and called on the Government to withdraw the bill and start again. She was ignored.

We now have a law restricting what we can spend campaigning against the government that is less than half of what the Human Rights Commission and the Electoral Commission thought was fair.

What is worse, this new law will apply for over three times longer than the Human Rights Commissioner thought was reasonable.

For many decades New Zealanders have gone to war to protect our precious freedoms. We should not give them up lightly.

You now have a choice, you can simply accept that your freedoms have been restricted or you can stand up and protest and let the parliamentarians know that this is not on.

I am not prepared to sit back and do nothing. I am organising a SILENT protest march against the Electoral Finance Act this Sunday 9 March and I invite you to join me.

I would be very grateful if you could help me promote this march by bringing it to the attention of your family, friends and colleagues. I have attached a copy of the ad that appeared in The New Zealand Herald yesterday.

If we don’t stand up for our rights now we do not know what freedoms we may lose next.

Regards

John Boscawen, Trustee, Freedom of Speech Trust.

Box 42-267, Orakei, Auckland.

john@boscawen.co.nz


Related Political Animal Reading

Historical day as New Zealand loses democratic freedom
Auckland EFB protest lures 5000
Day of protest: Auckland NZ, Nov 2007
Electoral Finance Bill: The Purpose is clear
Cartoon & Comment, Emmerson: Winston Churchill Clark
List of MP's who voted for EFB
Extending middle finger in 2008

Links c Political Animal 2008