"As one famous Australian constitutional lawyer said, and it remains the case even under MMP... NZ is an Executive paradise. The sovereignty of Parliament in NZ - which means Parliament can pass any law it likes - is actually the sovereignty of the Executive, not of the Parliament. And that is why so many Opposition MPs have such a frustrating life, because they have very little influence over anything."
Sir #GeoffreyPalmer, 2017
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-9th-floor/story/201839427/the-reformer-geoffrey-palmer
"You say that our current [constitutional] arrangements pose dangers to the peace, order and good government of New Zealand, if demagogues take over."
#GuyonEspiner to Sir #GeoffreyPalmer, 2017
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-9th-floor/story/201839427/the-reformer-geoffrey-palmer
I guess we're about to find out...
#The9thFloor #NZPolitics
The Reformer - Geoffrey Palmer: Prime Minister 1989-90
In The 9th Floor, a landmark new series for RNZ, Guyon Espiner talks to five former NZ Prime Ministers, starting with reforming lawmaker Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who became our 33rd PM in 1989.