Letter to the Editor, Tuesday March 24, 2015

Count them

Simple reasons why I won't be voting for a JAFA.

#1 He's made it very clear that he won't be shifting to Northland. Commented that if it was good enough for the PM to live in Parnell and represent Helensville then it was good enough for him to live with his partner in St Mary's Bay and commute north. It's all bull****. You can drive from Parnell to Helensville in minutes, while it's four hours up to Kaitaia (one way). They won't be seeing much of him, and neither will the rest of Northland. The reality is that we get an absentee MP.

#2 He won't commit to standing in 2017. Understandable I guess. Seven decades of hard living must take its toll. So why would you pick a person at the end of his Parliamentary career over Mark Osborne, who has the energy, drive and commitment to make a difference long-term?

#3 Vote him in and you get a second MP free (from Invercargill). May well go down in Southland. Not sure how that helps Northland.

#4 Puts RMA reform on the back burner. Elect him and National loses its ability to progress the second stage of the much-needed reforms. Labour, the Greens, NZ First, the Maori Party and UnitedFuture are all opposed to the changes. Northland (and New Zealand) needs RMA reform to help further unlock its economic potential. The RMA is an excuse for bureaucracy to run riot with all the attendant cost. Happy for that to continue? I'm not.

#5 Puts the free trade deal with Korea at risk. NZL is a trading nation, and the OAP hates free trade with a passion. No matter that in the medium-term the deal is projected to be worth up to half a billion dollars to the NZL economy. Anti-free trade and you're anti-farming, and farming is big in Northland.

#6 Northland loses its voice in government. If anyone thinks that a thrice rejected politician is going to enjoy open-door access to government ministers they are dreaming. He is part of the opposition. The opposition doesn't rate overly high in the pecking order, and his record as a destructive and divisive force will see him at the end of the queue.

ROSS MILLER

Paihia