It’s getting to that time again when we need to start thinking about who to vote for in the coming General Election.

And, no, I’m not about to tell you! I’m not sure I know anyway. Each election that passes makes me less and less certain about which party and individuals I should support with my vote. I’m your classic swinging voter and will probably make a reluctant decision while on the way to the polling booth.

Part of the problem is we expect far too much from our politicians. Is it any surprise Barack Obama has been a crashing disappointment? How could he possibly live up to the expectations placed on him at the time he was elected?

The reality is that the world of politics in a democracy is a complex one and the ability of a single person to have a major influence is limited. He/she is a cog in a machine and even the machine itself is subject to huge constraints placed on it by an increasingly inter-linked world economy and an information highway that is instant and beyond the ability of individuals, and even nations, to control. We are in the age of the Facebook revolution and I’m not just talking about a social media revolution but literal revolutions with guns.

In a small country such as New Zealand we end up with political parties that are content to tinker, rather than seek the radical change that is beyond their ability to instigate. This election we will be arguing about whether to tax the rich, or tax the poor, while the elephant in the room continues to be the fact that no party really knows how to actually grow the economy to the point where everyone – rich and poor – can benefit.

Many Christians will focus on issues of morality – which party is for or against prostitution, legalising drug use, smacking, civil unions, and so on. These are all very important but the reality is most major parties are made up of a mixture of views and these issues are often down to a conscience vote. Will voting for one party over another really halt the decline in moral values, the decline in church attendance, the lack of hope and ambition among our young people, the declining belief in and respect for a loving God?

I doubt it.

Increasingly I am becoming less interested in a system that votes in one party for a maximum of nine years (which seems to be the natural life span of New Zealand governments) before replacing it with another party with similar polices, on the basis that we “want a change.”

These days I keep it simple. I look at each candidate in my electorate and decide whether they as individuals have the stamina, intelligence and, most importantly, the integrity to make a successful politician.

Of course it’s not easy to evaluate an individual’s integrity, especially if you don’t know them personally. But there are simple things you can look for.

Is the person a talker or a listener? Our local MP is a good listener. I recall another one, currently a government minister, who talked at me constantly without pausing for breath. He hadn’t the slightest interest in anything I had to say. How can a person represent us if he/she doesn’t shut up long enough to listen to what we have to say?

Does the person try to impress you with long lists of committees they have sat on, or do they look to the future and articulate a vision? Do they spend more time criticising others than telling you what they stand for? Do they treat you with respect, or do they ridicule your opinions? Do they swear? Do they arrive on time?

And do they believe in God? Now there’s a question that doesn’t get asked often these days. I recall Helen Clark and John Key being asked that question at the last election. It was the most uncomfortable they looked during the whole campaign.

If we vote in individuals of integrity, it will lead to parties of integrity, which will lead to policies of integrity.

– Duncan Pardon