’Tis the season for rest, reflection and… reform?
Okay, so I needed another R word. But, to a certain degree, “reform” does fit if you use the New Year to make resolutions (another R word!).
After all, most resolutions are just subtle ways of saying we need to reform what we’re doing to achieve positive outcomes.
In my last year-end column, I wrote that I wanted to play my guitar more and get back to a level of basic fitness. By the end of 2011, I’d taken to joking that I was becoming a “fat, lazy politician,” but my weight gain and lack of exercise was not a joke and I truly did need to reform my lifestyle if I wanted to remain healthy.
Fortunately, I have some very good friends who used my published goal of getting fit to cajole me into setting goals and actually getting fit. I’m happy to say that I dropped that weight and am back cycling, running, kayaking and cross-country skiing again. And I’m back to spending more time with my family and friends doing all those activities.
Reconnecting with the people and the activities that have always been important in my life has had the added benefit of refocusing my energies and reminding me why I got involved in politics in the first place.
It’s in that vein that I hope our political leaders, particularly Premier Christy Clark and Opposition Leader Adrian Dix, enjoy some time to rest and reflect this Christmas season on what reforms they must commit to in order to revive our political system and restore some sense of our democracy.
What’s needed is nothing short of a complete reform of the political party system in order to reinvigorate the role of each MLA in our legislative system. I hope we’ll see some positive movement in that direction in advance of the May 2013 election.
Oops… Looks like that’s at least six R’s
Best wishes for a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year.
Bob Simpson is the Independent MLA for Cariboo North.