So what does that mean for the selection. Well it means that it’s incredibly important because rather than 84,000 registered voters of the constituency getting to decide who Stratford will return to parliament approximately nine hundredd to one thousand local Association members will instead.
It will still be democratic, and every member of the association will have a vote (if they choose to use it), but the ability of the candidates to reach their prospective voters will be much more limited, the press coverage will be limited and in the end the voter engagement will be limited. I would therefore argue that if we had not been so close to an election Stratford as one of the safest seats in the country would have been perfect for an open Primary such as the one that occurred in Totnes.
Sadly there just isn’t time for that now, so I urge my fellow Association members to wisely use their vote and consider what kind of MP they want representing them in parliament. Do we want someone who considers themselves a constituency champion, representing his or her voters, or a potential cabinet member and whitehall Hawk? These are important questions that everyone must ask and consider. Equally the selection process must be as inclusive and transparent as possible allowing everyone to put forward questions to candidates and have them answered, not just the Executive’s own pet questions.
We as an Association will have great power but in the immortal words of Spider Man’s Uncle Ben, with great power comes great responsibility so let’s just remember that.
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Replacing John Maples - The procedure
John Maples - The Morning After
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