Wake up and smell the kiwi

Just wanted to link to a great article, with an even greater title, on the Macleans web site today.

The author, Chris Selley gives a good background on how New Zealand came to change its voting system and the voter reaction to the change.

Selley correctly points out that MMP has made the New Zealand House of Representatives more diverse and reflective of the population, as claimed by MMP proponents in Ontario.

Also, he notes that MMP has not been unstable, as stable and working coalitions have become the norm in New Zealand.

Finally, I was most intrigued by a quote from Raymond Miller, chair of the political science department at the University of Auckland, the leading school in that country:

"I've got 300-plus students studying New Zealand politics, and I have to explain to them how the old system worked," he says. "I don't think they have any affection for it, and there's certainly no sense of nostalgia."

You heard that correctly, young Kiwis are very pleased with the decision their elders made over a decade ago. I only hope Ontario voters will be equally cognizant of how young Ontarians want a political system that makes every voices heard and better reflects our great province's diversity.