Editorial Scott Stevens Issue 468 No surprises for the Clutha-Southland electorate with Todd Barclay and the National Party winning in a landslide. Now the question is how much this young first time Member of Parliament really cares for his electorate, in particular the part that lies to the north of Southland in the Queenstown Lakes. Our previous Member of Parliament, Bill English, was very high profile and a seasoned professional. However he had the considerable responsibility of being Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to deal with. Did he really have time to answer a letter from a constituent with concerns over a personal or Wakatipu based issue? Todd Barclay on the other hand will have nothing better to do but listen to his constituents while sitting on the backbenches of Parliament. We should be positive about having a young representative without the burden of responsibility for a ministerial portfolio. Regardless of which way you voted, the unavoidable truth is we are bound by the result, and unless Todd Barclay’s wheels fall off in scandalous circumstances, or the electoral boundaries are changed separating us from the National Party strong hold of rural Southland, he may well be our Member of Parliament for a very long time. Bill English for example held the seat for twenty four years. And Todd Barclay is only twenty four years old. If Todd Barclay has ambitions, he will want to make his mark. What more credible way to make that mark than fight for your constituents. We have plenty of need for someone actively fighting for our corner in parliament. Let’s hope that need is nothing catastrophic, like another 1999 flood or Christchurch quake-like event. Because we already have enough of a funding crisis just trying to deal with the extraordinary pressure put on our infrastructure from record growth and ever increasing visitor numbers. Our public health facilities are inadequate and elderly care woeful. We grow out of our schools as soon as they are built and if you can find a “first home” for under $500,000 you have done well. Now you just need the income to pay for it. Good luck with that here in the Wakatipu. Before entering politics, Todd Barclay was an advocate for big business. An advocate lobbies government for influence and favours. Therefore he should have no problem with listening to the concerns of an advocate from the Wakatipu, and then advocating on our behalf to his fellow parliamentarians. A true representative always has the lines of communication open. He should respond when called upon to fight for our corner and make sure our concerns, needs and wishes are being heard in Wellington. With 30,891 votes cast in Clutha-Southland, Todd Barclay got almost two thirds in his favour. With such a strong endorsement he could sit back and rest on his laurels, or see it as added responsibility to perform. I read a quote from Barclay on Sunday morning in the Southland Times and I trust his attitude will follow his words: “Now the real work begins”. lwb.co.nz
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 21:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015