Falklands : Legislative Council: The Office Makes the Man - and/or Woman
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 18.11.2005 (Article Archived on 02.12.2005)
No matter what is in the Manifesto, it will be tempered by the group that must be persuaded.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: THE OFFICE MAKES THE MAN – AND/OR WOMAN
An Editorial by J. Brock (FINN)
When former Councillor Stephen Luxton held a public meeting to explain what it was really like to be a Councillor he said that elected members had to be persuaded and there were no prima donnas. Added to the shock of actually being elected will be the 6-inch thick pile of papers the newly elected Council will have to wade through and the round of meetings and oaths they will have to deal with during their first week.
No matter what promises are made on manifestos, they are put to the test when much needed legislation is debated and agreed by the majority of Councillors. That’s no easy task. Council act as a team and the decisions taken rarely resemble one individual’s thoughts and ideas.
In my own opinion the loss to Council was in the talent of those members that didn’t get re-elected. Jan Cheek and John Birmingham are talented former Councillors who have given countless hours of their time and many kilowatts of energy. Ditto for former Councillor Luxton, who chose not to run in this election.
You can count me in as being a person who does not agree with some of the things that Legislative Council does. I would imagine that others have grumbles about Council decisions. However, there is no other alternative that gets the job done so efficiently. The new people elected in are our choice. They need our support.
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