22 The Select Committee which is investigating the issue has been boycotted by a number of political parties.  There is a divisive and contentious debate.  There is much heat and not a lot of light. I am not sure that a statutory body constituted like ours would not have been a good place to deal with such issues in these circumstances.    If decisions are taken to change our constitutional arrangements, including for instance our  becoming  a  republic,  or  having  a  written  constitution  which  does  or  does  not include the Treaty of Waitangi, then advising on the implementation of policy decisions already  taken  is  an  area  in  which  the  Law  Commission  could  play  a  part.    But  where there is a heavy party political overall in assessing the underlying fundamental decisions it does not appear to me to fall comfortably or wisely into the ambit of our work.    Conclusion There are no absolutes in any of this.  There are no immutable protocols which must be applied.      Different   circumstances   in   different   jurisdictions   will   require   different responses.  Law Commissions must not stand aloof, locked in some straightjacket which is  unresponsive  to  contemporary  community  needs,  values  and  aspirations.    But  in  all we do we must be sure that we can add value.  We are not repositories of all wisdom with a monopoly on the answer to every social, economic and governmental problem.   Where  thorough  legal  research  and  analysis,  together  with  comprehensive consultation is required, we have particular skills to offer.  We need to ensure that we do not lose our credibility by meddling in areas where other perspectives and qualities are at the heart of the task.                                                                                                                         Labour Party Conference, the address is available at: <http://www.labour.org.nz> (last accessed 14 February 2005)