Four more years

I/S is against extending the parliamentary term for four years:

A short Parliamentary term gives us accountability. It gives us the opportunity to change the government if we do not like their direction or their attitude. It gives us control. We yield that control to politicians at our peril.

I’m in favour of extending the term to four years because it gives us an opportunity to see if the polices implemented in the first two years of a government are actually working. The status quo is that the third year is another election and it’s not until the second term that we get to find out whether their policies are any good or not. I think that’s one of the main reasons we never get single term governments despite some of the truly awful governments we’ve had through the years.

The extensive polling conducted by both parties already gives us a measure of indirect control but I feel the three year term gives rise to the Judith Collins phenomenon: Ministers who see policy as an opportunity for favourable media coverage and improving their poll results but are indifferent to the actual efficacy or long term effects of those policies. If they were in power for four years they’d have to point to measurable outcomes – or the opposition could point to the lack thereof – and hopefully be a bit more prudent when they spend our money and write our laws.