Quote:
Originally Posted by rjcroy
...In New Zealand that is effectively just a rubber stamp, rather than a meaningful debate...
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Except that the empowering Bill will go to a Parliamentary Select Committee (those not familiar with the NZ legislation making process, see below) who will seek public submissions and then report its conclusions to the House.
So New Zealanders will get a cross party analysis, made with public input, of the TPP rather than just those of the Marxist university professor, who is rabidly opposed to any trade agreements, that the media seem to give exclusive time to at the cost of almost complete lack of access by New Zealanders to rational comment by those without ideological barrows to push. This forum may give space for others from the public, capable of informed and rational comment, to give the public a better view of what has been achieved (or not).
So while the TPP cannot be changed there will be the opportunity for a meaningful debate on the outcome, and from the public's point of view the only impediment to the success of that is how much the media will allow the public to hear all inputs rather than promoting activists of ideological persuasions to shouting it down.
Note: for those not familiar with the NZ legislation making process, Bills go to a committee made up of representatives of the various parties in Parliament (so not just the Governing party) who report their conclusions to the house. They usually seek input from the public.