Independance means isolation and Political Siberia

From the March 28 Delta Optimist....

"Vicky Huntington has been wondering where Wally has been in her recent campaign ads. He has been working in his Fraserview constituency, working with matters relating to the office of the Attorney General, and discussing policy and cabinet issues with his peers. That is how it works.

The real pressing and clearly more important question is where Vicki would be should she be elected? The answer is that she would be left out in the cold, wandering aimlessly through the equivalent of a political Siberia. With no friends to woo, no caucus to confide in, Huntington would be a political waste of space in Victoria.

Recent Ipsos Reid and other polls show the Liberals with a clear and probably insurmountable double digit lead. In all likelihood the Liberals will remain in power with Campbell at the helm for another 5 years.

In South Delta we have what would seem to be three options for our vote:
a) vote for the party that is going to win; b) vote for the party we know will be the opposition; or c) vote for an independent.

Since the outcome of the election seems certain, the best option for South Delta then is to elect an MLA who gets to sit around the table where the decisions are made.

But what about the other two options, voting for the NDP or for an independent candidate?

The majority of voters of South Delta have historically proven to be small “c” conservative, people who expect their tax dollars to be carefully managed in the service of practical need. We are not very tolerant of grand spending on social programming of questionable value. So, it is unlikely voters here are going to vote for the NDP in sufficient numbers to elect their candidate.

That leaves the independent option, Vicky Huntington. At first it seems an interesting and slightly romantic option. You get to send Campbell a message without having to hold your nose and vote NDP. But let’s examine the option a little closer and ask ourselves, what do we really get with an independent?

I respect everyone who runs for political office, including Vicki Huntington, but in Victoria - where party politics is the name of the game - an independent would be detached, left out... holding an empty dance card and lacking legitimate opportunity to engage in any meaningful collaboration with people who make decisions and influence cabinet and the Premier.

Let’s not forget that Municipal governance is completely different from Provincial governance. Independence means isolation from all the administrative and research support that is provided to political party’s in the legislature.

Huntington refers to caucus as a black hole. Caucus is the key to making a parliamentary democracy work.

Politics is all about relations with others. If you are an independent in politics you are, by nature, isolated from securing potential meaningful relationships with fellow caucus members, cabinet ministers and the Premier. This seems contrary to what is needed in South Delta. Is independence (isolation) a desirable goal for this constituency?

Like it or not, we depend on Victoria for health, education, infrastructure and other critical issues and that is not going to change anytime soon.

We get what we deserve when we vote. Carefully consider what you think you deserve in South Delta."

Mike Schneider